Career Rita Dove

2004

in 1994 published play darker face of earth (revised stage version 1996), premiered @ oregon shakespeare festival in ashland, oregon in 1996 (first european production: royal national theatre, london, 1999). collaborated composer john williams on song cycle 7 luck (first performance: boston symphony, tanglewood, 1998, conducted composer). america s millennium , white house s 1999/2000 new year s celebration, ms. dove contributed — in live reading @ lincoln memorial, accompanied john williams music — poem steven spielberg s documentary unfinished journey.

dove s ambitious collection of poetry, sonata mulattica, published in 2009. on more 200 pages, has sweep , vivid characters of novel , mark doty wrote in o, oprah magazine.

dove edited penguin anthology of 20th century american poetry, published in 2011. collection provoked heated controversy critics complained valued inclusive, populist agenda on quality. poet john olson commented exclusions breathtaking . well-known poets left out include sylvia plath, allen ginsberg, sterling brown, louis zukofsky, george oppen, charles reznikoff , lorine niedecker.

as dove explained in foreword , in media interviews, had selected works plath, ginsberg , brown these other poets left out against editorial wishes; contributions had removed print-ready copy @ last minute because publisher forbade inclusion due disagreement penguin on permission fees. critic helen vendler condemned dove s choices, asking why being asked sample many poets of little or no lasting value? . dove defended choices , omissions vigorously in response vendler in new york review of books, in wide-ranging interviews writer s chronicle, poet jericho brown on best american poetry website, , bill moyers on public television show moyers & company. boston review continued discussion different angles aggressive attack scholar marjorie perloff , spirited counter-attack poet , scholar evie shockley, took on both vendler , perloff.