Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver has read for the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series on two occasions: February 4, 1985, and on December 8, 1998 for the Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute.

Mary Oliver. Barbara Savage Cheresh.

In her poem “Mockingbirds,” Mary Oliver writes, “I was hurrying / through my own soul, / opening its dark doors— / I was leaning out; / I was listening.” Her most recent collection of poetry is Why I Wake Early which was published in 2004. In addition to her award-winning poetry, Oliver has published Rules for the Dance: A Handbook for Writing and Reading Metrical Verse and A Poetry Handbook. She holds the Catharine Osgood Foster Chair for Distinguished Teaching at Bennington College.

Visit her Poetry Foundation page for more information.