It’s important to recognize a gift when it’s offered, and to have the self-respect to accept it. So it was when the library technician at the high school where I teach offered me a ticket to see Mary Oliver speak at Pacific Lutheran University on Earth Day. I was scheduled to teach a yoga class that night and really, I already had two unusual events on my calendar for the week. I’m a creature of habit, so I was proud of myself for taking a what-the-hell attitude and calling for a sub for yoga. To my surprise, the answer from a sleepy fellow yogi who I’d woke with the call was “yes”.
I have to admit that prior to the event, I wasn’t a huge fan, though I have come across more than a few of her poems and, each time was impressed by her use of imagery, simplicity, and epiphany. I hadn’t sought her out, but was always grateful to come across her work. The reading was an hour long and all the poems were lovely and inspiring. Oliver herself was down-to-earth, funny, and intelligent. I particularly liked the poem she read from her new book, Red Bird, for it’s seeming simplicity. Don’t let her fool you. Like Robert Frost, describing Oliver as a “nature poet” is to grossly oversimplify the subject of her poems.
There are so many writers who come to speak in Olympia and surrounding areas. I just don’t find the time to attend these events often enough. Maybe that’s about to change.
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