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
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.
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,...
APPF13 Update
As of this writing there are 424 participants for the 13th August POetry POstcard Fest. Registration for 2019 ended July 18 and has BEGUN for APPF14. It will end July 4, 2020, earlier than in past...
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...
APPF (Postcards Are Here Again)
The signup is already open for the 13th August Poetry Postcard Fest and opens EVEN EARLIER for 2020. (July 18, 2019!) In order to allow as many people as possible to participate in the joy of...
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.