The poet and activist Adrienne Rich published more than a dozen books of poetry and several non-fiction books. Her work is often included in studies of 20th century poetry and in women's studies courses.
In 1974, she turned down an individual National Book Award, preferring to share it with the other nominees, Audre Lorde and Alice Walker. She also turned down a National Medal for the Arts in 1997, in protest of the politics of the Clinton administration. She did win manyh other prizes for her work.
In addition to her work as a poet, Adrienne Rich was a feminist activist, her work considered part of the "second wave" of feminism.
About This Photograph
In this photograph, Adrienne Rich is reading A Celebration of the 80s: Portraits by Nancy Rica Schiff. Schiff also took this photograph of Rich.
About the Poet
Biographer and critic Cheri Colby Langdell says of her work, "The one constant in Adrienne Rich's poetry has been change and successive self-transformation." (Adrienne Rich: The Moment of Change)
Selected Books by Adrienne Rich
- Ariadne, A Play in Three Acts and Poems. 1939.
- Not I, But Death, A Play in One Act. 1941.
- A Change of World. 1951.
- The Diamond Cutters and Other Poems. 1955.
- Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law: Poems, 1954-1962. 1963, 1970.
- Necessities of Life: Poems, 1962-1965. 1966.
- Selected Poems. 1967.
- Leaflets: Poems 1965-1968. 1969, 1972.
- The Will to Change. 1971, 1972.
- Diving into the Wreck: Poems, 1971-1972. 1973.
- Poems: Selected and New, 1950-1974. 1975.
- Of Woman Born. 1976; London: Virago, 1977.
- The Dream of a Common Language: Poems, 1974-1977. 1978.
- On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose 1966-1978. 1979.
- A Wild Patience Has Taken Me This Far: Poems, 1978-1981. 1981.
- The Fact of a Doorframe: Poems Selected and New, 1950-1984. 1984.
- Blood, Bread, and Poetry: Selected Prose, 1979-1985. 1986.
- What Is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics. 1993.
- Dark Fields of the Republic: Poems, 1991-1995. 1995.
- Selected Poems, 1950-1995. 1996.
- Midnight Salvage: Poems, 1995-1998. 1999.
- Fox: Poems, 1998-2000. 2001.
- Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations. 2001.
- The School among the Ruins: Poems, 2000-2004. 2004.
- Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth: Poems, 2004-2006. 2007.
- Poetry & Commitment: An Essay. 2007.
- A Human Eye: Essays on Art in Society, 1996-2008. 2009.
- Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems, 2007-2010. 2011.
