The National Book Foundation, the nonprofit which presents the book awards, announced Friday that Dove is this year’s winner of its medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an honor previously given to Toni Morrison, Edmund White and Art Spiegelman among others.
She is best known for her poetry, but has worked in other art forms and is currently planning a memoir.
“Dove’s work transforms the everyday into the remarkable, brilliantly blending music, politics, and, let’s not forget, pleasure.”Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesThe National Book Award ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 15 in Manhattan, with Drew Barrymore hosting.
Dove has received so many previous honors, lifetime and competitive, that it’s almost surprising the book foundation didn’t get around to her sooner.
A fellow Pulitzer winner, poet Jericho Brown, will introduce Dove at the National Book Awards.
Persons:
—, Rita Dove, I’m, Toni Morrison, Edmund White, Spiegelman, “ Thomas, Beulah, ”, Oscar, John Williams, Rita Dove’s, ” Ruth Dickey, “, let’s, Drew Barrymore, Dove, Paul Yamazaki, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Ruth Lilly, Jericho Brown, Shakespeare, William Blake, Rosa Parks, Fred Viebahn, Cave
Organizations:
Book Foundation, Luck, Lights Booksellers & Publishers, Poet, City, Presidential, University of Miami, University of Iowa, Pulitzer, Humanities, of Arts, NAACP, Poetry Foundation, Library of Congress, American Academy of Arts and, University of Virginia
Locations:
Ivory, Manhattan, San Francisco's, Akron , Ohio, Ohio, Charlottesville , Virginia, New York City