BUCKHANNON, West Virginia — A West Virginia Wesleyan College professor served as an advisor on a documentary film about poet Mary Oliver, set to premiere Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. (EST) on PBS.

Dr. Debra Dean Murphy is professor of religious studies and co-director of the Center for Restorative Justice at WVWC   and has written about Mary Oliver over the years. 

 “Because I’ve published a few articles about Mary Oliver, documentary filmmaker Sasha Waters reached out to me a few years ago about consulting on a project on the life and work of this extraordinary poet,” Murphy said. “It was a pleasure to have conversations with Sasha during her process, to be allowed to see the rough cut several months ago, and then to share the experience with her and others when the film premiered in early July in Greenwich Village, where Oliver herself lived for a short time. As a writer, theologian, and lover of poetry, the whole journey has been a deeply gratifying experience.”

“Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” takes its title from an Oliver quote: “I got saved by poetry, and I got saved by the beauty of the world.” The documentary leans into the life and career of the Pultizer Prize winning and best-selling poet.  Over her career, Oliver wrote more than 30 collections of poems and essays about nature, beauty and love. 

The film also features new interviews from Maria Shriver, John Waters, former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limon and poetry recitations from Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi and Oprah Winfrey, according to information from pbs.org. 

Born on Sept. 10, 1935 in Maple Heights, Ohio, Oliver began writing poetry at age 14. She won a Pulitizr Prize in 1984 for her “American Primitive” poetry collection and received the National Book Award in 1992 for her collection “New and Selected Poems.” She passed away in 2019 and remains one of the best-selling poets of the United States. 

In addition to its PBS premiere, the documentary will also be available online at  pbs.org/americanmasters, the American Masters YouTube channel, and the PBS App.  

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE
West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) is a private, four-year residential liberal arts and sciences college in Buckhannon, West Virginia. A tradition of excellence for 135 years, West Virginia Wesleyan is home to 14 Fulbright Scholars. The Princeton Review ranked Wesleyan as one of its 2026 Best Colleges in the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States. U.S. News & World Report’s 2026  Best College Rankings designated Wesleyan second in Best Value – Regional Universities (South). WVWC offers students nearly 60 majors and 40 minors; graduate programs in athletic training, business administration, creative writing, nursing and counseling; 22 NCAA Division II athletic programs; multiple performing arts groups; and more than 50 organizations. Founded in 1890, the College is closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church and abides by the Wesley doctrine that emphasizes service to others. For more information, visit wvwc.edu.