In 1940, at the age of twenty-five, Gladys Dubovsky (who survived her abusive childhood by finding refuge in poetry) took a class at the New School taught by W. H. Auden…and the famous poet's influence upon her was profound. This heartwarming memoir fluctuates between Gladys's and Auden's life stories, and we see how their lives mirror one another as they each traveled the world, fell in love, and wrote poetry. Spanning the early 1930s to today, the narrative deals with such subjects as war, love, family, homosexuality, pain, and triumph. Through it all, Gladys bestows pearls of wisdom that only a 102-year-old can give. [Editor's note: Author Debbie Shannon, who recorded Gladys's thoughts and experiences in this book, wrote a beautiful letter introducing W. H. Auden, Poetry, and Me to Bas Bleu, and this review is composed of excerpts from that letter.]