In her introduction to the Best American Poetry of 2000
Rita Dove writes, "when I'm called upon
to introduce a poetry reading I quake."
"I quake", she says, "for it is the introducer's role
to strike an artful balance between the obligatory signing
of credentials and awards"-- which of course,
in Rita Dove's case, are considerable--
"and evoking an anticipatory mood,
clearing a space in our quotidian world
for what might lead to the rapture of discovery."
So with that in mind, and with the understanding
that this is a communal endeavor, what stage shall
we set for Rita Dove to step onto?
Rita Dove is a dancer.
This is a fact widely circulated in interviews and articles,
but I have it, the first-hand account of this from our very
own Lois and Dick Shelton, who recall a turn
or two she made on their living room floor.
"American Smooth", her most recent collection of poetry
is an important tribute to ballroom dancing,
but it's also about caring oneself
with grace and even a little glee
through times of turmoil and unrest.
As with much of her poetry, "American Smooth"
is a patient by history and mythology.
But in this book, there is something new,
an openness of movement coupled with the poetry of the moment
from which it Dove elicits the momentos.
Rita Dove is a musician.
She draws music from the cello, the old gamba,
and from her own chords, and that's her soprano voice.
And of course, from language.
Dove, aesthetically rooted in the lyric,
is also a lyricist, providing words for such composers
as John Williams, Tanya Young and Bruce Adolphe.
And she's also a novelist and a dramatist.
In fact, her play, The Darker Face of the Earth,
has been performed on such prestigious stages
as at Kennedy Center in Washington
and the Royal National Theater in London.
And she's currently at work on some new theater pieces.
The recipient of a glittering array of prizes,
including the Pulitzer for Thomas and Beulah,
and 21 honorary doctorates, I'm wondering if, in this case,
this is the literary equivalent to the 21-gun salute.
[LAUGHTER]
She was United States poet laureate from 1993 to 1995.
She's now poet laureate of the State of Virginia
where she is Commonwealth professor of English
at the University of Virginia.
And in this moment, she is the esteemed guest
of the Poetry Center who has come
to Tucson with her gracious gift of words.
Please welcome Rita Dove.
[APPLAUSE]