Paul E Nelson presenting at Cascadia Poetry Festival 8, photo by Leszek Chudzinski
“Paul formally received the Mahayana precepts of Zen Buddhism in 2023, becoming a lay practitioner within the tradition, but I believe he had long lived in accord with them. His poetry, in its sensitivity, its humility, and its deep listening, embodies practice-realization — the understanding that practice and awakening are not separate. His writing was his zazen. This collection, FLEXIBLE MIND, is more than a book. It is a continuation of that practice. A testament to a man who lives by attention, who bows to language but does not cling to it, who seeks what lays beyond words by walking straight into them.”– Kosho Itagaki, Soto Zen Priest
Voluntary Simplicity – Cecile Andrews
Cecile Andrews, former columnist for the Seattle Times and expert on Voluntary Simplicity is author of: The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life. She discussed the concept of Voluntary...
USAmerica’s Overworking Epidemic (Take Back Your Time)
John de Graaf is a documentary filmmaker for PBS. He discussed what he calls the epidemic of overworking in America, how Western Europeans get more leisure time and vacations, as well as his effort...
Richard Atleo – Tsawalk A Nuu-chah-nulth Worldview
E. Richard Atleo, whose Nuu-chah-nulth name is Umeek, is a hereditary chief. He served as co-chair of the internationally recognized Scientific Panel for Sustainable Forest Practices in Claoquot...
Thom Hartmann – Corporate Personhood (The Theft of Human Rights)
Thom Hartmann is an international relief worker, psychotherapist, father and author of over a dozen books, including: Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance & the Theft of Human...
The Indigenous Perspective on the “Mayan Apocalypse”
One of the great amusements in life is to watch how settlers (& their descendants who have not evolved their thinking) continue to view world events through their own cultural filters and then...
Beaver Chief – A Salish Perspective on Wellness
Beaver Chief - A Salish Perspective on Wellness Fred "Beaver Chief" Jamison was a spiritual leader who brought out the traditional teachings of the Northwest Coast (Native American) Salish people....
It Appears to Have Been Caused Because God…
Things move pretty quickly in this world. I made a Facebook post, cutting and pasting from a list of recent gun tragedies in response to the Sandy Hook massacre and it got a lot of response. My post...
Sam Hamill interviewed at Doe Bay Nov 1, 2010
The day after Sam Hamill gave a reading at Doe Bay on Orcas Island, as part of the SPLAB at Doe Bay series, his book Measured by Stone was current and he sat down to discuss his trilogy Habitations,...
George Draffan – The Global Assault on Forests
George Draffan is a researcher, the head of the Public Information Network and the co-author of Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on Forests. He discussed the tax subsidies to corporations who...
The Four Hoarse Men (Mice and Duende)
Video from the Four Hoarse Men appearance at the PageBoy Magazine release party, December 1, 2012, is linked here: More videos from the evening linked here.
August POetry POstcard Fest 2019 (Official Call)
The August Poetry Postcard Fest was initiated in 2007 by poets Paul Nelson and Lana Ayers. 2019 marks the thirteenth year of the fest and this is the official call. It is the biggest annual...
Zhang Er Interview
A year after Sam Hamill’s death, in what might be his last book blurb, he writes: “Zhang Er brings us startling “burial ground poems from Chinese that are striking in their perspective and elegant...
American Prophets Review
Delighted to see a kind review of American Prophets that ran in an actual NEWSPAPER! How about that. Thank you Barbara McMichael for this: The book has now sold TENS of copies! Thanks to everyone...
The interview I conducted with Sam O’Hana, a Ph.D. student at CUNY, is immensely critical and immensely validating for the work we do at the Cascadia Poetics Lab. At its core, the discussion is about whether writing is for people of means, or if it can be people who have skill and something to say. It means the literary gatekeepers have failed us and have a role in perpetuating neoliberalism in North America which has paved the way for authoritarianism. The interview is available as a podcast here and as a YouTube video here. Below, I have pasted in the transcript and here is my introduction to Sam O’Hana and his topic.