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Rita Dove

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Poet

The Resume

    (August 28, 1952- )
    Born in Akron, Ohio
    Wrote poetry collections 'Thomas and Beulah' (1987), 'On the Bus with Rosa Parks' (1999), 'American Smooth' (2004) and 'Sonata Mulattica' (2009)
    Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1987)
    US Poet Laureate (1993-95)
    National Medal of Arts (2011)
    Edited 'The Penguin Anthology of American 20th Century Poetry' (2011)

Why she might be annoying:

    She wrote a poem about how she and her three-year-old daughter examined their vaginas together.
    She once read her work accompanied by the music of Star Wars composer John Williams.
    When questioned over some of the poems she included in "The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry,' she called her critics racists.
    She enjoys ballroom dancing.

Why she might not be annoying:

    She praised her parents for fostering her love of books and learning.
    She was a Presidential Scholar, one of the US's top 100 high school graduates the year she graduated.
    She has tried to increase the public's interest in literature, and believes it is essential to teach poetry in school.
    She was the youngest person to be named American Poet Laureate.
    Her collection 'Sonata Mulattica' revived interest in George Bridgetower, a black violinist virtuoso admired by Beethoven.

Credit: Georgina


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 18 Votes: 11.11% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 23 Votes: 60.87% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 22 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 9 Votes: 77.78% Annoying