American poet and essayist. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Rich grew up reading and writing poetry from an early age. She published her first volume of poems, A Change of World (1951), even before completing her B.A. at Radcliffe College. Her many subsequent collections, reflecting her emergence as a fiercely outspoken feminist, include Snapshots of a Daughterin-Law (1963), the National Book Award– winning Diving into the Wreck (1974), The Fact of a Doorframe: Poems Selected and New, 1950–1984 (1984), Midnight Salvage (1999), and Telephone Ringing in the Labyrinth (2007). A selection of her essays, Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations, was published in 2001; her most recent collection is Tonight No Poetry Will Serve: Poems 2007–2010 (2011). The recipient of many honors, Rich was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 2006. See also poets.org.