Mary Oliver Movie & Discussion

Thursday, September 3, 2026

6 – 8:30 pm

Suggested Donation: $10

Come for a special screening of the new documentary

Mary Oliver:

Saved by the Beauty of the World

Afterward we will engage in reflective discussion on the life and impact of this American poet — particularly as her work and life affect our lives.

If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it. Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Oliver was America’s unlikely contemporary mystic, stalking the ponds and forests of Cape Cod for nearly fifty years in order to open herself – and her readers – to the known and unknowable world. From a lonely childhood to literary fame, Oliver’s life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. Her poems inspire liberals and conservatives, atheists and believers, naturalists and urbanites, speaking directly to contemporary anxieties about attention, presence, and the human relationship with the natural world – issues that feel especially pressing in an era of climate crisis, digital distraction, and social fragmentation.

Featuring interviews with her close friends, including John Waters, never-before-seen personal photos, notebooks, and correspondence from her archive, and recitations of her work by Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi, and Oprah Winfrey, Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World considers the poet’s long lifetime of work in context, capturing the uniqueness of her world and the natural beauty that inspired her.

In collaboration with:

Movie & Discussion are hosted at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on the campus of Aquinas College.

OLLI is located on the second floor of the Grace Hauenstein Library, also known as the Jarecki Lacks Center.

The building is directly across Woodward Lane from the Browne Center.

Details

See the map for directions.

OLLI is highlighted in GREEN.

Dominican Center is highlighted in YELLOW.

Facilitator

Kimberley Mulder

Kimberley enjoys creating, hosting, and facilitating spaces for people to encounter God, experience belovedness, and deepen faith. She received her Master’s of Divinity and Spiritual Direction Certificate from Portland Seminary. She is a Spiritual Director, retreat facilitator, and is the Program Assistant at the Dominican Center. A former teacher, refugee resettlement coordinator, and caterer, Kimberley has found God continually illuminating Life and Love in the particularities of her life.