  rita frances dove (born august 28, 1952) is an american poet and author. from 1993 to 1995 she served as poet laureate consultant in poetry to the library of congress. she is the first african american to have been appointed since the position was created by an act of congress in 1986 from the previous "consultant in poetry" position (1937â86). dove also received an appointment as "special consultant in poetry" for the library of congress's bicentennial year from 1999 to 2000.poems by rita dove and biography at poetryfoundation.org dove is the second african american to receive the pulitzer prize for poetry, in 1987, and she served as the poet laureate of virginiavirginia law and library of congress list of poets laureate of virginia from 2004 to 2006. ==early life== rita dove was born in akron, ohio, to ray dove, the first african-american chemist to work in the u.s. tire industry (as research chemist at goodyear), and elvira hord, who achieved honors in high school and would share her passion for reading with her daughter. in 1970 dove graduated from buchtel high school as a presidential scholar. later, dove graduated summa cum laude with a b.a. from miami university in 1973. in 1974 she held a fulbright scholarship from eberhard karls universitÃ¤t tÃ¼bingen, germany. she received her mfa from the iowa writers' workshop at the university of iowa in 1977. ==career== dove taught creative writing at arizona state university from 1981 to 1989.
1952_births 20th-century_American_poets 20th-century_women_writers 21st-century_American_poets 21st-century_women_writers African-American_academics African-American_women_writers American_Poets_Laureate American_women_academics American_women_poets Iowa_Writers\'_Workshop_alumni Living_people Miami_University_alumni National_Humanities_Medal_recipients People_from_Akron,_Ohio People_from_Charlottesville,_Virginia Poets_Laureate_of_Virginia Poets_from_Ohio Presidential_Scholars Pulitzer_Prize_for_Poetry_winners The_New_Yorker_people United_States_National_Medal_of_Arts_recipients Writers_from_Ohio Writers_from_Virginia