Mary Oliver has been one of the most popular American poets of our time. She died two years ago at the age of 83, after a lifetime of great achievement: a Pulitzer prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a National Book Award, among others. 

The essays in Upstream read like poetry. Dreamlike, yet connected to the current moment. For example:

Something is wrong, I know it, if I don’t keep my attention on eternity. May I be the tiniest nail in the house of the universe, tiny but useful.

 You can get acquainted with some of her poetry here, or read more about her at her website here.