Writer and member of the board of the National Book Critics Circle, Jane Ciabattari, does a wonderful job of encapsulating the Y’s tribute for poet Robert Bly last Monday in honor of “his eightieth birthday, his poetry, his translations, his friendships, his long marriage, his family, his legions of mentees and supporters” on the NBCC’s blog, Critical Mass. Other writers who read at the event included Gioia Timpanelli, Donald Hall, Galway Kinnell and Coleman Barks with Judith and Bill Moyers. Here’s an excerpt:

Judith Davidson Moyers noted how she and Bill Moyers found in Bly the perfect catalyst for a public television series about poetry, and called Bly “something of a shapeshifter” as she introduced the evening’s second act: Bly interviewed by Bill Moyers. The opening question: “What do you get up for in the morning?” Bly’s answer: “I still have the habit of writing poetry. I have poems from 1952 I haven’t finished yet.” The two, relaxed, kicked the conversational ball back and forth, alluding to their long marriage (Moyers, 52 years; Bly, 51), their early awareness of each other in the 1960s (Moyers, in the LBJ White House when Bly was leading protests against the Vietnam War, said, “I remember reading your FBI reports"), Bly’s activism against the war in Iraq, the joy of “kindred spirits.”

The finale: Bly reading, masterfully, then chocolate cake, and poets and writers celebrating.