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
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Paul Reads at Jackson St. Jazzwalk
Jackson Street was once the epicenter of Jazz in Seattle. Not sure there is one anymore, but you can hear live Jazz in town at places like Tula's, Jazz Alley, the Royal Room and other venues. On...
Joanne Kyger 1934-2017
It was with great sadness yesterday that I learned, from a brief Facebook post by Michael Rothenberg, that Joanne Kyger had died at her Bolinas home on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. No other details...
In Search of Color Everywhere
My planned 12N presentation for World Poetry Day was In Search of Color Everywhere and other African-American poetry. This title comes from an anthology edited by Ethelbert Miller. I had the honor...
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.