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Today marks the birthday of Mary Oliver (born on September 10th, 1935), one of America’s most beloved poets. Known for her clarity, gentleness and attentions to the natural world, Oliver wrote poems that spoke directly to her readers’ lives and basic desires. Her words invite us all to slow down, breathe in the air of the world around us and recognize beauty and meaning that might otherwise go unnoticed in our fast paced world.
Born in Maple Heights, Ohio, Oliver found comfort in long walks outdoors during her often difficult childhood. She grew up with a deep sensitivity to both the struggles and wonders of life, and these walks in nature became a foundation of her poetic voice. As an adult, she lived for many years in Provincetown, Massachusetts, with her partner Molly Malone Cook, where she continued to write in close communion with the natural world. Over the course of her entire career, Oliver published more than 15 different collections of poetry, becoming one of the best-selling poets in the United States.
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Her poems turn often to themes of nature and spirituality. In Dog Songs (2013), she celebrates the companionship between human and canines with lines like, “Steadfastness is more about dogs than about us,” and “Everybody needs a safe place – both dog and owner.” Love and joy abound from start to finish in that collection. Similarly, in A Thousand Mornings (published in 2012), Oliver reminds us that beauty and joy are available if only we reach for them purposefully. In Poem of the World, she wrote “Everything sooner or later is a part of everything else,” a simple yet profound line that leaves her readers with the tangible thoughts of life’s interconnectedness. Her Pulitzer Prize winning American Primitive (published in 1984) and other works such as Wild Geese show her gift for joining humility and wisdom, and encouraging us to find forgiveness (and freedom) in nature’s liberating solutions.
All of these can help us make the statement that Oliver’s influence on the literary world is immense. She made poetry accessible to millions who might otherwise feel excluded from it, showing that the genre could be both profound and still approachable. Writers and readers can draw inspiration from her work, which continues to circulate widely in classrooms, spiritual gatherings, and on social media… proof that her voice remains deeply alive today!
To read Mary Oliver is a gift, and is to awaken every part of ourselves, exposed and hidden, and to rediscover our true selves in the process. We honor her on what would be her 90th birthday!
