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
405. to Catherine Rustman, East Meadow, NY – Construction
404. to Avis Adams, Auburn, WA – Plum Crack
403. to Carole Sauter, Kent, WA – Teeth of an Obsolete Constellation
402. to Lew Humiston, Auburn, WA – Star Spark (The Origin of Ra?)
...
401 to Raul Sanchez – Tackling Crackers
400. to Vanessa Herman, Victoria, BC – Born Again Delta
399. to Kitty Jospé, Pittsford, NY – Dark Horse
(Last quote from Jose Lezama...
398. to Karen Lee Lewis, East Amherst, NY – Dream Seeds
397. to Tony Iovino, Rockville Centre, NY – Ghost Prod
5th in this year's series, #397 overall (damn!) this one (like the others so far this year) vamps off Nate Mackey and goes into Runic lore. I have been using Diana L. Paxon's book Taking Up The...
396. to Dheepikaa Balasubramanian, Chennai, India – Indigent Petition
https://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/07/10/v-rmobi/155668/midwest-drought-may-spark-food.html https://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2018823898_apuswidedroughtusda.html
2.20.2019 Peter Levitt Interview
What joy in the good fortune of getting to interview Peter Levitt at his Salt Spring Island (BC) home. To see Cusheon Lake frozen so solidly that Peter reports there were people playing hockey on...
Poetry Warrior
I am delighted to be part of the Dispatches from the Poetry Wars website. I have great respect and admiration for the main co-conspirators, Michael Boughn and Kent Johnson and they have me in good...
Vancouver Island Events
Please be sure to scroll down on this one, otherwise you'd think I am wanted for something: But it's a nice article by Josef Jacobson: Click on either image to see the piece. Other gigs on the...
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.