Ellen Bass on the Power of Poetry

Jul 7, 2020

Ellen Bass, a celebrated poet and educator, shares her insights on the transformative power of poetry. She discusses how poetry can deepen our connection to the world and turns suffering into art, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness in the creative process. Ellen reads her own poignant works, illustrating how even ordinary moments can become profound. The conversation also touches on the interplay between gratitude, creativity, and the challenges artists face, ultimately celebrating the beauty found in life's complexities.

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ANECDOTE

Fear and Gratitude

Ellen Bass uses gratitude and love to combat fear and anxiety, especially in the evenings.
She finds solace in nature and her work, but still experiences a low-level anxiety at night.

INSIGHT

Freedom from Will

In her poem "Sous Chef," Bass explores the freedom of relinquishing control and escaping self-insistence.
She finds liberation in following instructions, admitting she still has opinions but doesn't believe in them.

ANECDOTE

The Poet's Practice

Bass's practice as a poet involves transforming suffering into art.
She finds joy in making poems, similar to Jane Hirshfield's concept of "the secret joy of writing poems."

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Ellen Bass is a poet, non-fiction author, and teacher. She is the author of many collections and books including Like a Beggar, The Human Line, and Mules of Love. Ellen’s poems also appear frequently in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. She’s been awarded three Pushcart Prizes, The Lambda Literary Award, The Pablo Neruda Prize, and The New Letters Prize. Ellen also teaches in the MFA Writing Program at Pacific University. Her newest collection of poetry is entitled Indigo. This is Ellen’s second time as a guest on the show.

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In This Interview, Ellen Bass and I Discuss the Power of Poetry and…

Her new book of poetry, Indigo
How gratitude and love help her combat fear
Her practice as a poet is to take suffering and make art
The poem that took her 12 years to write
That worthwhile things are hard to do – even for experts
Wanting to be changed after writing or reading a poem
Her poem, Taking My Old Dog Out To Pee Before Bed
Her poem, Enough
What she thinks about when she hears someone else read her poetry as well as how poetry is to be read and heard “out loud”
Her poem, The Long Recovery
Trying not to resist the life we have and instead, hurl ourself more deeply into it
Great poets and their poetry teach us to observe the world more closely and see it as sacred and beautiful
Her poem, Any Common Desolation

Ellen Bass Links:

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Ellen Bass on the power of poetry, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

Ellen Bass (2018 Interview)

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