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
SPLAB Visiting Poet Brenda Hillman Details & Audio
Talk, Friday, November 11, 7:30P at SPLAB Workshop, Saturday, November 12, 1-4P @ SPLAB Reading Saturday, Nov 12 at 7:30P @ SPLAB Brenda Hillman I...
Black Holes and Virgos on Flute: New Jim O’Halloran CD
Review of Jim O’Halloran Quintet CD Jazz music has gone through four major changes in its century-plus time of existence. Ragtime and Dixieland gave way to Swing, to Bebop and then to Free Jazz....
Swell (the novel) (Reading 11.4.117P)
Paul Nelson reads with Jim O'Halloran on flute and with novelist Corwin Ericson, who is touring Swell in the Northwest! November 4, 2011, 7P. Mark your calendars for the Seattle book release party...
Paul E Nelson
To what do you train your attention? For over 30 years, Paul E Nelson has interviewed poetic luminaries such as Allen Ginsberg, Michael McClure, Anne Waldman, Robin Blaser, Sam Hamill, Wanda...
Poetry with Purpose
In planning for the Becoming Cascadian weekend May 31-June 3, 2018, the model used by my spiritual community (Subud) for its annual kejiwaan gathering is key. A very democratic affair in which there...
Sam Hamill’s Last Book
After Morning Rain will be released tomorrow (Tuesday, May 15, 2018.) It is the last book by renowned poet, translator, editor and founder of Copper Canyon Press, Sam Hamill and there will be a...
Anne Waldman, Andrew Schelling 2001 Interview
From the archives: Northwestern Exposure #336 for 4/22/01 - 55:00 Subject: The Poetic Activism Legacy of Allen Ginsberg Guests: Anne Waldman & Andrew Schelling Contact: Naropa University Date...
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.