Adrienne Rich

Adrienne Rich, born in 1929, American poet and essayist, best known for her examination of the experiences of women in society. She won the National Book Award in 1974 for Diving into the Wreck, a collection of poems that explored such subjects as language, myth, and the historical development of women's roles in society.

Rich was born in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1951 she graduated from Radcliffe College and received the Yale Younger Poets award for her first collection of poems, A Change of World. Her other poetry books include Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law (1963), The Dream of a Common Language (1978), Your Native Land, Your Life (1986), An Atlas of the Difficult World (1992), Dark Fields of the Republic: Poems 1991-1995 (1995), and Midnight Salvage: Poems 1995-1998 (1999). Her prose books include Of Woman Born (1976; 1986); Blood, Bread, and Poetry (1986); and What Is Found There (1993).

During her career, Rich has been active in the women's movement and other movements for social and economic justice. Much of her poetry reflects these concerns.