File, Digital Video

Rita Dove Informal Session

Digital video captured from a Video8 tape containing raw footage of Rita Dove's informal seminar held at Marygrove College's Alumni Hall on April 20, 1996, in conjunction with her appearance in the Contemporary American Authors Lecture series.

The recording begins with a series of shots of tacked up printouts serving as title cards. Following a split-second clip of a man seated at the table--presumably from an earlier recording on the tape--the footage from the Rita Dove event begins with Dr. Frank Rashid in the middle of introducing the poet. Dove then reads a passage about playing cello and miming from her novel, "Through the Ivory Gate," and afterward relates it to writing. In next responding to questions from the audience, she deals with the topics of whether the skill of writing is a gift or a talent, and how to inspire children to become writers. A question about her collection "Mother Love" brings her to read "The Search," after which she talks about the community dynamics portrayed in it. The questions from the students continue--these deal with topics including the significance of flowers in her work, details in "Thomas and Beulah," the differing voices in "Grief: The Council," word choice, the community reaction in "Mother Love," her use of the Persephone myth, Billie Holiday and "Canary," her childhood and education, her father's reaction to her works, pet parakeets, her research for writing "Parsley," her writing process and early writing efforts, her favorite authors, the meaning of the five rings mentioned in "A Father out Walking on the Lawn," and the influence of her parents. The recording ends after some brief closing words from Dr. Rashid.