I just wanted to post an update to all my friends and fellow
artists out there on social media land, about the progress of my upcoming book
of poetry, "Zen is Now." i realized you haven't heard from me in a
while regarding the book. I've been busy working on the final edit. However, I
will be making frequent updates about my progress and shall be providing
instructions on how you can place a "pre-order" of "Zen is
Now" in advance of its release date.
So, thanks for your patience and stay tuned!
And for those of you who are new to this site or who have
only recently become my FB “Friend,” here's a synopsis of what "Zen s
Now" is about, based on one of my previous post.
My fellow artists and readers,
I want to make a brief announcement about my upcoming,
yet-to-be published, book of poetry entitled "Zen is Now." As you
already know, I've been on the New York poetry circuit for nearly 30 years and
have read my works and have published them in several anthologies as well as numerous
publications. I have even printed my poetry online at my blog site:
Obsidianthemystictakesnewyork.blogspot.com.
However, never have I presented the bulk of my work for you
to view. "Zen is Now" is just that. It is a compilation of nearly 30
years of my poetry material, many of which you might've heard and seen me
perform on stage. Some of which you may not be acquainted with, since they were
never read or submitted for publication. There are also a few new verses
included as well.
Here is the story behind the making of “Zen is Now.”
After several years of productive writing and performances,
I suddenly ran into a severe creative drought, in that I wasn't able to produce
any subsequent material. As a result I
pretty much disappeared from the poetry scene all together. However, after a span of four years I was
suddenly struck with new inspiration and a flood of prose began to flow from my
subconscious. Unfortunately, this recent creativeness was inspired by a
succession of tragic events.
Shortly after my 50th birthday I was informed by my VA
doctor that I had cancer, which required radical surgery and lot of recovery.
Fortunately, I can say that I am cancer free and plan to be around for a long time.
In addition, a year later I lost my
precious mother after a protracted and exhausting battle with congestive heart
failure. This was coupled with the unexpected death of my editor and good
friend, who lost her battle to cancer, which was followed by the death by
suicide of a very close friend of mine, who took his life at the tender age of
30.
To say the least, after these episodes I had truly hit rock
bottom.
Oddly, what came out of these successive adversities was
nothing short of a miracle, because these catastrophic events shocked me out of
my creative dry spell. What followed was an unexpected opening of a well-spring
of new prose. It also caused me to revisit and to rewrite a number of my older
works. I felt this was appropriate in order to better express the ideas and
emotions I felt at the time they were originally put to pen. I also intended to
honor the live of my mother and the lives of so many close friends who traveled
a while with me along the bard’s highway, before departing off into that great
void.
In all, "Zen is Now" is the product of my
personal, philosophical ruminations of this experience called life, as well as
my contemplation of the future with the view to attaining the coveted state of
Zen. In regard to the chosen title, I like to draw attention to the word
"Zen." It seems whenever one considers this word it conjures up metaphors
like inner peacefulness, tranquility, as well as a profound sense of
well-being. Not surprisingly, this is what I had in mind when choosing the
book’s title. I'm certain you will agree that reaching this state and
maintaining it is not an easy task, especially when life is beset by so many
hardships and a garden-variety of adversities.
Nevertheless, there always remains hope.
This is the theme I wish to permeate throughout the body of
this collection. However, I have to admit there are times when my verses fail
to reflect this kind of optimism, but are rather filled with unmitigated anger,
frustration, an incongruity of humor and even righteous indignation. In spite
of this, in the end the central theme of Zen can be found and the premise
remains one of resolution. Each poem reflects my inner voice in a variety of
contrasting demeanor. Some are light and jovial. Others are dark and
foreboding. There are even a few deep, metaphysical reflections.
In all, I come to realize there are many disparate ways I
have made my voice heard over the years, and that the path to enlightenment can
be like a Sisyphean journey with many highs and lows along the way. What is
more, you will discover there is always the element of passion to be found in
my work. I believe if you cannot add a little fire to your words than you ought
to throw your prose into the fire!
Which brings me to another issue I wish to touch upon.
Since I have become known as a mystical poet, there is also the element of the sacerdotal. At this
juncture I deem it necessary to clarify what I mean by the word
"mystical," since I have been accused by some religious critics to be
a practitioner of the magical arts. One would think I was being accused of
something worse! Whenever I say "mystical" I am referring to matters
which are close to the heart; such things as love, the pain of loss, the sort
of things which make you reflect deeply upon the meaning of life and its hidden
influences. To me these things are indeed a great mystery yet to be unraveled.
In addition, as I mentioned earlier, those of you who are
familiar with my poetry might recognize some of the radical changes I have made
in several of the older pieces. I hope that you'll relish these modified
stanzas as you have the originals.
Lastly, I believe you will discover "Zen is Now"
to be a rare odyssey into the inner workings of my mind, in where you will be
taken down the road, if you will, into some of my more personal and esoteric ruminations.
I hope you will also find it to be a celebration of the creative forces which
shape our daily lives in this grand experiment. "Zen is Now" is an affirmation
that no matter which road we travel we will all meet in the end at the same
summit, at that eternal state of bliss.
I encourage you to sit back with your favorite cup of Joe
and enjoy perusing this collection.
Sincerely,
Daniel Canada aka Obsidian
ALSO CHECK OUT MY 2 BOOKS “THE
SHAITAN” & “HOBO HANDBOOK: MEMOIRS OF A HOMELESS POET IN NEW YORK” SOLD AT THESE
LOCATIONS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/655627
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hobo-handbook-daniel-canada/1124340542?ean=2940153669205
They are not being sold on Amazon.com at
this time.
To view a few sample pages or to
purchase the books visit:
https://smashwords.com/books/view/573076 (Note: You must 1st remove “adult content” filter from top
right hand corner of Smashword page to access the books, by clicking the “Adult
Content” button before
searching for the titles titles in search field).
If you want to view my Smashwords
Author Profile visit:
You can also check out the comments
I will be posting on these social media sites:
I’d love to hear
from you!
