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Rita Dove

Rita Dove

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5 out of 5
2 reviews

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet, Former Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress & Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing

Travels From Travels From:
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $10,000 - $20,000
Virtual Event: $10,000 - $20,000
More Fee Info
Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Anti-Racism, Authors, Black Heritage, Black History Month, College, Commencement, Culture, Disruptive Thinking, Diversity & Inclusion, Influential Women, Inspirational, Journalism, Literary, Motivational, Poetry, Social Activism, Thought Leadership, Women, Women's History Month
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Rita Dove Biography

Rita Dove was born in Akron, Ohio, on August 28, 1952. A poet and writer, she was a high school Presidential Scholar and graduated with a BA in English from Miami University of Ohio in 1973. She then studied German poetry as a Fulbright Scholar at Universität Tübingen before getting an MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa.

Dove’s books of poetry include "Playlist for the Apocalypse"; "Collected Poems 1974–2004," recipient of the 2017 NAACP Image Award, the 2017 Library of Virginia Award and a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award; "Sonata Mulattica," winner of the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; "On the Bus with Rosa Parks," named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award; and "Thomas and Beulah," which won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

In addition to poetry, Dove has published a book of short stories, the novel "Through the Ivory Gate," and numerous essays. She also edited "Best American Poetry" (2000), compiled "The Penguin Anthology of Twentieth-Century American Poetry" (2011), and edited the New York Times Magazine’s weekly poetry column from 2018–19, as well as, in 2000 and 2002, the Washington Post’s weekly “Poet’s Choice” column.

Dove’s work traverses a wide range of landscapes, applying an unflinching eye upon historical and political events. Her many other honors include: the 1996 Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities; the 2003 Emily Couric Leadership Award; the 2006 Commonwealth Award; the 2007 Chubb Fellowship at Yale University; the 2008 Library of Virginia Lifetime Achievement Award; the 2009 Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal; the 2009 International Capri Award; the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University; the 2017 Callaloo Lifetime Achievement Award; and the 2019 North Star Award from the Hurston/Wright Foundation, as well as twenty-eight honorary doctorates, including those from Yale University in 2014 and Harvard University in 2018. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. President Bill Clinton bestowed upon her the 1996 National Humanities Medal, and President Barack Obama presented her with the 2011 National Medal of Arts, making her the only poet who has received both medals.

Dove served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2005 to 2011. In 2019, she received the Wallace Stevens Award, given annually by the Academy of American Poets to recognize outstanding and proven mastery in the art of poetry. In 2022, she won the Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She has also been awarded the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the organization’s lifetime achievement award.

Dove was the poet laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995, and poet laureate of Virginia from 2004 to 2006. She is a trained classical cellist and violist da gamba. She serves as the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ vice president for literature and as the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Virginia, where she has been teaching since 1989.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 04/22/2025.

Rita Dove Videos

  • Rita Dove's 'Playlist for the Apocalypse' is her plea for unity
    Rita Dove's 'Playlist for the Apocalypse' is her plea for unity
    Jeffrey Brown has the story of prominent poet Rita Dove confronting private pains and public strains; home and history. This report on her book,...
  • Rita Dove Recites Her Poem Bellringer at UVA's Bicentennial Celebration
    Rita Dove Recites Her Poem "Bellringer" at UVA's Bicentennial Celebration
    UVA’s Commonwealth Professor of English and former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove recites her poem, “Bellringer,” at the University’s...
  • The Denham Sutcliffe Memorial Lecture: An Evening with Rita Dove
    The Denham Sutcliffe Memorial Lecture: An Evening with Rita Dove
    Rita Dove is the winner of the 2018 Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement. Winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize and poet laureate of the United...
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Rita Dove Books

  • Sonata Mulattica: Poems
    Sonata Mulattica: Poems
  • The Darker Face Of Earth: A Verse Play
    The Darker Face Of Earth: A Verse Play
  • Selected Poems Of Rita Dove
    Selected Poems Of Rita Dove
  • Through The Ivory Gate
    Through The Ivory Gate

Speaker Lists Featuring Rita Dove

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  • What topics does Rita Dove speak about?

    Rita Dove is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Anti-Racism, Authors, Black Heritage, Black History Month, College, Commencement, Culture, Disruptive Thinking, Diversity & Inclusion, Influential Women, Inspirational, Journalism, Literary, Motivational, Poetry, Social Activism, Thought Leadership, Women, Women's History Month.

  • Where does Rita Dove travel from?

    Rita Dove generally travels from Charlottesville, VA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Rita Dove is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Rita Dove for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Rita Dove generally travels from Charlottesville, VA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Ijeoma Oluo, Charlene Carruthers, Staceyann Chin, Dr. Bernice King and Erin Gruwell. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Rita Dove for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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