MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk

A Poetry Superstar

Last Monday I got to go hear poet Mary Oliver read at a local church. It's odd because some people have never heard of her, and to other people she is a demi-god of poetry. She's a 70-some year old American woman who writes stunning poetry about nature and life with insights about spirituality... it's really hard to describe, but reading her poems makes you appreciate the world more, the wonder of life.

Thirteen hundred people were packed into this church-- I was in an overflow room where we got to watch her on a giant screen. One of the presenters joked that this was more like a football game crowd than a poetry reading crowd and we all cheered. Mary read for about an hour and then took questions, and she was wonderfully gracious and funny and charming, just what I'd hoped she'd be (with writers, you can never tell if their writing matches up with their speaking ability). And it was very meaningful to hear her read her poems, to have them leap off the page with her own spoken nuances.

Afterwards, she signed books for the multitudes, very generously writing her name for anyone who wanted it, and the lines were long. When I got to the front, she looked up and smiled right at me, which I'd noticed she took the time to do with everyone, accepting the small banter with cheer, even though it must've been exhausting. Again, not all writers who give readings are so generous of their time or their energy.

All in all, I left the reading very happy, knowing I had been in the presence of one of the great poets. And I wanted to write... thanks, Mary Oliver, for the inspiration!

If you're interested, you can read some of Mary Oliver's writings on this website.