Buddhist and Poet Barry MacDonald (Tekkan), Episode #5

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Barry MacDonald, Buddhist and poet

Tekkan is the Dharma name for Barry MacDonald, Buddhist and Poet. He has lived in England, Japan, and Minnesota, all of which have influenced him. The themes of his life revolve around his Buddhist practice and his recovery from addiction. His books, “Everyday Mind,” look for the extraordinary hidden within everyday events. He uses the sonnet form without the rhyme scheme followed by a Japanese tanka.

https://www.facebook.com/barry.macdonald.1293

Barry’s Readings:

  • Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics – 12:20
  • The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple – 27:44
  • Like a Basset Hound – 42:39

Michael’s Beer Pairings:

  • All Out Non-alcoholic Extra Dark, Athletic
    Brewing Company (paired to Reading Circles of Sober Alcoholics) – 9:16
  • Pilsner Urquell, Plzeňský Prazdroj (paired to
    The Wood Flooring of the Zen Temple) – 25:31
  • Heavenly Body Golden Wheat, Wellbeing Brewing
    Company (paired to Like a Basset Hound) – 41:30

Interview Highlights:

  • Sonnets and the sonnet form – 13:32
  • Meeting Shakespeare in Amsterdam – 15:40
  • The influence of a well-read father – 16:42
  • Writing routine and meditation – 20:25
  • What brought you to Japan? – 31:18
  • The impact of travel on an artist’s work – 33:49
  • Zen and dharma, Barry’s dharma name – 35:09
  • Does image lead to idea or does an idea seek an
    image? – 45:11
  • The Everyday Mind series – 47:36

Upcoming Events:

Barry and Laura will be reading at the Startled By JOY 2019 poetry reading and open mic on October 6th, 2019. The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Troubadour Wine Bar, 2827 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

COMING NEXT:

Novelist, Poet Donna Isaac

Our theme music is from www.bensound.com.

If you liked this episode, you might also like these Books and Brews episodes:

HELP US GROW

If you enjoy our interviews or have benefited from them, we invite you to help us continue our work. It takes a great deal of time and money to produce Books and Brews. We’ve been doing interviews since January 2017 as a free service to authors. We continue to promote those authors on our social media for years after their interviews.

  • Subscribing, following, liking, commenting and sharing all help us to keep doing what we do.
  • A $5 tip helps us pay for our many expenses: Libsyn hosting, web hosting, Google meets, providing the drinks for the interview and the many hours of preparation and editing that go into each episode.
  • Patreon: patreon.com/BooksandBrewswithLauraVosika
  • Tip Jar: paypal.me/booksandbrewsMN
  • Books and Brews products:
    https://www.zazzle.com/store/books_an… (more to come)
  • Sponsor an episode to promote your product or service: contact us booksandbrewslive@gmail.com