Over Zoom, Lawrence Zarian interviews Ellen Burstyn ahead of their in-person meeting on The Kelly Clarkson Show, reflecting on divine timing and how his pandemic-born podcast explores how entertainers see the world differently. Burstyn discusses promoting her poetry book and her discomfort with “commercializing” something sacred, emphasizing her goal of introducing poetry to people who don’t know it; Zarian shares how the book gave him language for grief, citing Maya Angelou and Rumi, and Burstyn recites Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Love is not all.” Burstyn recalls a childhood split between being popular at school and hiding at home due to an abusive stepfather, and how poetry helped her envision a future. They discuss forgiveness, therapy, sobriety, and generational trauma, then touch on colleagues and projects including Cloris Leachman, Jack Nicholson, Alan Alda, Linda Blair, and roles like Lois in The Last Picture Show, ending with Burstyn completing “I, Ellen Burstyn, am beautiful because…” with a memory of her mother.Timestamp Menu:01:51 Universe and Timing03:04 Mirror Question03:54 Poetry Book Doubts09:01 Poetry Awakening09:53 Two Lives Growing Up15:42 Forgiving Mom17:40 Trauma and Sobriety24:47 Poems for Grief29:33 Favorite Poem Recital32:07 Poetry as Healing33:21 Central Park Cherry Blossoms35:32 Fashion and Self Love37:39 Rapid Fire Film Memories42:43 Internet Myths and Truth44:24 Alan Alda and Friendship48:07 Women and Equal Partnership52:13 Revisiting Past Characters54:03 Longing Poem and Farewell55:55 I Am Beautiful Because

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