This week on the Make Meaning podcast, Lynne pays homage to Mary Oliver, an American poet who has had a significant impact on her life. Oliver does a beautiful job capturing the profound in the quiet occurrences of nature and finding meaning with her observations of the natural world. As a visionary, she received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award and Lannan Literary Award for lifetime achievement.
Mary Oliver found her escape in two places: writing and nature. She found beauty in the simple, everyday life around her. She could take the smallest moment – first snow – and not only find, but communicate, great depth of beauty and meaning through her poetry.
Where do you find beauty? Or better yet – have you looked for it?
In today’s episode, Lynne Golodner reflects on finding meaning and beauty in some of the simplest times and places, inspired by selections of Mary Oliver’s poetry:
- Finding your Voice
- Recognizing your “Aliveness”
- Finding meaning in nature
- What does poetry mean to us today? Who writes it? Who appreciates it and how?
- Meaning in frequent “firsts”
- Living moments vs. recording them
- “Blossom”, written by Mary Oliver, read by Lynne Golodner
- “First Snow”, written by Mary Oliver, read by Lynne Golodner
- “Snow Geese”, written by Mary Oliver, read by Lynne Golodner
Resources and Links
- Mary Oliver’s life, Academy of American Poets, (poets.org)
- Three Lessons Change Agents can learn from Mary Oliver, Forbes.com, 2019
- American Primitive, goodreads.com
- Why I Wake Early, goodreads.com
