Barry Lopez spoke as a visiting writer at Pacific University’s MFA program winter residency. I loved his introduction: “When you show up, you bring big trouble.” This from the soft-spoken writer who documents the connection between land and people. He answered the questions: Who are you? Where are you from? and Why are you here? in a sense, teaching us by example what we need to do in our writing as we claim the authoritative voice. Barry pointed out though, that the reader is the one who grants the authority.
“To write,” he said, “is to enter into a moral relationship with oneself and with the community.” Having the ability to write down what you mean, and a stranger being able to comprehend it, truly, “you are in the landscape of miracles.”
Barry shared a beautiful word, the Japanese kotodama, which means the soul or spirit of a word, the spiritual interior of a word itself. He reminded us that we must write with a bow of respect to the material and to the reader.
It’s always nice to have an opportunity to turn the light, if only for a few moments, on one of our clearest thinkers. Barry Lopez’ literature of hope reminds readers, “The way we take care of ourselves is by taking care of each other.” I’ve published what I believe to be a fine example of Barry Lopez’ clarity — an extended interview with Lopez and a provocative inquiry into his short fiction. No Bottom: In Conversation with Barry Lopez by Mike Newell opens portals that provide solid grounding for new arrivals to Lopez’s insatiable Trickster wit while also yielding keen insights for his devoted readers. Poet Mike Newell is the author of three books — uNderground Fires, The Unlived Life and Aestivation — who has spent his life as a wildland firefighter in Alaska and the continental U.S., while also pursuing a companion career teaching at-risk students in schools and prisons. And, like Barry Lopez, connecting land and people, clear thought and action. See http://xoxoxpress.com/titles.php?g=nonfiction for more info.
Hi Jerry,
Sounds great. Thanks for the info!