Jon Joseph talks with Jane Hirshfield about her life and poetry.

Hirshfield is an American poet, essayist, and translator. She is also a Buddhist who received precepts at San Francisco Zen Center in 1979. Her poetry reflects immersion in a range of poetic traditions: Polish, Scandinavian, and Eastern European poets have been particularly important to her, along with the poetry of Japan and China.

In many interviews, Hirshfield expresses frustration at being labeled a Buddhist poet: "I always feel a slight dismay if I'm called a ‘Zen’ poet. I am not. I am a human poet, that's all.”

A Zen Luminaries conversation hosted by Jon Joseph Roshi on October 24, 2022.

Explore the Pacific Zen Luminaries Archive: https://www.pacificzen.org/library/dharma-theme-zen-luminaries/