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
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...
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...
Sons & Daughters
Huge thanks to SPLAB Board Member and EasySpeak Seattle founder Peter Munro for tipping me off to a new journal named Sons & Daughters that seeks to publish work inspired by Charles Olson's...
Call for August Poetry Postcard Fest
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SPLAB ISSUES CALL FOR 13TH AUGUST POETRY POSTCARD FEST Seattle, WA, June 5, 2019—Seattle Poetics LAB (SPLAB), a literary arts-oriented nonprofit organization and organizing...
CPF, BIPF, NYC, APPF13
I have been running since about May 7 and no rest in sight as I write this from Brooklyn, in the city that does not sleep because jackhammers start at 7am and people are never afraid to use their...
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.