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West Coast Live Saturday, Jan 19th!

UPDATE: Listen to the broadcast: West Coast Live 19 January 2013. The first few minutes are missing. Sedge started the interview by asking me about the human need to control wildfire and the notion that in Zen, you “let things be.” I said that the residents of Tassajara didn’t try to control the fire, they guided it, met it, befriended it.
Sedge: Those are not USFS firefighting terms.
Me: No, they’re not, these are Zen monks.
Sedge: They don’t get into suppression…
Me: Or opposition or enmity. Their idea was: Fire belongs here. The forest needs fire. We live here, with fire. Can we find a way to honor all of our needs?….
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EARLIER POST: I am thrilled to be appearing on West Coast Live talking to Sedge Thomson this Saturday January 19th, at Yoshi’s in Oakland’s Jack London Square! The show is live from 10am to noon. To see the show live, reserve tickets at Brown Paper Tickets, 800-838-3006. To listen, tune in to KALW 91.7, which streams the show live and for about a week after the first airing.

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Back in the Saddle

Snow is just the other face of fire.
After a fairly long silence, I’ve posted a new Huffington Post blog! Become a fan of my blog to encourage me to keep at it and pass the link along to anyone you think might appreciate the bliss of skate skiing.
Here are the big-hearted owners of Tahoe Cross Country, where I find that bliss, featured on the cover of the Tahoe Weekly.

And here I am in the Great Ski Race 2011, skiing out of the frame past my friend Tove Jensen.

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Yet another reason to love Tahoe

David Zimmerman and I received a warm welcome from the Squaw Valley Institute last weekend, where we presented the Fire Monks story and talked with Tahoe residents and Squaw Valley Fire Chief Pete Bansen (who is multi-talented and also handled the tech side of my presentation). A big highlight of the evening was meeting with a group of kids who’ve been discussing Fire Monks with Carolyn Hamilton, an old friend from the Squaw Valley Community of Writers conference.

Soon, I’ll be putting up a page with more detail about the great work Carolyn is doing with these smart and adventuresome kids.
Speaking of adventuresome, another guest season at Tassajara has drawn to a close, and fire monks Mako Voelkel and Graham Ross are leaving the monastery in the Ventana Wilderness to travel to India and Southeast Asia, continuing to practice way-seeking, but in a whole new context. Read about their journey (and support them if you feel moved) on their blog:
http://thecloudmountains.com/

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Heartland Dharma

Just back from an extended trip to the midwest, where I saw family, reconnected with old friends, and introduced some new readers to Fire Monks. You can listen to the Dharma talk I gave at Ancient Dragon Zen Gate in Chicago here. Thank you, Ancient Dragon!