Rita Dove, American Smooth

Cecilia Donohue (Independent Scholar - North America)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2004

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poem collection

Resources

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Recommended Reading

For her 2004 collection of poems entitled

American Smooth

, American poet Rita Dove draws on recent events in her life. A lightening-induced house fire and an interest in ballroom dancing provide subject matter for several of the entries in this volume. In fact, the collection’s title is defined within the prefatory pages as a special variation of this partnered art form:

A form of ballroom dancing derived from the traditional Standard dances (e.g., Waltz, Fox Trot, Tango), in which the partners are free to release each other from the closed embrace and dance without any physical contact, thus permitting improvisation and individual expression.

A form of ballroom dancing derived from the traditional Standard dances (e.g., Waltz, Fox Trot, Tango), in which the partners are free to…

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1762 words

Citation: Donohue, Cecilia. "American Smooth". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 May 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16818, accessed 23 April 2024.]

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