“Mary Oliver: Saved By The Beauty of the World” Celebrates Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet

July 14, 2026

Host Michael Azevedo is joined by Sasha Waters, the director of “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” a biographical documentary about poet Mary Oliver that is now playing in a limited theatrical release and which will broadcast on the PBS series American Masters in August.

 
Celebrated best-selling poet, Pulitzer Prize-winner, lover of dogs and long walks in the woods, openly queer but intensely private, Mary 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. 
 
Sasha Water’s film features interviews with Mary Oliver’s 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.
 

Making Media Now—which is available on all podcast platforms including YouTube–is sponsored by Filmmakers Collaborative, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting media makers from across the creative spectrum. From providing fiscal sponsorship to presenting an array of informative and educational programs, Filmmakers Collaborative supports creatives at every step in their journey.
 
About the host: http://www.writevoicecreative.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-azevedo/

 
Sound Engineer: A.J. Kierstead