Barry Graham's Blog, page 104

Last year, I posted a list of great Zen books that don’t mention Zen. To that list I would now add Lawrence Block’s novel A Drop of the Hard Stuff.

For people in recovery, I think it would be a good companion read to Bill Krumbein’s book on Zen and the 12-step program,12 and Zen.

Superbowl Sunday always reminds me that there are two simple sentences that Americans can’t understand. One is “I don’t watch TV.”� The other is “I don’t watch any sport other than boxing.” They hear the words, but don’t understand the meaning.

I long ago stopped counting how frequently I have the following dialogue with various friends:

FRIEND: Hey, I know you don’t watch TV, but did you see (INSERT NAME OF SHOW) last night?

ME: Well, as you...

The second book I had published in French, Les nuits blanches d’Edimbourg, was translated by Marie Chabin, and, judging from emails I have received from people in France, she did a hell of a job.

I don’t yet have a French publishing deal for Dark Heat, the graphic novel written by me and drawn by Vince Larue, but there’s already a Marie Chabin translation of it in process - I’m happy to hear the news that she likes the book so much that she decided to translate it on sp...

Kristin Shears, owner of Willo North Gallery, isn’t content just to lie to an incompetent reporter about why she canceled the Joe and Jan show. She got her attorney, Jason Kelly, to send the following letter, with more lies, to the artists who were to be in the show. The letter says:

In an unfortunate turn of events, Robrt Pela decided to resign from his position at Willo North Gallery. The management of the Willlo North Gallery immediately accepted his resignation. As of January 28, 201...

As much as I support independence for Scotland, I agree with the Electoral Commission’s rejection of Alex Salmond’s choice of wording for the referendum.

The Guardian reports:

The elections watchdog said that Salmond’s choice of question – “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?” – was biased in favour of a yes vote, was not neutral, and should be dropped.

I can’t see how there could be any doubt that the wording is biased. Rather than as...

I haven’t heard from Shears’ lawyer in response to my questions, but Shears has been talking to Dennis Welch, who writes:

Kristen [sic] Shears says she shut down the show after Pela resigned from the gallery on Monday.

“After that I really felt that I couldn’t hang the show and get it ready in time,” Shears said Tuesday. “I take full responsibility for this.”

Shears is lying.

She claims that there wasn’t enough time to hang the show. The fact is that, with four days to go, all t...

Robrt Pela tells me that eightnow 11 12 13 galleries have now offered to host the Joe and Jan show canceled by Kristin Shears, owner of Willo North.

Shears herself isn’t talking. In response to my questions, she gave me her lawyer’s contact info and told me to ask him. I did, but haven’t heard back yet.

Pela himself doesn’t know if she canceled in retaliation or to censor the show. “I wish I could say, conclusively, what happened. I turned in my resignation yesterd...

Image: Vince Larue

This Friday, Willo North Gallery in Phoenix was to open its latest show curated by Robrt Pela, featuring new work by Vince Larue (who traveled from France for the opening), Peter Bugg, Jeff Falk, Annie Lopez and others.

This morning, galley owner Kristin Shears informed Pela that the show was canceled.

Pela had just informed Shears that he intended to resign from his role as curator after this show.

“Needless to say, I’m horrified,” Pela told the artists. “Most...

daishinstephenson:

I’m not given to depression, but yesterday I felt almost crushed by a weight of sadness. It started when I read the brilliant poem Michael Robbins was commissioned by Yahoo to write for Obama’s inauguration, and when I thought about how Yahoo refused to publish it, and when I thought more about the imbecilic, Pavlovian veneration of Obama, a war criminal.

But I do not hate Obama. I do not hate anyone. I hate the U.S.A.

Although I was not born or raised in the U.S.A., and, thankfully...