Happy Interdependence Day, everyone! It's July 4th, the pyromaniac's favorite time of the year. Please be careful if you are lighting fireworks or playing with fire in any way. It's hot and dry out there. It's been a quiet few months on this blog as I've turned my attention to other interests and writing projects, but fire season is in full, hot fervor. We need no more dark reminder than the recent deaths of 19 firefighters on the Yarnell Hill fire. I've been working on a written response to the disaster but have nothing that feels at all adequate to the loss. I am holding … [Read more...]
Paperback release on the horizon
Fire Monks will be out in paperback in June! I've just posted some new Bay Area readings on my Events page. Many summer and fall events are still in the works and will be added as they are confirmed. In April, fire monk David Zimmerman and I spoke at the International Association of Wildland Fire Human Dimensions conference in Seattle. It was a heartwarming experience to present to such a receptive audience of fire professionals. Lots of great people doing good work studying our complex relationship with fire and the landscapes it touches. San Francisco Zen Center is in the … [Read more...]
Gone, gone beyond
As of Sept 26, I'm entering a three-month practice period at Tassajara, so things will be quiet on this blog and on my Huff Post blog for a while. I'm happy to say that Fire Monks is humming along, finding readers in places both expected and unexpected. Fire season will slide into snow season while I'm away. May the fires that have yet to start bring new life. I wrote a parting commentary published today in the Duluth News Tribune. The Pagami Creek fire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the approaching 20th anniversary of the Oakland Hills fire closer … [Read more...]