Bill Moyers interviews Coleman Barks, PBS, circa early 1990
One morning, in December 1992, my phone rang. "Hello, Richard? This is Coleman Barks. I hear you've written a book about Joe Miller."
That phone call was the beginning of a collaboration which MIRACULOUSLY put "Great Song: Life & Teachings of Joe Miller" into people's hands a mere year after his death.
I had indeed recorded, transcribed & annotated the talks of the legendary American sage Joe Miller. Joe had read the manuscript. No one else had. We agreed I would only publish it after his death.
Then Joe died in August 1992 & Guin died that November.
A mutual friend mentioned my project to Coleman.
Coleman had visited Joe. They had laughed & sung & told each other stories.
Coleman got it. Sitting there in Joe & Guin's flat on Nob Hill, Coleman knew he was in the presence of something rare, something blessed.
Thanks to PBS interviews w/ the great Bill Moyers, Coleman's brilliant star was on the rise.
That phone call was the beginning of a collaboration which MIRACULOUSLY put "Great Song: Life & Teachings of Joe Miller" into people's hands a mere year after his death.
I had indeed recorded, transcribed & annotated the talks of the legendary American sage Joe Miller. Joe had read the manuscript. No one else had. We agreed I would only publish it after his death.
Then Joe died in August 1992 & Guin died that November.
A mutual friend mentioned my project to Coleman.
Coleman had visited Joe. They had laughed & sung & told each other stories.
Coleman got it. Sitting there in Joe & Guin's flat on Nob Hill, Coleman knew he was in the presence of something rare, something blessed.
Thanks to PBS interviews w/ the great Bill Moyers, Coleman's brilliant star was on the rise.
Fiercely independent, in those formative years of his fame, Coleman self-published his Rumi poems. Maypop Books. My work on Joe would be the only book in his catalog that wasn't either a collection of his Rumi renderings or his own poetry.
A poet & mystic, Coleman understood why I needed to bold, italicize & even use ALL CAPS to imbue the printed text w/ a sense of Joe's powerful spoken word shakti.
Coleman understood my right brain approach to how the book was organized. He let the book be itself, something unlike anything else, a rare artifact carrying within it the truth of a rare being.
His edits only strengthened & amplified what I was doing.
We brainstormed the book title on a long phone call. Somehow we ended up talking about that majestic Rilke poem (trans. by Anita Barrows & Joanna Macy) -
"I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
I may not complete this last one
but I will give myself to it.
I circle around God, around the primordial tower.
I’ve been circling for thousands of years
and I still don’t know: am I a falcon,
a storm, or a great song?"
That's how "Great Song: Life & Teachings of Joe Miller" got its name.
Bravo & bon voyage you old raccoon!
- Richard Power
Repost from @colemanbarks_official:
Coleman Bryan Barks of Athens, GA passed peacefully at home on February 23, 2026 surrounded by loved ones. He was born on April 23, 1937 to Elizabeth Bryan and Herbert Bernard Barks. He grew up on the campus of Baylor School in Chattanooga. He earned his BA at UNC Chapel Hill, his MA at the University of California, Berkeley, and returned to UNC for his doctorate. Barks joined the faculty of the University of Georgia English Department in 1967 until his retirement as professor emeritus in 1997.
In 1976, Barks’ close friend, the poet Robert Bly, showed him some academic translations of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the thirteenth-century mystic Persian poet. Bly urged Barks to “release the poems from their cages.” Later, Barks became a student of the Sri Lankan Sufi mystic Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Thus began his long and illustrious career translating Rumi. His translations have sold millions of copies and have been translated into many languages spanning 41 countries, inspiring readers worldwide.
In addition to his Rumi translations, Barks was an acclaimed poet in his own right. Much of his finest work – including notes on his process – is archived with the Hargrett Rare Book & Manuscript Library at the University of Georgia.
Barks lived in Athens, Georgia for most of his adult life. Although internationally acclaimed, he was always approachable at his favorite corner seat at The Manhattan Cafe, Jittery Joe’s, or the Five Points Waffle House, ready and willing to talk about poetry, politics, or the Georgia Bulldogs. Generous with friends and strangers alike, he enjoyed laughing, dinners, conversation, buck dancing and singing, with some partiality to shape-note hymns. He found particular inspiration and peace near rivers and creeks. Outside of the written word, he expressed himself creatively through stonework and painting. He was a devoted and playful grandfather, always instilling an appreciation for whimsy and art in his children and grandchildren. His work and life were infused with humor and joy.
