Rita Dove

Rita Dove is a highly acclaimed essayist and poet, who was born in Akron, Ohio on August 28, 1952. She is a distinguished faculty member at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she holds the position of Commonwealth Professor of English. Dove's literary accomplishments are numerous and varied, including serving as the Poet Laureate of the United States and Consultant to the Library of Congress from 1993 to 1995, and Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2004 to 2006.

Throughout her career, Dove has received numerous awards and honors in recognition of her literary contributions. Some of these accolades include the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, the 2003 Emily Couric Leadership Award, the 2001 Duke Ellington Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 1997 Sara Lee Frontrunner Award. In addition, she has been awarded several honorary doctorates from prestigious institutions such as Yale University, Smith College, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan. Dove's work has also been recognized by the U.S. government, receiving the National Humanities Medal / Charles Frankel Prize in 1996 and the National Medal of Arts in 2011.

Dove's interest in music is evident in her work, having been a cellist and later a viola da gamba player. She has collaborated with renowned musicians such as John Williams and Richard Danielpour, producing song cycles that have been performed at various concert halls. Dove is also an accomplished author, having published several poetry collections, a book of short stories, a novel, essays, and plays. Her latest collection of poetry, "Playlist for the Apocalypse," was published in August 2021 and has been nominated for several awards. Dove is a respected figure in the literary world, and her contributions to American literature continue to be celebrated.