Owls and Other Fantasies: Poems and Essays by Mary Oliver

Summary by Amazon: Within these pages Mary Oliver collects twenty-six of her poems about the birds that have been such an important part of her life-hawks, hummingbirds, and herons; kingfishers, catbirds, and crows; swans, swallows, and, of course, the snowy owl; among a dozen others-including ten poems original to this volume. She adds two beautifully crafted essays, "Owls," selected for the Best American Essays series, and "Bird," one that will surely take its place among the classics of the genre.

Reviews:
Publisher Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8070-6868-7

Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/205970/owls-and-other-fantasies-by-mary-oliver/9780807068755/

(New Yorker)

Mary Oliver's Contribution:
>NPR: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/17/577380646/beloved-poet-mary-oliver-who-believed-poetry-mustn-t-be-fancy-dies-at-83

>New York Times: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/mary-oliver-helped-us-stay-amazed

Poetry Foundation: Mary Oliver: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver

New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/27/what-mary-olivers-critics-dont-understand

Author's Website: http://maryoliver.beacon.org/

Videos:
Tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8hEbxBlxQ8
Interview with Maria Shriver: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/maria-shriver-interview-poet-mary-oliver-o-magazine-poetry-issue

Discussion Questions: 
(Donna will lead the discussion; Questions come from this blog site:
http://www.homesongblog.com/uncategorized/homesong-book-club-upstream-selected-essays-by-mary-oliver/)

1. Who, if anyone, does this book remind you of? Maybe it’s not a real person or anyone you know, but what kind of person does this book personify? 
2. What do you make of Oliver’s use of questioning throughout her poems and writing? 
3. Have you ever wished to be something from nature: a flower, a tree, a bird? Why? What were you longing for in that moment?
4. How does Oliver help ground you to the present moment through her carefully crafted words?
5. How have you built attentiveness into your life? In what ways can you cultivate more time to be attentive? How could this impact your days?
6. In what ways does Oliver’s writing stir up nostalgia in you? 
7. Do you, like Oliver, believe that “everything has a soul”? 
8. How has Oliver used writing to overcome the hardships in her life? What words or phrases can you extract from this book that give weight to her courage? 
9. What did you make of Oliver’s words on creative work needing solitude? Did you agree or disagree with them?
10. If your soul was a season, what one would it be? Why is this so?
11. If you had to draw a line and separate your life into three segments this very moment, where would those lines be drawn? 
12. Do you enjoy Oliver’s thorough evaluation of what she sees around her, or is it too detailed for your taste? 
13. If you had to guess who sweet Ms. Mary would invite over to dinner if she had five empty seats, who would they be? 
14. If there was one page in this book you had to {gently} rip out and carry in your pocket forever, what would it be?
15. How has this book been life-giving for you?