the penguin anthology of 20th century american poetry

And stories to tell about the way that they felt when they were living in this country. And there were all these people who had little story to tell. I just felt, you know, I felt I was in this amazing party. Because that's how I felt when I began working on this. And I wanted to say to all the folks still on the edge of the pool, ‘Come on in, it's a fascinating place.’ I mean, 176 poets swimming around with me.

I felt when I opened this book that I was diving into America's melting pot. Rita Dove is the editor - the sole editor - which meant enormous freedom of choice and a great burden of responsibility. And if you never thought of poetry as a way to snatch the past from George Orwell's memory hole, you'll be thinking that after spending a few hours with this book. The poems were selected for what they tell us about American history, our story. Her latest work, 'The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry' is a banquet of language, images, and ideas. Among them, the Pulitzer Prize winning 'Thomas and Beulah,' a collection inspired by Dove's maternal grandparents. Rita Dove is the Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia and the author of nine books of poetry. In fact, she served two terms as Poet Laureate, the youngest and the first African American to be named to that prestigious position. The award makes Rita Dove the first person to receive all three of the nation’s highest arts and humanities distinctions: the Medal of Arts, the Humanities Medal, which she received in 1996, and the title Poet Laureate of the United States. A few days ago, in the East Room of the White House, along with such greats as the actor Al Pacino, sculptor Martin Puryear, and painter Will Barnet, President Obama presented the National Medal of Arts to the poet Rita Dove. From the combative, ferocious and vituperative field of politics, we repair to a quieter place – a respite for the soul, if you will, against the tumult of our time.

The penguin anthology of 20th century american poetry