In my copy of "Upstream," there is hardly a page that isn't dog-eared, underlined, or annotated; such is the power of Oliver's language. I need a moment away from the relentless flow of words in the debates about the election, about whether Elena Ferrante has a right to privacy, about whether Bob Dylan writes literature. I need a moment, more than a moment, in the constant and profound company of Mary Oliver, and I think you might need one too.

This collection brings together essays from Oliver's earlier books and other sources, offering a captivating synthesis of the poet's thoughts on the natural, spiritual, and artistic world. With each page, the book gains cumulative strength. The various threads intertwine and become taut.