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
Neoliberalism = the New Religion
God is dead but Satan abhors a vacuum. And religion/spirituality in North America has been replaced with neoliberalism. I find this out during the current U.S. Presidential campaign when I engage...
530. Cig Butt Mystery
If you believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine, you know the lung/heart meridian is related to grief. I can't help thinking that anytime someone has a smoking habit, grief must not be far away....
American Sentences from the 37th District Democratic Caucus
The Washington State Democratic Caucus was refreshingly short today, going less than 90 minutes. We gathered at Aki Kurose Middle School, which did have its advantages. I submitted a Resolution for...
Bernie Sanders Sees Nerd Brain!
Hillary Rodham Clinton = A Horny Mild Nacho Trill
Neoliberalism
Continuing now with the quote from the last post that I said was leading to another post, this one about Neoliberalism. The quote was: I don’t think we’d be discussing how neoliberalism hijacked...
Bernie Sanders or dxʷshudičup
It is a quintessentially Seattle story, given that indigenous people in this city have a higher profile than in most U.S. (lower 48) towns. Maybe being named after a great Chief also has something...
529. Imagine Somalia
One bummer about Seattle August is the “tradition” of the Blue Angels. Others have written more eloquently about the need to stop this pathetic display of militarism. I am with them and the people...
Reading/Career Counseling Event
Never thought I'd write THAT blog post title, but there you go. And it's another opportunity for you to BUY A COPY of American Sentences and hear how one remarkable flute player interprets various...
Happy 4th Birthday Ella Roque Nelson
Happy Birthday today, March 17, 2016, to my youngest daughter Ella Roque. She got her first taste of chicharrones this week and here's a little poem inspired by her actions this morning. Maybe it...
Ode to Bill Turner
I was very saddened to hear about the death of NW painter William Turner. He died at age 81 on Christmas Eve. I felt Bill was a genius painter and tremendously under-appreciated. Maybe that changes...
Some 2021 American Sentences & Other Poems
I made it to Clatskanie, Oregon, birthplace of Raymond Carver, to have a writing retreat in a cabin on an organic farm. Of course there would be a snow storm and a 90 minute delay on Hwy 30 getting...
Cascadia, Water, Compassion
Each day after Bhakti and I have our morning beverage (a matcha latté for me, coffee for her) I sit at this here Mac and journal about the previous day. Before...
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.