I enjoyed reading this interview very much! I love how varied Don's interests are, and felt a connection in that I, too, did not study for my Bachelor of Arts in English until I was in my late thirties/approaching forties. Thank you for sharing and introducing me to his writing :)
Really enjoyed reading this interview, thank you Matthew and Don. I have a question and I realise it may seem an unusual one. Don, as a carpenter, is there any link between that and your love of nature and trees, did one lead to the other ? Or is it just coincidental ?
Probably a stronger connection than I realize! Thank you for asking, Maureen. As I said in the interview, I love working with wood because it’s a beautiful, living material. And that is the same reason I love walking in the woods.
But at the same time, I do not walk through the woods thinking about what I can make out of all the trees I see lol. Rather, I enjoy them in the moment, as living beings.
So I guess the connection is that both carpentry and enjoyment of nature are direct and tactile. rather than abstract and conceptual, experiences.
Sorry, Maureen, I realized after that last comment that in fact I did not talk about woodworking in this interview; I was thinking of another of my essays 😂. Your question gave me some food for thought, though! :-)
No worries, Don. I haven’t caught up with all your essays yet. I did reread the interview ,but thought the part about woodworking might have been in an earlier draft 😂. Pleased it has given you food for thought, though !
Thanks for sharing this, Richard. I have been by that house; it is easy to miss! The 19th hole, however, is still in downtown Hyannis and looks like it hasn’t changed a bit!
Haha, I’ve never been inside but now you’ve got me curious. I live so close I could walk there. I’ll stop in this week and see if they celebrate/memorialize the history. I probably won’t make an offer on the pool table, though 😆
It appeals to younger people. Not his best. That would be Big Sur, which will blow your mind. If it's Buddhism you're interested in the novel, The Dharma Bums, was written quickly to take advantage of the beatnik craze. He also wrote a non-fiction book, Some of the Dharma, the only one I haven't read.
Great interview Matthew and Don! I really enjoyed reading it. I'm always interested to learn more about the writers here. Don and I have a few things in common.
There were a few things that stood for me that we both are interested in, reading, walking, nature, concerts, Buddhism, mindfulness, stuck out beyond the Massachusetts connection.
This was a fun and interesting interview; thanks for sharing. What a wide range of interests. I also just finished rereading Ocean Vuong's book. Always leaves me mesmerised. Thoreau's Walden also changed my life when I read it in high school!
Thanks for doing this, Matthew! It's great to get to know Don a bit more.
Don (I'm sure you'll find this despite the inability to tag you here), your story of the first chapter book you picked at random reminds me of a parallel but different story from my own boyhood. I was at a bookstore with my grandparents, and I was maybe 8 or 10. I saw the cover of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson and was so enthralled by the art and the title that I decided to buy it. My grandma mandated that I read every day of the summer, for one hour. Though that book looked cool, I didn't like being forced to read. I remember that I would sometimes just sit with the book open and stare at it, not actually reading at all, just to pass the hour in defiance, so I could go back to playing Nintendo. A few times I did make an earnest attempt to read it, but I found it quite difficult for my reading and vocabulary level of the time. I remember reading a few pages over and over (the text seemed so tiny!), trying to absorb every word individually and make sense of it. Now, I read and write poetry with much the same painstakingly slow pace and attention to low-level detail. My attention span still struggles to complete books. Anyway, that doesn't stop me from being a windbag when I write! Talk soon.
Mike, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I genuinely appreciate it and if you want to be a windbag then no worries! I am all about building community here. Don is a fascinating guy and I am glad to "know" him and introduce him to my readers. All the best!
I wish you had picked up "Mystery at Cross Mountain" instead! (Or whatever it was called lol). I remember trying RLS because he was supposed to be the author that all the cool and adventurous boys read (an anachronism I think). I just couldn't connect. Too wordy and old-fashioned!
Thanks for commenting, Mike. Good to hear from you!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview and getting to know Don more. Like Don, I am choosing books to read with more intentionality these days, asking, what do I need to read? What would serve me well now? I’ve found several books on Substack to read and I’m “wandering” through them over the next few months.
