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
512. Whale Poker
This poem reminds me of the on and off dialog I have been having with a Canadian poet who is down on post-modernism because much of it is: “gibberish” in his view, but whose own work is clichéd and...
American Sentences is Published!
On the 60th anniversary of the Beat Generation coming out party, the Six Gallery reading, my 14+ year project American Sentences made it into the world as a published book. That copies were shipped...
Eileen Myles in Seattle
She's apparently in the literary "mainstream" now, according to The Guardian in a typo-laden, but important piece dated Oct 1, 2015, but Eileen Myles has been a real writer, with tremendous depth...
Practicing Breath and Outside
Watching the posts and the likes and the ads float by on Facebook is fascinating to me and I check in a few times a day. I can do a Google search for something like DIVORCE or CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC...
Nate Mackey at UW Bothell
I went to hear Nate Mackey this evening (Wednesday, Sept 30) at the UW and I strongly encourage Puget Sound area literature fans to attend his reading and conversation Thursday, Oct 1 as part of the...
511. Postcard Fragrance
This 2015 August Poetry Postcard Fest poem continues the “being as comedian” thread from the last poem, makes a reference to a direction in a prompt I saw online and alludes to some of the more out...
EBSN Brussels
The 4th European Beat Studies Network is happening in Brussels 28-31 Oct and as reported before, I will be attending and presenting. My talk is: Buddhism, Hua-yen, Latihan and American Sentences...
510. Divine Comedian
This poem was inspired by something said in a talk given by Muhammad Subuh Sumohadiwidjojo, the man who founded the worldwide Subud spiritual community. I have been a member since 2004. The notion...
509. Dream Anagrams
This postcard poem went overseas, so good to give it two months before posting here. I think in future years I may send to the folks overseas first so that there is time for them to receive the...
Bowering/Stanley on Cascadia
I was pleasantly surprised to be tagged on Facebook in a post that promoted a podcast by New Star Books of Vancouver. The podcast featured two elders of the Cascadia poetry community, Vancouver...
Organic in Cascadia: A Sequence of Energies
Poesia Organica Na Cascadia: uma Sequencia De Energias With the publication of Poesia Organica Na Cascadia: uma Sequencia De Energias (Organic in Cascadia: A Sequence of Energies), my work is now...
2021 Poetry Postcard Afterword
2021 Poetry Postcard Fest Afterword (as pdf) I so love the Poetry Postcard Fest. Each year the fest allows me to experience new depths in my own creativity. The poetry side of spontaneous...
McClure Memorial
Amy McClure sends this note: Dear Friends and Family, Looking forward to seeing you! Details are on the Eventbrite link below. Please register if you’ll attend:...
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.