In celebration of National Poetry Month, the Arizona Humanities Council and ASU Project Humanities are proud to present Rita Dove, Pulitzer Prize winner and Poet Laureate, as the keynote speaker for Sharing Words, Changing Worlds. Dove will share poems from her most recent book, Sonata Mulattica, about a young mulatto violinist's encounters with Beethoven.

Discussing the research that went into the book, Dove will reveal how she came to be uniquely suited to the task of rescuing the mixed race violinist George Augustus Polgreen Bridgetower from the shadows of history, and how history comes alive through art.

Rita Dove recently received the 2011 National Medal of Arts from President Obama. She served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 to 1995. Among her many honors are the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in poetry, the 1996 Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities and the 2006 Common Wealth Award. In 1996, President Bill Clinton bestowed upon her the National Humanities Medal. From 1981 to 1989, Rita Dove taught creative writing at Arizona State University. She currently is Commonwealth Professor of English at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.

Each year at the lecture, the Arizona Humanities Council honors individuals, organizations, or businesses for their contribution and advancement of the humanities with Humanities Awards.

This year, AHC is pleased to recognize two people, Elena Diaz Bjorkquist and Nancy Dallett, for the Dan Shilling Public Humanities Scholar Award which honors a humanities scholar who has enhanced public awareness and understanding of the role that the humanities play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The Arizona Town Hall is the recipient of the Juliana Yoder Friend of the Humanities Award that recognizes individuals, organizations, or businesses that have made lasting contributions to the cultural life of Arizona through their active support of and involvement in promoting the humanities.

For more information, visit www.azhumanities.org or call 602-257-0335 ext. 25