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Ruth Ozeki On Modern Distraction And The Dark Waters Of Creativity

Author Ruth Ozeki.
Flickr Photo/Kris Krug (CC-BY-NC-ND)
Author Ruth Ozeki.

If you’re driving a car or operating other heavy machinery when you listen to this Speakers Forum podcast, we hope you’ll pull over for the guided meditation portion. But don’t be alarmed. This talk is more likely to invigorate and inspire you than put you under a spell. And it may change forever how you react when your smart phone vibrates with some bit of news.

Our guest, Ruth Ozeki, is a writer, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. Her novel, "A Tale for the Time-Being" was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her documentary film "Halving the Bones" was shown on PBS and at the Sundance Film Festival.

Ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest in 2010, Ozeki is the editor of the website Everyday Zen. She divides her time between Brooklyn, NY, and Cortes Island, BC, where she says she writes, knits socks and raises ducks.

Seattle Arts and Lectures presented this talk by Ozeki at Town Hall Seattle on November 20. Sponsors include the Seattle Times and Hedgebrook. Thanks to Anna Tatistcheff for this recording.

Year started with KUOW: 2006