What a great way to discover a beautiful human! I've read a few pieces from Don's Substack and I'm happy to have discovered more of his affinities and life outlook. Thanks to this interview, I also went down the rabbit hole about Thoreau, an author I've yet to read, and who I always thought was German - because his famous book, Walden, means 'the forest' in German. A great Sunday read!
I know I’m late to the party here, but I really enjoyed this interview with two of my favorite writers on Substack. Matthew, your profile of Don is excellent, and you provide him with thoughtful, generative questions. So professional and engaging. Meanwhile, what a pleasure to learn more about Don and his background as a writer and reader. I left this inspired and with a few books to add to my reading list. Thank you both! 🙏🏻😊
I enjoyed reading this interview very much! I love how varied Don's interests are, and felt a connection in that I, too, did not study for my Bachelor of Arts in English until I was in my late thirties/approaching forties. Thank you for sharing and introducing me to his writing :)
Kate, I am glad you enjoyed this. Don is a fascinating individual and his writing is always reflective of his eclectic pursuits.
Thank you, Kate! 😊
Matthew, thank you for the interview. It was an honor and a great pleasure! 😊
Absolutely!
Really enjoyed reading this interview, thank you Matthew and Don. I have a question and I realise it may seem an unusual one. Don, as a carpenter, is there any link between that and your love of nature and trees, did one lead to the other ? Or is it just coincidental ?
Probably a stronger connection than I realize! Thank you for asking, Maureen. As I said in the interview, I love working with wood because it’s a beautiful, living material. And that is the same reason I love walking in the woods.
But at the same time, I do not walk through the woods thinking about what I can make out of all the trees I see lol. Rather, I enjoy them in the moment, as living beings.
So I guess the connection is that both carpentry and enjoyment of nature are direct and tactile. rather than abstract and conceptual, experiences.
You really made me think, Maureen, thank you! 🙂
Yes, I was imagining that handling the wood would lead to a real appreciation of the beauty of nature.
Sorry, Maureen, I realized after that last comment that in fact I did not talk about woodworking in this interview; I was thinking of another of my essays 😂. Your question gave me some food for thought, though! :-)
No worries, Don. I haven’t caught up with all your essays yet. I did reread the interview ,but thought the part about woodworking might have been in an earlier draft 😂. Pleased it has given you food for thought, though !
Thanks Maureen, glad you enjoyed this and thank you for the follow-up question. Glad to see the conversation taking place here.
Have you guys read Kerouac? He's our Buddhist novelist
It’s been many years since I read Kerouac. His mother lived in my town of Hyannis, MA, where he spent some of his last years maltreating his body.
https://www.kerouac.com/kerouac-on-cape-cod/
Thanks for sharing this, Richard. I have been by that house; it is easy to miss! The 19th hole, however, is still in downtown Hyannis and looks like it hasn’t changed a bit!
If that pool table is the one Kerouac played on, (pool and bars figured in his final writings), I'll buy it sight unseen.
Haha, I’ve never been inside but now you’ve got me curious. I live so close I could walk there. I’ll stop in this week and see if they celebrate/memorialize the history. I probably won’t make an offer on the pool table, though 😆
I live so close I could walk there." And you've never been inside? : )
The only book of his I have read is On the Road. It was ok.
It appeals to younger people. Not his best. That would be Big Sur, which will blow your mind. If it's Buddhism you're interested in the novel, The Dharma Bums, was written quickly to take advantage of the beatnik craze. He also wrote a non-fiction book, Some of the Dharma, the only one I haven't read.
I have had quite a few folks recommend Big Sur and Dharma Bums so I will need to get those in my reading rotation in the near future.
Great interview Matthew and Don! I really enjoyed reading it. I'm always interested to learn more about the writers here. Don and I have a few things in common.
Thanks Pam. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m curious what we have in common…
Or do you mean we both live near Massachusetts harbors? 🙂
There were a few things that stood for me that we both are interested in, reading, walking, nature, concerts, Buddhism, mindfulness, stuck out beyond the Massachusetts connection.
