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When a poet writes prose, one can be sure to be swept away in the beauty and lyric of the writing. Such is the case with Mary Oliver’s essays. A compilation of her musings and meanderings of the natural world, literature and the artistic process, Upstream is Oliver’s gift to the prosaic world. She discusses her childhood “friend” Walt Whitman, her parents’ inexplicable permissiveness to her moving upstream, her belief that to produce art one must lose oneself completely, and neglect simple chores such as bill paying. For fans of Oliver, I caution the reader to be aware that this is NOT a memoir, though some essays are autobiographical. Do not approach this book with the expectation of learning simple facts, as that is not to be found. This compilation is a selection of lyrical essays that smudge the boundary between poetry and prose. I definitely feel this book is worth the read. (175 pages)

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