Barry Graham's Blog, page 36

Powerful Photos Of Glasgow Slums 1969-72 - Flashbak

Powerful Photos Of Glasgow Slums 1969-72 - Flashbak:

This was my childhood, and the setting of The Book of Man, Get Out As Early As You Can, and my other Scottish books.

In the covered area at a TriMet stop in Portland. When homeless...

In the covered area at a TriMet stop in Portland. When homeless people don’t have access to toilets, this happens.

Merle Haggard and Merle Haggard

I saw Merle Haggard perform twice, but I’d say that only one of them was a real Merle Haggard show. The first one, at the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix, AZ, circa 2000, was good, featuring a man who happened to be Merle Haggard playing songs by Merle Haggard backed by a band that included Bonnie Owens, Merle Haggard’s ex-wife…

I thought I had seen a Merle Haggard show, but I hadn’t really. I realized this three or four years later when I saw him perform in Chattanooga,...

Nothing Lasts: A Noir Mandala - The Big Click

Nothing Lasts: A Noir Mandala - The Big Click:

My final column for The Big Click

French reviews of Le livre de l’homme

Le livre de l'homme (The Book of Man) is getting quite a reception in France:

Twelve minutes about Le Livre de l'homme on Radio Campus :
http://blog.paludes.fr/public/Radio2016/Graham-LeLivreDeL_Homme-Critique.mp3

And even if you’re not on Facebook, you can follow all the reviews and bookshops opinion on this page :
https://www.facebook.com/TusitalaEditions

Or on my publisher’s website :
(“Revue de presse” are the press reviews, “Les Libraires en parlent” are...

My new book—Nothing Extra: Notes On the Zen Life

My new book—Nothing Extra: Notes On the Zen Life

Rainy night, City Cave Zendo

In the zendo last night, we sat intensely together as the rain fell outside the open window, and then I gave a talk on the koan The One Who Does Not Get Sick, followed by a discussion. Such a beautiful thing to be able to practice together. I like our little cult.

Poem: One Kind or Another

It is April, but the desert is cold.
Today I watched a man be burned
because it was too cold to easily
put him in the ground. I sat on a porch
with his family, all of us in ponchos,
drinking tequila, eating albondigas.
Last night, his sister crawled into my
sleeping bag, for warmth of one kind
or another. One thing is true: even
at its best, life is hard, and
I will not do anything to make it
any harder than it has to be.

from Traffic and Murder

Just published—French edition of The Book of Man

Just published—French edition of The Book of Man

Armed robber and con artist J.J. Johnson to give keynote address at Local to Global Justice in AZ

I’ve written before about the criminal J.J. Johnson/Jameson Johnson/Jimmy Carroll Johnson of Phoenix, AZ. So I’m fascinated to discover that Local to Global Justice has booked him to give a keynote address this Saturday. I’ve contacted them to ask for details, and if they know about his armed robbing past and fraudulent present.

Update: Here’s the reply they sent me:

Dear sir,
Local to Global Justice (LTGJ) is a 15-year old organization who’s main focus is creating points of c...