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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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...
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.