I never think of my audience when I write a poem. I try to write out of whatever is haunting me; in order for a poem to feel authentic, I have to feel I'm treading on very dangerous ground, which… — Rita Dove Copy Share Image
Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we… — Rita Dove Copy Share
My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a… — Rita Dove Copy Share
To write for PC reasons, because you think you ought to be dealing with this subject, is never going to yield anything that is… — Rita Dove Copy Share
All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first time. And we go back to those moments and… — Rita Dove Copy Share
The First Book: Go ahead, it won't bite. Well... maybe a little. More a nip, like. A tingle. It's pleasurable, really. You see, it… — Rita Dove Copy Share
Listen how they say your name. If they can't say that right, there's no way they're going to know how to treat you proper,… — Rita Dove Copy Share
People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me, what they think a poet laureate should do. I… — Rita Dove Copy Share
There are distinct duties of a poet laureate. I plan a reading series at the Library of Congress and advise the librarian. The rest… — Rita Dove Copy Share
My first advice would be to read, read, read, which sounds interesting coming in a digital age, but it's so much easier to listen… — Rita Dove Copy Share
To me, a poem is almost like someone whispering to another person, or you hear the whispering in your head. I hope with my… — Rita Dove Copy Share
I was not interested in doing the plot of OEDIPUS in blackface. I did wonder, what would these people have been like if they… — Rita Dove Copy Share
