Persephone, Falling Resources

The American Academy of Poets gives us the skinny on Rita Dove, plus some of her poems, prose, and other links for good measure. A good first step.

A brief bio and a ton of poems make this an excellent stop on your tour of the wonderful world of Rita.

Rita Dove is also an amateur ballroom dancer—check out her moves. And her dress.

Rita Dove reads for the President and First Lady Obama. That's how you know you've made it, folks.

A video of a kitten named Persephone who keeps falling. Not super relevant, but come on—it's a kitten.

Mah adds a little dramatic flair to his reading of the poem.

An audio recording of Dove's lecture at the Key West Literary Seminar

A photo of Dove receiving the National Medal of Arts from President Obama

This famous statue by baroque sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini called "The Rape of Proserpina" depicts a rather muscly Hades (seriously, he could give Ahnold a run for his money) kidnapping a woeful Persephone.

Want to learn about the Power of Love? We can't help you. But if it's the Power of Poetry you're after, then this is the interview for you.

Dove, who edited the collection, explains how and why she chose poets and poems in this important anthology. By the way, her collection was way controversial.

"Persephone, Falling" appears in this book, which is all about exploring the mother-daughter divide, using Persephone and Demeter as a lens.

Rita Dove was given the honor of editing a definitive collection of poetry, and the finished product was kind of a big deal. Check out her picks here.

The first episode of this PBS series features Rita Dove. Look Ma! She's on TV!