Rita Dove
Rita Dove was born on August 28, 1952 in Akron, Ohio. Growing up as the daughter of America’s integration pioneer, Rita Dove was encouraged to become a persistent learner. She developed a love for poetry and music at an early age. In high school, she served as the leader of her school’s majorette squad.
Rita Dove’s excellence in high school earned for her an invitation to become one of the White House’s Presidential Scholars. Later on, Rita Dove worked on pursuing her dreams of becoming a writer at the Miami University in Ohio. In 1973, she successfully completed her degree in English when she graduated as the summa cum laude in her batch. Having an outstanding record in college, Rita Dove rightfully earned a Fulbright Scholarship that brought her to Germany. For two years, Rita Dove was a student at the University of Tubingen. Later on, she joined the renowned Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, where she eventually receives a Masters’ Degree in 1977.
Following her graduation, Rita Dove shared her skills and knowledge in the field by teaching creative writing at the Arizona State University from 1981 until 1989. After a series of magazine appearances and anthologies, she went on to publish The Yellow House on the Corner, her first poetry collection, in 1980. It was later on supplemented by Museum (1983) and Thomas and Beulah in 1986.
Rita Dove’s poetry was also shared through another medium. Television viewers of CNN and NBC’s Today Show were able to experience the wonder of her poetry when Rita Dove appeared on the show. Aside from CNN and NBC, she has also appeared alongside famous television personalities like Big Bird, Charlie Rose, and Bill Moyers.
At present, Rita Dove serves as an English Commonwealth Professor at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, where she peacefully lives with her family.