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
Poems from Planet Earth
Poet – Sam Hamill, Painter – Ian Boyden
I will never forget the moment when Sam Hamill showed me the book Ian Boyden made of his new poem "Habitations" a couple of years ago. It was about a yard high and the cover was made from what...
The Four Hoarse Men at the Frye Art Museum
The Four Hoarse Men participated in an evening of Sound Poetry, curated by Doug Nufer and Jason Conger last night (Nov 1, 2012) at the Frye Art Museum. Details are at the Four Hoarse blog.
Interview and Audio of Poet/Activist Brenda Hillman
Paul Nelson facilitated the visit of renowned poet and activist Brenda Hillman to SPLAB in November 2011, as part of the Visiting Poets Series. The whole interview is here. Hear a clip from the...
Diane Di Prima – American Poetry and the Beat Movement from a Female Perspective
Diane Di Prima - American Poetry and the Beat Movement from a Female Perspective Diane Di Prima is perhaps the most well-known female poet of the Beat Literary movement. She discussed how she...
Nate Mackey Interview, Part 6
In the final segment from my August 24, 2012 interview with poet Nate Mackey, he responds to questions about the notions of reincarnation, lost continents and how his book Nod House is about...
Laura Simms – Story-Telling as a Healing Modality
Laura Simms - Storytelling as Healing Modality Laura Simms is a storyteller and author of The Robe of Love: Secret Instructions for the Heart. She discusses her youthful penchant for...
Jaap Blonk in Seattle (Interview & Audio)
We caught up with Dutch sound poet and vocal improvisor Jaap Blonk before his Earshot Jazz Festival gig on Friday, October 26, 2012. (Kudos to John Gilbreath...
Russell Means, Dead at 72
Russell Means died on Monday morning, October 22, 2012, on his ranch on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. I had the good fortune to be able to interview him in October 1995 when he...
Nate Mackey Interview Part 5
In part 5 of my August 24, 2012 Skype interview with poet Nate Mackey, he discusses his method of writing poetry, how it is not done from an outline and a notion from the book A Musical View...
Zen, Bioregionalism & Poetry
Upcoming poetry events are for people who are interested in the intersection of poetry and Zen and poetry and bioregionalism. April 11, at 7:30pm, the Seattle University Eco-Sangha presents Norman...
Interview on Spokane Public Radio
I had the good fortune of being interviewed in Spokane on my way to gigs in Billings, Montana. Chris Maccini of Spokane Public Radio did his homework and asked me about American Prophets, my poetry...
Off-Site @ AWP
The joy of hanging out with poets and NOT having to attend AWP!!! Thank you Knox Gardner for lining up this with your humble narrator and other SPLAB poets: Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 7:30 PM – 12M...
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.