On today’s show, host Douglas Haynes speaks with Sasha Waters about her new documentary, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, that premiered last week on PBS’s American Masters series. The film profiles the life and legacy of one of America’s greatest poets who passed away in 2019.

Waters says that the film has the structure of a musical, biographical insights interspersed with poetry readings by some of Oliver’s greatest fans, including Stephen Colbert and Jason Reynolds. Waters sourced readers, in part, by looking through TikTok videos of people with wild geese tattoos. The numerous readers create a dialog with Oliver’s vast catalog of poetry, both well-known and new.

Making a documentary about Mary Oliver was a difficult task because Oliver was very private for much of her life. But in her later life, Oliver became more outspoken, making comments about climate change and revealing her childhood sexual abuse. They also discuss Oliver’s attunement to vulnerability and politics of hope.

You can view the documentary on PBS Wisconsin.

Sasha Waters has produced and directed nearly two dozen documentary, experimental, and short essay films, many of which originate in 16mm. She is also a Professor of Film at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia.

Featured image of flying geese by Enoch Leung on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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