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Last autumn, in late October, I went to the Tibet House to hear Marie Warsh read an essay about her mother, the poet Bernadette Mayer. I had never been to the Tibet House before and I have to say that it is a very beautiful place including the room where the lecture took place. It’s a perfect space for meditation, and for enjoying the art and the library there.

In the Vimeo below, in an essay, entitled “To Have a Focus,” Marie talks about her mother, her mother’s work, and how her mother’s fascination with Antarctica became her own. During the hot summer of 1991 when Marie was twenty-two, fresh out of Smith without a job, a little bored, and in need of something to do, Bernadette suggested Marie read books about Antarctica, and cool off with something new.

A surprise for me is the poem that Bernadette considered an important one because it was so unlike her to write it. Marie reads this unique poem in the Vimeo. Enjoy.

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Below, Bernadette Mayer reads “To Admiral Scott About Space,” a poem that is abstractly about exploration and Antarctica and concretely about many things:

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A Panel Discussion of Bernadette Mayer’s Memory:

BERNADETTE MAYER’S MEMORY, A DISCUSSION @CANADA, 333 Broome Street, September 23, 2017

from Scarlet Tanager:

Bernadette Mayer reads from Scarlet Tanager

Bernadette Mayer on her front porch, East Nassau, NY, with her daughter Marie Warsh, June 18, 2022, a Saturday morning.

Tibet House