I have always had a romantic notion of being a poet.  As an angst-filled teenager I scribbled furiously in journal after journal trying to gather feelings into words that seemed not to exist.

Then one day I realized that poetry is not written, but rather gives birth to itself through me.  If I surrender to the emotion, it spills itself onto the page with little need of correction or adjustment.  This is the process for me and I cannot make it happen just as one cannot force a child from the womb.

This interview with Mary Oliver is extraordinary.  Although much more disciplined in the craft, Mary Oliver speaks about the process of creativity and how our art moves through us in its “becoming.”

Mary Oliver has received the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She has published over 25 books of poetry and prose including Dream Work, A Thousand Mornings, A Poetry Handbook and in 2014, Blue Horses. Here is a link to her fascinating bio http://maryoliver.beacon.org/aboutmary/.

Remember my friend, you were created to create.

Susan

.Mary Oliver Interview with Krista Tippett – On Being