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
75. Translating The Digital Fire (For Dharma Mitra)
73. Ode to Sun Mask
(Inspired by the art work of Bill Henderson (Sun Mask) And Lester Bowie’s Rios Negros)
72. Moss Spruce Cedar Cathedral
Vodou Visions (Sallie Ann Glassman)
In an interview recorded on June 12, 2000, Sallie Ann Glassman, a Manbo, or Vodou Priestess and author of: Vodou Visions: An Encounter with Divine Mystery, discussed Vodou, its history as a religion...
Give Wanda Coleman some Breathing Room
In an interview I recorded on November 26, 2000, poet, essayist, activist, literary presence Wanda Coleman talked about the treatment of artists in USAmerica. She lamented the kinds of things poets...
PageBoy Magazine Release Party 12.1.12 7P Kaleidoscope Vision
Every since being introduced to Ted Berrigan's "The Sonnets" years and years ago, I was fascinated by the combination of a casual feel combined with a process that, in part, was influenced by Alfred...
American Exceptionalism and Charles Potts
I woke up this morning to find a person with the handle "Florida Cracker" was following me on Twitter. I clicked through to see his website filled with the notions of the remnants of "Manifest...
Rudy Ryser, The Center for World Indigenous Studies
On this Thanksgiving Day 2012, as I continue to digitize the SPLAB audio interview archives, I feel it fitting to present Dr. Rudy Ryser, Chair of the Center for World Indigenous Studies in Olympia,...
James O’Dea – IoNS & The Science of Consciousness
James O'Dea - The Science of Consciousness The former Director of the Washington, DC, office of Amnesty International was President of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IoNS) when he talked...
Sam Hamill, Ian Boyden, Reading, Talk and Interview (Nov 11, 2012)
It’s one of those moments that you remember forever. Sam Hamill wanted to show me something in his home that he knew I would appreciate. He carefully lifted up an object about three feet high and 10...
Cascadia Poetry Fest in Anacortes
What great coverage in the Anacortes Arts Briefings newsletter on our May 9-12 festival: Gold Passes admit the holder to all events except Steve Kuusisto's master workshop “Have Dog, Will Travel: A...
National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month and Carolyne Wright has organized a fine group of local poets to celebrate on April 23rd from 6-8pm at legendary University Books in Seattle: Join us for an epic...
One Year After Sam Hamill’s Death
Sam Hamill left this earthly plane on April 14, 2018, and plans are underway to recognize that anniversary in a private and low-key ceremony, along with sushi and saké after, just as Sam would have...
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.