Rita DoveBy: Safia Lakhani

Introduction

• Rita Dove- a wonderful poet with many talents. This is how l would describe her. She not only writes poems, but also writes children stories. I chose this incredible poet because l cherish her style of writing and also am interested in her genre of some poems like historical fiction. Rita Dove has inspired many people around the world to start writing literature and to follow their dreams. She is a leader.

Childhood• Rita Dove was born on August 28, 1952.• She was raised in Akron, Ohio in an African

American family.• Her family consisted of herself, her mother and

father, her two younger sisters, and an older brother.

• From an early age, Rita had a passion for reading and music.

• Her parents encouraged her to do well in her studies and to explore the world of reading. They made sure that Rita got the best education as possible.

• With this passion to read, Rita wanted to become a writer herself.

Adolescence

• Dove played the cello in the high school orchestra.

• She also led the majorette squad in high school.• Rita was known as one of the best students in her

high school out of the top one hundred.• As one of the smartest high school graduate that

year, Rita was invited to the White House as a Presidential Scholar.

Adulthood

• She attended Miami University in Ohio after high school.• Rita then went overseas to attend the Universitaet

Tuebingen in West Germany on a scholarship.• After going to Germany, Dove joined the famous writers’

workshop at the University of Iowa, receiving her Masters’ Degree in 1977.

• At Iowa, she met another man named Fred Viebahn and got married to him in 1979.

• She had a daughter named Aviva in 1983.• Rita published her first poetry collection called The Yellow

House on the Corner in 1980.• This publication was followed by other publications called

Museum (1983) and Thomas and Beulah (1986). These publications were loosely based on Dove’s grandparents’ lives.

Adulthood (Continued)

• In 1993, Rita Dove was honored to be appointed as the youngest and the first African-American U.S. Poet Laureate at the age of 40. She held this title for two years.

Maps

Rita Dove was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, as shown in the picture above.

She is currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia, as shown in the picture above.

Conclusion

• Rita Dove has a very interesting life. She is currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia with her husband and daughter, where she is also the Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia.

• The positive contributions this magnificent poet has made is that she writes poetry that teaches us a moral in some way or writes about something portraying to this world.

• The most interesting fact I have learned is that Rita Dove was appointed as the youngest and first African American U.S. Poet Laureate at the age of 40.

• One thing I’ve accomplished is that I have got to learn more about one of my favorite poets.

Cinquain

Ritahistorical, imaginative

write, read, studylead, teach, instruments, African

Poet

Lady Freedom Among UsBy: Rita Dove

don't lower your eyesor stare straight ahead to whereyou think you ought to be goingdon't mutter oh nonot another oneget a job fly a kitego bury a bonewith her oldfashioned sandalswith her leaden skirtswith her stained cheeks and whiskers and heaped up trinketsshe has risen among us in blunt reproachshe has fitted her hair under a hand-me-down capand spruced it up with feathers and starsslung over her shoulder she bearsthe rainbowed layers of charity and murmursall of you even the least of youdon't cross to the other side of the squaredon't think another item to fit on a tourist's agenda

consider her drenched gaze her shining browshe who has brought mercy back into the streetsand will not retire politely to the potter's fieldhaving assumed the thick skin of this townits gritted exhaust its sunscorch and blearshe rests in her weathered plumagebigboned resolutedon't think you can ever forget herdon't even tryshe's not going to budgeno choice but to grant her spacecrown her with skyfor she is one of the manyand she is each of us