At Blackwater Pond: Mary Oliver Reads Mary Oliver

by Mary Oliver

Book Overview

One of the astonishing aspects of Oliver's work is the consistency of tone over this long period. What changes is an increased focus on nature and an increased precision with language that has made her one of our very best poets. --Stephen Dobyns, New York Times Book Review

Mary Oliver has published fifteen volumes of poetry and five books of prose in the span of four decades, but she rarely performs her poetry in live readings. Now, with the arrival of At Blackwater Pond, Mary Oliver has given her audience what they've longed to hear: the poet's voice reading her own work. In this beautifully produced compact disc, Mary Oliver has recorded forty of her favorite poems, nearly spanning the length of her career, from Dream Work through her newest volume, New and Selected Poems, Volume Two. The package is shrink-wrapped so that the elegant clothbound audiobook can takes its place on the poetry shelf. It also includes a fifteen-page booklet with an original essay, "Performance Note," photos of the author at Blackwater Pond, and a full listing of the poems and their sources.

• Format: Audio CD
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807007005
• ISBN13: 9780807007006
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Mary Oliver CD

This is an excellent CD. Mary Oliver's reading voice is very interesting and adds an addition dimension to her wonderful poems. They also don't mess up the simplicity of her reading voice with background music or any other distractions. It's about 40 poems, drawn from various books.

Poems on CD

A wonderful collection from a wonderful career - and hopefully there are many more collections to come. Sound quality is generally extremely good, 'though one or two tracks seem to be down on level, but hearing the poet read her own work gives the listener/reader that added benefit. Essential listening.

At Blackwater Pond

Mary Oliver is certainly one of our finest contemporary poets. Her terse and sparse use of language in effect widens our horizons as we readers are able to expand our vision through her creative work. This CD has ample examples of her poetry, from several different volumes, and the listener can accompany the readings with personal copies of the published works. Oliver's ability to use the natural settings of her New England environment to state something profound about the human condition is one of her gifts. To see in the ordinary what is unforgettable, is another. Her language is visual, so that we see what she describes in new ways. This collection of poems, read by the poet, is a classic and one to be treasured and listened to over and over.

a nourishing celebration of the natural world

I love to read Mary Oliver's work, discovering one poem at a time and having my perspective altered by her masterful description of familiar, yet mysterious creatures and places. When this first recording became available, I had no idea how melodic, reverent, and strong Mary Oliver's voice would be as she reads her own words. This CD is becoming a favorite gift to give. Everyone who has received it has loved her imagery and has been fed by it.

Meditative and Starkly Captivating

As an annual visitor to Provincetown, where Mary Oliver resides, I first discovered her poetry in a local bookstore. While standing in it's cramped quarters, I was riveted by her matter of fact, yet stirring observations of life and nature. As listened, I imagine hers as the life I would love to live. I walk and observe through her eyes and ears and my life is much richer for having done so. Once back into my routine of commuting to work in New York City, I have recorded Mary's first CD onto my iPod. I can only attempt to express my joy-- at stepping upon the concrete sidewalks amidst crowds of busy people and rows of cars, trucks and taxis-- to hear Mary's quiet voice describing a Kingfisher. When I travel, when I'm weary and put-upon, when I'm just so pummelled by the obligations of work and routine, I select "At Blackwater Pond" and immediately calm and delight my soul. I cannot thank Mary Oliver enough.