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
508. Crater Glacier (Power Animal)
The largest category of (August Poetry Postcard Fest) cards I send out, in terms of the image, feature Coastal Salish art. I think this is one of the world’s most potent artistic traditions, on a...
After The Japanese (End)
I had no idea when I started this series that it would end with me writing poems about my Father's death on Mother's Day 2014. And so it goes. I am grateful to have a process that allows me to, yes,...
507. Goodbye Queets
Poem #2 in the 2015 August Poetry Postcard Fest. (Audio here.)
After the Japanese 95-98
Near the very end of this series of 100 poems my Father died. (May 11, 2014) I'd not experienced much death in my life to that point and Dad died in his bed and not in some hospital, which made me...
15 Year Anniversary of Lost in the Woods
This September (2015) marks the 15th anniversary of my Lost in the Woods episode. I went on a solo backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park, tried solo bushwhacking and ended up in need of a...
Some 2015 Postcard Highlights
Autumn came in with a bang yesterday, three weeks early. (Damage is said to be in the tens of millions of dollars.) It's odd, but early Spring and early Summer this year were greeted with great joy....
506. Curved Projections
This is the first "official" poetry postcard of mine for 2015, year 9. I sent out one "practice card" to someone from last year's list, but THIS year I decided to use Joanne Kyger's new book On Time...
After The Japanese 91-94
Getting to the end of this series that I've been posting here 4 at a time for months. The flashbacks are intense and about to become more so.
Model Session
It has been about 15 years since I last sat for painters, one of them Joan Treat, who created this painting which I bought immediately: But the session last week at the studio of Amanda Teicher was...
Two Gigs This Week
I am not a fan of public readings in Seattle summer and ESPECIALLY during August, the month of POSTCARDS but here are two, one Friday night (Aug 28) and one Saturday night (Aug 29) in Seattle: An...
Larissa Lai Iron Goddess Interview
I was pretty stunned when Larissa Lai was the feature at Planet Earth Poetry in Victoria, BC, a few months ago. Her use of Haibun is a very dense, playful and rich language gesture, but the...
Gigs, Interviews & Postcards
So much happening. The new abnormal is near! Anarchist librarian poet Greg Bem has organized yet another of his creative, interdisciplinary events and this one is IN PUBLIC! He is apparently not...
Jeanne Heuving on Nate Mackey Destination Out
Jeanne Heuving is the editor of a fascinating new book of scholarship on one of the most important poets of our time, Nate Mackey. The book is entitled Nathaniel Mackey, Destination Out: Essays on...
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.