I'm very pleased, Pamela. Your list makes it apparent that we both know what comprises the good life! 🩷
Thanks Pamela. I agree, I do think you guys have some common interests as well as geography.
This is beautiful and fantastic on so many levels. I tip my hat to you both!
Thank you so much, Troy! 🙏
Thanks Troy. Glad you enjoyed!
Very interesting interview, I particularly loved the story from Don of how he fell into reading. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it Jenn. I think Don has a lot to share with the world.
Thank you, Jenn! 🙏
Thank you, Jenn! 🙏
This was a fun and interesting interview; thanks for sharing. What a wide range of interests. I also just finished rereading Ocean Vuong's book. Always leaves me mesmerised. Thoreau's Walden also changed my life when I read it in high school!
We have two excellent books in common! Thanks for reading and commenting, Tiffany. 🙂
I haven't read Ocean Vuong's book but I am now intrigued to check it out.
The writing is exquisite.
Thanks for doing this, Matthew! It's great to get to know Don a bit more.
Don (I'm sure you'll find this despite the inability to tag you here), your story of the first chapter book you picked at random reminds me of a parallel but different story from my own boyhood. I was at a bookstore with my grandparents, and I was maybe 8 or 10. I saw the cover of Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson and was so enthralled by the art and the title that I decided to buy it. My grandma mandated that I read every day of the summer, for one hour. Though that book looked cool, I didn't like being forced to read. I remember that I would sometimes just sit with the book open and stare at it, not actually reading at all, just to pass the hour in defiance, so I could go back to playing Nintendo. A few times I did make an earnest attempt to read it, but I found it quite difficult for my reading and vocabulary level of the time. I remember reading a few pages over and over (the text seemed so tiny!), trying to absorb every word individually and make sense of it. Now, I read and write poetry with much the same painstakingly slow pace and attention to low-level detail. My attention span still struggles to complete books. Anyway, that doesn't stop me from being a windbag when I write! Talk soon.
Mike, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I genuinely appreciate it and if you want to be a windbag then no worries! I am all about building community here. Don is a fascinating guy and I am glad to "know" him and introduce him to my readers. All the best!
I wish you had picked up "Mystery at Cross Mountain" instead! (Or whatever it was called lol). I remember trying RLS because he was supposed to be the author that all the cool and adventurous boys read (an anachronism I think). I just couldn't connect. Too wordy and old-fashioned!
Thanks for commenting, Mike. Good to hear from you!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this interview and getting to know Don more. Like Don, I am choosing books to read with more intentionality these days, asking, what do I need to read? What would serve me well now? I’ve found several books on Substack to read and I’m “wandering” through them over the next few months.
Monique - glad that you enjoyed this. I have discovered a number of books here as well. Don is an interesting individual with some wisdom to share.
Thank you for supporting writers, shy Buddhists and otherwise.
Thanks Joe. I appreciate you taking the time to read. All the best.
☺️
What a great way to discover a beautiful human! I've read a few pieces from Don's Substack and I'm happy to have discovered more of his affinities and life outlook. Thanks to this interview, I also went down the rabbit hole about Thoreau, an author I've yet to read, and who I always thought was German - because his famous book, Walden, means 'the forest' in German. A great Sunday read!
Thanks Monica, glad you enjoyed it and were able to learn a little about Thoreau in the process!
Thank you so much, Monica! Enjoy Walden. It's a book to keep by your bedside; not to read all the way through quickly!
Thanks for the tip, Don! I imagine it's similar to the Reveries by JJ Rousseau. I shall discover that soon. :)
I know I’m late to the party here, but I really enjoyed this interview with two of my favorite writers on Substack. Matthew, your profile of Don is excellent, and you provide him with thoughtful, generative questions. So professional and engaging. Meanwhile, what a pleasure to learn more about Don and his background as a writer and reader. I left this inspired and with a few books to add to my reading list. Thank you both! 🙏🏻😊
Thanks Jacob! Glad you enjoyed it. I was grateful Don was interested in participating.