It's the combination of the intimate and the public that I find so exciting about being poet laureate.

Quote by Rita Dove

Topics: Rita Dove Quotes

I was appointed Poet Laureate. It came totally out of the blue because most Poet...

I was appointed Poet Laureate. It came totally out of the blue because most Poet...

Under adversity, under oppression, the words begin to fail, the easy words begin to fail....

Under adversity, under oppression, the words begin to fail, the easy words begin to fail....

If we really want to be full and generous in spirit, we have no choice...

If we really want to be full and generous in spirit, we have no choice...

I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I...

I try to show what it is about language and music that enthralls, because I...

I prefer to explore the most intimate moments, the smaller, crystallized details we all hinge...

I prefer to explore the most intimate moments, the smaller, crystallized details we all hinge...

What is ironic is that Allen Ginsberg's importance was in its twilight for so many...

What is ironic is that Allen Ginsberg's importance was in its twilight for so many...

Instead of trying to come up and pontificate on what literature is, you need to...

Instead of trying to come up and pontificate on what literature is, you need to...

When we are touched by something it's as if we're being brushed by an angel's...

When we are touched by something it's as if we're being brushed by an angel's...

Rap is only one end of a whole spectrum of verbal play and virtuosity. Rap...

Rap is only one end of a whole spectrum of verbal play and virtuosity. Rap...

It's unfortunate that sometimes in schools, there's this need to have things quantified and graded.

It's unfortunate that sometimes in schools, there's this need to have things quantified and graded.

All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first...

All of us have moments in our childhood where we come alive for the first...

For many years, I thought a poem was a whisper overheard, not an aria heard.

For many years, I thought a poem was a whisper overheard, not an aria heard.

People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me,...

People write me from all over the country, asking me, and sometimes even telling me,...

Libraries are where it all begins.

Libraries are where it all begins.

Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human...

Being true to yourself really means being true to all the complexities of the human...

I believe people may have a predisposition for artistic creativity. It doesn't mean they're going...

I believe people may have a predisposition for artistic creativity. It doesn't mean they're going...

I keep the drafts of each poem in color-coded folders. I pick up the folders...

I keep the drafts of each poem in color-coded folders. I pick up the folders...

Have you ever heard a good joke? If you've ever heard someone just right, with...

Have you ever heard a good joke? If you've ever heard someone just right, with...

I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.

I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.

The poetry that sustains me is when I feel that, for a minute, the clouds...

The poetry that sustains me is when I feel that, for a minute, the clouds...