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
469. Elyse Brownell, Boulder, CO – Fennel or Nasturtium Blossoms
(click here for audio)
American Exceptionalism and Canadian Reality
If there were any doubt that the notion of American Exceptionalism were a joke, or a hoax, or a myth easily busted, the current shutdown of the federal government by a group of congressmen...
468. Matt Trease, Seattle, WA, Nerve Endings and Rainstorms
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467. Linda Clifton, Seattle, WA – Expanding the Substance of Experience
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92. Galactic Circuit (for Will Alexander)
Writing Projects
Am preparing for my first featured reading in a while, Tuesday night, October 1 at 7pm at the Duvall Visitors Center, 15619 Main Street, Duvall, WA. (See this site.) I am to read for 25-30 minutes...
466. Joe Chiveney, Olympia, WA – The Empty River
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465. T. Clear, Seattle, WA – Late August Rain Vigil
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464. Jami Proctor-Xu, San Ramon, CA – Baby Gate
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463. Linda Crosfield, Castlegar, BC – Hummingbird Plot.png
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Death of an Indian (Birth of a Shaker)
I was delighted to read as part of the Margin Shift series on Thursday, June 18, 2020. Earlier in the day I thought I would rehearse a long poem that is a huge part of the newly expanded edition of...
Margin Shift
I'm delighted to be doing another Zoom-Because-of-Shelter-in-Place reading, this time for Margin Shift, Thursday June 18 at 7pm. As its name implies, Margin Shift is the most diverse reading series...
The Poetry Foundation
Dispatches from the Poetry Wars was a great little, shit-stirring website that reminded us that poetry wars are ongoing and critical, if they lead to dialog. Community happens only when there is...
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.