Interview with Fredric Fierstein: An Outrageous Act The story leading up to this interview includes the influence of my having read Peter Kingsley's A Story Waiting to Pierce You. In his book, Kingsley hypothesizes that a mysterious figure, Abaris, traveled from Mongolia to Greece to meet Pythagoras. Abaris is mentioned in several ancient texts, usually carrying an arrow, a symbol of shamanic power.       A few years before having read Kingsley's book, I'd been bicycling around the Berkeley marina one day, when I was surprised to come upon a warrior archer astride a mythical beast that looked ... Feb 23, 2011, 69363 reads

A Common Humanity: A Conversation with Bob Sadler Like a lot of people, I used to be afraid of approaching strangers, even in settings that made it easier—like art openings. But now I've learned that striking up a conversation this way isn't so difficult. And it's so much more interesting than being stuck in the circle of my own thoughts. It's where this story begins.      People were crowded into a small gallery at an opening and chatting. Nearby, I heard a voice exclaim, "It's amazing!" Curious, I moved closer. Turns out it was something about "photos of homeless ... Mar 14, 2014, 11504 reads

A Conversation with Zoo Cain: My Real Name Photos by Elizabeth Hunt When first approaching Zoo Cain’s workspace, I knew immediately that I would be spending time with someone unique—a person with a rare perspective on life. What began at an early age as an escape from a dysfunctional family environment has evolved into a lifelong passion for form and color. I entered the one hundred fifty year-old New England post-and-beam barn he calls his studio in Maine. The workspace, sunlit and cluttered with a hoard of collected objects and art supplies, features both in-process and finished works. He was busy, ... Sep 3, 2022, 9292 reads

Earning Humilty - My Story of Meeting Rollie Grandbois: Jemez Springs, New Mexico August 2007 “I have no idea,” the shopkeeper said, which surprised me. He’d just explained that his entire family worked in the studio together, right through that door at the back [he pointed]. His son, he explained, made all the ceramic pieces displayed around the shop.      “There’s a kiln back there?”      “Oh yes! My daughter does the cards and all the photos hanging on the walls.” And the cosmetics? His wife made those. “I do all the ... Jul 8, 2021, 4633 reads

Interview: Milford Zornes: An Artist's Life I was in Claremont, California—a town I knew well from my college days. But in recent years my visits were to see my mother who was living there in a retirement community. We'd spent the morning together and I'd gone into town to pick up something for her and also because I wanted to wander around and look in on some old haunts. While strolling along Yale Avenue I noticed a sign: Claremont Fine Arts. Hmm. I didn't remember the place and peeking through the window, I saw a room full of conventional landscapes and still lifes. Stepping in for a better ... Jul 11, 2008, 47891 reads

Gabriel Meyer: Stretching Identity "There’s a concert this evening,” the message read. I had an hour to get to Canticle Farm - six houses on adjoining lots with a large backyard garden in the Fruitvale District of Oakland.       Canticle Farm is grounded in the vision of Joanna Macy and the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. It's an intentional community in service to what Macy calls "The Great Turning."       Having no idea what to expect, I got in my car. At least I’d get to visit my friends at Casa de Paz, part of ... Mar 21, 2015, 21406 reads

A Conversation with Zoshi: Spirit Carver My introduction to Zoshi came via Ron Nakasone, a professor at Stanford and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. It happened one evening at Kallan Nishimoto’s Flytrap Studios in Oakland, California. As Nishimoto says, “Zoshi is one of the few artists who lives and breathes his spirituality into his work seamlessly and completely.” Ron had confided to me that besides being an artist, Zoshi is also a Buddhist priest. I felt I was entering into another world.      That evening at Flytrap Studios I ... Mar 2, 2013, 40944 reads

Interview: Charles Bigger--On Philosophy: Baton Rouge, LA Photo - Richard Whittaker In the summer of 2002, I went to Baton Rouge to be with my brother, John, while he underwent the "Whipple," a brutal surgery to remove part of his pancreas. John had come to LSU accepting their proposal to found a Religious Studies Department there. It would have close ties with the Philosophy Department and, in fact, John had served as head of the combined departments for some years.      He brought credentials from Yale along with a deep love of Kierkegaard and Ludwig Wittgenstein. Two years younger than me, ... Aug 18, 2006, 27702 reads

Remembering Robert Lax—A Conversation with Steve Georgiou: My introduction to S. T. Georgiou came via his most recent book: In the Beginning Was Love: Contemplative Words of Robert Lax. That name rang a bell. It was buried in memory, but wrapped in an aura connected with Thomas Merton. I’d never followed up on Lax and had forgotten about him long ago. So I was surprised to find myself suddenly alert in front of that name.      The book had arrived with Georgiou’s handwritten note. Perhaps I’d take an interest. It happened that I was headed for a getaway. Perfect. The beauty of the northern Oregon ... May 11, 2017, 15566 reads

Interview with Ronald Hobbs: I met Ronald Hobbs long ago. In those days, in the late sixties, should the conversation have taken a certain turn, I might have laid a claim to poetry myself. I'd read at the “I and Thou” on Haight Street, had run an open-mike poetry program in the basement of a Presbyterian church on Oak St. and had even taken a first prize in San Francisco’s Ina Coolbrith Circle’s poetry competition.  But Ron was in another league. In the mid-1960s he'd established himself in the New York poetry scene. He'd done college campus tours to recite his own ... Jul 23, 2004, 13397 reads