October 2, 2010 — Rita Dove, Commonwealth Professor of English in the University of Virginia's Graduate School and College of Arts & Sciences, received the Ambassador Award at Oklahoma's Celebration of Books in Tulsa on Sept. 25.

First established in 1998 by the Oklahoma Center for Poets & Writers, the award honors writers from across the world whose works reach beyond boundaries. It is the book celebration's premier award, presented every other year. Past winners include Alice Walker, Frank McCourt, Isabel Allende, Amy Tan, Alexander McCall Smith and Mitch Albom.

Dove, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate, read from her 2009 book, "Sonata Mulattica," at the event.

The Celebration of Books is one of the largest gatherings of writers in the Southwest. The Oklahoma Center for Poets & Writers, housed at Oklahoma State University, hosts the book celebration.