Heidi Rose Robbins Reinvented Everything

Poet and astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins thinks of both practices as languages of listening: ways of paying close attention to what is moving through us and asking to be heard.

In celebration of her new collection, Ask Me, Heidi joined Dr. Jennifer Freed for a conversation about desire, pleasure, grief, self-compassion, and the parts of ourselves we too easily put aside—reading several poems from the book along the way. She offered a persuasive case for keeping poetry close: read it aloud, return to it over years, and notice how it changes as you do.

A place to begin: Pádraig Ó Tuama’s “How to Be Alone,” the poem Heidi says sustained her through some of her darkest periods. For joy, try Wendy Cope’s “The Orange.” And when you have lost your way, she recommends the blessings of Jan Richardson, particularly Circle of Grace and The Cure for Sorrow.

Watch the full conversation above—and perhaps leave with a poem to live alongside.

A poem from Ask Me called “Claim Your Seat”.

Your self-attack is

ripe for alchemy.

Remember, friend,

you are raw and wild.

The truth is below the pain.

Dig deeper

and discover

the seat of your true power.

There is an inner throne

and it is yours.

Claim your seat.

Every word you speak

that does not set you free

will be swallowed by

your emanating light.

Ask Me Godmothers | Bookshop.org