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
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Parts 9 & 10
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 9. Trungpa on Kerouac PN: Tell us about the . . . Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 8
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 8. 1st Thought, Best Thought AG: Yes, it is the title of a book by Chogyam Trungpa...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 7
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 7. Steal This Poem (poem) You can hear highlighted excerpts from the interview...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 6
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 6. On Whitman AG: We were gonna talk about Whitman, remember? PN: That’s exactly where I...
Allen Ginsberg Interview Part 5
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 5. Research (poem) You can hear highlighted excerpts from the interview...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 4
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 4. The Anti-Art Right PAUL NELSON: And now, especially this year, in this state we have...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 3
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 3. The Velocity of Money (poem) You can hear highlighted excerpts from the interview...
Allen Ginsberg Interview, Part 2
In advance of the 12th Ginsberg Poetry Marathon, I'm presenting excerpts from my 1994 interview with Allen. 2. The Politics of Self-Responsibility PN: How would you describe your politics at this...
Allen Ginsberg Interviewed
It's easy to remember the date I met and interviewed Allen Ginsberg. I was the Public Affairs Coordinator for KMTT-FM in Seattle, The Mountain. I had started doing public affairs interviews in 1990...
Fail Large
Fail Large Go to the extreme of your imagination and go on from there: fail large, never succeed small...-Charles Olson Every poem is an experiment and every one is a failure. Some fail to a lesser...
Interview with Miriam Nichols on Mechanic of Splendor
Of the post-war North American poets that wrote from a stance of spontaneity, there are few that spring to mind immediately, Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Jack Spicer, Denise Levertov, Michael...
The MUD Proposal proposal
After writing about being accepted by The Mud Proposal (see: https://paulenelson.com/2020/01/01/the-mud-proposal/) I came across my cover letter for the Mud Proposal: Dear Editors, I am in year...
MLA Seattle Off-Site Reading
I am delighted to be part of a giant mosaic of poets reading on Friday, January 10, 2020, in the MLA Off-Site Reading. The venue is the Town Hall Forum, 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA, 7:30 to 11pm,...
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.