DISRUPTING THE MONOLOGIC OF THE SOLITARY SINGER: AN INTERVIEW WITH POET/ PUBLISHER PAUL NAYLOR

Here's a link to "Disrupting the Solitary Singer," an interview that I did with poet/ publisher Paul Naylor for Drunken Boat #18.

Paul Naylor: “Attempting to step to the side of what I called our ‘habitual anthropocentric perspective’ requires some counterprograming, so to speak, and the only way I know of to enact that counterprograming is through adopting particular practices that go against the grain of “business as usual.” For me, tai chi, zazen, and, of course, writing poetry are particular practices I cultivate to widen my perspective. Most of the ideologies we’re confronted with every day ask us to think of our minds and bodies as separate realms, each with their own desires and rationales that, more often than not, set up a conflict between those two realms that—again, more often than not—render us less resistant to the seductions of those ideologies. I see tai chi, zazen, and poetry as practices that help me resist those demands; those practices invariably bring me back to the fact that my mind and body aren’t separate realms, which helps render the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy of contemporary consumer culture somewhat less effective.”

So glad for the opportunity to have this talk with Paul across the edge of last summer.

Thanks to review editor, Shira Dentz, and Drunken Boat for having me!