Yesterday I had the honor of giving the keynote presentation at a conference organized by the Student Advisory Council at the UW School of Social Work. As promised to conference attendees, here’s the list of poems I read as part of my talk:
Marge Piercy: “To Be of Use”
Mark Doty: “Golden Retrievals”
Mary Oliver: “Wild Geese” (video)
Elizabeth Austen: “This Morning”
Ada Limón: “Instructions on Not Giving Up”
Jan Richardson: “The Map You Make Yourself”
Elizabeth Alexander: “Praise Song for the Day”
Huge thanks to the conference organizers, presenters and attendees — I have more regard than ever for the vital roles social workers play, and for their commitment to blending love-in-action with rigorous inquiry.
Elizabeth Austen 