Poet Rita Dove brings diversity through spoken word

He was the son of a black father and mother who came from modern-day Poland.

Former Poet Laureate Rita Dove’s newest book of poetry, “Sonata Mulattica,” tells the story of George Polgreen Bridgetower, a violinist who rose to fame in the eighteenth century after befriending Beethoven.

Dove read from her book, offered commentary and signed books as the Diversity Day keynote speaker 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. Her reading was also joined by performances from lyric soprano Virginia LeBlanc and tenor Yasuhiko Harada.

“I think we think diversity is something we’ve dreamt up,” Dove said, “but diversity existed as far back and even farther back than my violinist.”

Dove’s book tells the story of Bridgetower’s life as a biracial musical prodigy. As a young boy, he traveled to Paris and London with his father. Around age ten, the Prince of Wales sponsored Bridgetower, who became determined to change into a British “gentleman.”

Dove said being a gentleman was similar to putting on a different skin for him, and that readers can relate to him because everyone has felt that way in some way or another.

Dove said music led Bridgetower to fame, but he was treated as a novelty to just be stared at. He traveled to Vienna to find Beethoven, and the two became friends after performing a sonnet Beethoven wrote and dedicated to Bridgetower.

Dove said Bridgetower rose to “15 seconds of fame” after working with Beethoven, but less than two weeks later, the two had a falling out. Bridgetower left Vienna, and Beethoven renamed his sonnet. Bridgetower continued to play violin, but never reached the fame he had achieved with Beethoven.

Dove said the book will alert readers that we are all in this world together and should embrace diversity. She added that diversity is nothing new, and people who are different are nothing to be afraid of.

Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, chairwoman of the IUB Diversity committee, said diversity includes gender, disability, race and even variety in the curriculum.

IU professor Maura Stanton, who teaches Dove’s works in her classes, introduced Dove and said her work gives a fresh perspective on the world we live in. Dove has written seven books of poetry in addition to several other works, such as a novel and a collection of essays.

Dove said she wanted to read from her book for her keynote address because it was a diverse way to approach the speech and because there are many lessons that can be found in literature. Thomas added that the right of humans to speak freely and openly in a democratic setting is another aspect of diversity.

Dove said she hoped the audience would feel like they knew Bridgetower and that the readings would allow the audience to slip into the mind of someone else and feel the similarities they share.

“College is one of the last great moments in one’s life to experience diversity,” Dove said.

She added that college is a real chance for students to get to know people who are different from them – especially in clubs.

Dove said one of the biggest challenges of diversity is talking about race. She said it is the elephant in the room, but race is something that needs to be acknowledged and talked about.

“Now we’re at the point as a country where we can begin to talk about extremely complex individuals,” Dove said. She added it was time to talk about all different parts of our being.

“The more we talk, the more we realize we are the same,” Dove said.