Jane Hirshfield - The Asking: New and Selected Poems

Jane Hirshfield’s poetic voice has been described as one of constant speaking for the biosphere and interconnection. In her highly sensuous poetry, her subject remains our ordinary life among other people and our continuing encounter with everything Earth brings us: trees, flowers, animals and birds.

Participants in this 4 week series will need access to a copy of Jane Hirshfield’s recent collection The Asking: New and Selected Poems [Alfred A. Knopf 2023, now available in kindle and paperback editions]. They should be willing to select a poem from The Asking before meeting each week as well as preparing a brief personal response to this poem to be shared with others, in a smaller group or in the whole group. 

Participants do not need any prior background or reading of Jane Hirshfield’s work. For those who would like support in responding to poetry, a guide to do this is included in the resources for this series.

Together with each participant’s own choice of poem each week there will be an additional two poems designated. Judith will offer a longer commentary on one of these poems; the remaining poem will be the focus of multiple readings and the subject of a deeper listening and free writing responsive practice known as poetica divina. Attention will be given to theme, language, musicality and imagery as participants conspire together to give meaning and resonance to the selected poems through their own subjective reader responses. There will be emphasis on reading poems aloud and reflective immersion and engagement, opening the way into greater possibilities of heart and mind.

About Judith Keller

Judith Keller, M.Ed., lives on the unceded lands of the Kombumerri people of the wider Bundjalung language nation, at Southport, South of Brisbane, in the bioregion of S.E. Queensland on the East coast of Australia, 

Judith’s background is in education, spirituality and the arts. She holds an M.Ed (Rel.Ed) from Boston College having spent two years in Boston in 1986/87. She subsequently held academic positions in schools and universities in Australia. In her retirement Judith trained as a guide in her Regional Botanic Gardens leading guided walks related to endangered species and educating and advocating for the trees of her bioregion.