U.S. Poet Laureate

U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove addressed members of the National Press Club concerning her views on poetry and her desire to encourage the spread of poetry. At age 41, Rita Dove is the youngest person and the first African-American woman to serve as Poet Laureate. In 1987, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Thomas and Beulah, a collection of poems based on the lives of her maternal grandparents. During her one-year term as Poet Laureate, Ms. Dove is on leave from her teaching position at the University of Virginia, where she is the Commonwealth Professor of English. After her remarks she answered audience members' questions.