Hailed for her “luscious, moody and dreamy” playing by the New York Times, pianist Lara Downes is equally celebrated as a musical innovator and cultural investigator. In this collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove, she presents a kaleidoscopic evening of music and poetry inspired by myriad stories of migration and transformation.

The performance will take place at 8 pm on Saturday, February 22 at the Reston Community Center in Reston, Virginia. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Pairing works by Johannes Brahms and the distinguished American composer Adolphus Hailstork (setting a text by former US poet laureate Rita Dove), this powerful concert celebrates the meaning and purpose of our time on earth, and pays tribute to the memory of Heather Heyer in what would have been her 40th birthday year. Heyer’s mother Susan Bro will address the audience, and honored guest Rita Dove will recite her poem from the stage.  “The world called, and I answered.”  

The concert will be held at 8 pm on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at  Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage in Carnegie Hall. For more information or to purchase tickets, follow this link.

Rita Dove met President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn several times over the years -- most notably in 1995 when she and Carter hosted Nobel Prize laureates in literature at The Carter Center in Atlanta for the Cultural Olympiad (a precursor event to the 1996 Olympics); and later that same year, they joined forces again to open the Dylan Thomas Center in Swansea, Wales, during a festive summer weekend where Rita Dove's daughter Aviva Dove-Viebahn, Ph.D. (UVA M.A. in art history 2003), then 12 years old, also had the honor of meeting the Carters.

All photos © by Fred Viebahn.

Fri., Jan. 17: Pulitzer Prize-winner and former Poet Laureate of the United States Rita Dove reads from her award-winning true tale of the origin of what we know now as the “Kreutzer” Sonata of Beethoven- and George Bridgetower, the Black violinist who inspired him. Shooting star violinist Hannah White makes her Emory debut performing the work with pianist William Ransom. 

You can read reviews of the performance in The Emory Wheel and Ear Relevant.

Rita Dove discussed the performance on "City Lights with Lois Reitzes" on WABE/90.1 on January 8 between 1 and 2 pm (with a rebroadcast at 10 pm). 

The bilingual (English/Italian) edition of "Playlist for the Apocalypse", edited and translated by Ana Ilievska, was recently published by Interno Poesia Editore in Latiano (Brindisi/Apulia).

Sponsored by the Michener Center for Writers, Rita Dove read at the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, October 1. Photos taken by Fred Viebahn.

On Saturday, September 28, Rita Dove and Steven Pinker were honored for their work and longstanding service on the Anisfield-Wolf Awards jury. (Rita Dove has been a member since 1991 and Prof. Pinker since 2002; both have retired from their jury duties this year.) Their conversation, “Words and Wisdom - Celebrating Rita Dove and Steven Pinker,” was moderated by Dr. Jamie Hickner, Associate Director of the Baker-Nord Center at Case Western Reserve University and an Anisfield-Wolf Teaching Fellow. The event took place at The City Club of Cleveland and was streamed for public viewing. Photos by Fred Viebahn.

On Thursday, September 19, Rita Dove read with Jericho Brown, Camille Dungy, and other poets at part of “Black Universe I: FFIV Featured Poets Reading.” On Friday, September 20, she hosted a "Laureate Reading and Conversation" with Angela Jackson, Amanda Johnston, Curtis Cristler, avery r. young, and Glenis Redmond. Both events took place in James Madison University’s Festival Ballroom. 

Rita Dove also attended the first Furious Flower conference in 1994 (photos 1 and 2 below), the second conference in 2004 (photos 3-5), as well as the third conference in 2014 (photos 6-9), which was dedicated to her. Photos 9-20 are from this year's conference; you can view more at Rita Dove's official Facebook page. (All these Furious Flower photos over the years © by Fred Viebahn.)