Mary Oliver — “I got saved by the beauty of the world.”

In this episode of On Being, Krista Tippett interviews the late poet Mary Oliver, exploring the spiritual background of her life and how it influenced her work. Oliver discusses her difficult childhood, her escape into nature, and the role of poetry in saving her life. She shares her writing process, emphasizing the importance of discipline, listening to the world, and the connection between poetry and community. The conversation touches on themes of attention, joy, the human world, and Oliver's personal experiences with cancer, as well as her perspective on God and everlasting life, with readings of some of her well-known poems included.