At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver reads Mary Oliver

This collection contains “The Summer Day,” one of my very favorite poems. That said, these poems are all very similar in tone and content and typical Oliver: spirituality through nature. While it’s always interesting to hear an author or, especially, a poet read their own work, Mary Oliver’s reading of “The Summer Day” didn’t compare favorably to how I hear it in my head.

I enjoyed this, and it made me think. I love all the nature in her poems, but this book also had more references to religion than I really was happy with. Ah well.

I listened to the audiobook, read by the author which is always nice. But I think with poetry, while it’s great to have a good reading, I’m missing something - I tend to read a good poem more than once, to try to better grasp it. I certainly could have done that with the audio, but I didn’t want to fiddle with the controls. I think next time I’ll go for paper or e-book.

I don’t read much poetry but this volume appealed to me to satisfy a challenge category in my public library’s annual reading challenge. This audio edition attracted me because MO is reading her own poems. I enjoyed it very much…just a few each day…I greatly appreciated some of her imagery and figurative language.

Perfect for the car, or the pool, or running early in the morning (my favorite). Beautiful poems. Worthy of memorization. Several Oliver highlights here: "Her Grave", "Some Herons", "The Kingfisher", "When Death Comes", "At Blackwater Pond", the list goes on.

Oliver's reading is melodic, gives the language it's money's worth. Although I've been a fan for quite some time, in my reading I'd over looked several of these poems. Hearing them out loud brings them to life.

I've been listening to these poems early in the morning while I run. Lately I've found myself "singing along" with Mary. Soulful, haunting poems: Oliver is a poet to be studied and emulated and loved.

Mary Oliver is like the little girl that had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead. When she's good, she's very, very good. And when she's bad, she's horrid.

Superb, well-read collection.

Mary Oliver reads some of the best of her later poems. Magical.