Book Launch Reading for Just This: New & Selected Poems, May 2026, at Powell’s Books

This is Not a Guidebook: John Brehm Reflects on Dharma Talk, His Latest Poetry Collection

Poetry & the Sacred – Henry Shukman & John Brehm

On his Guru Viking podcast, Steve James hosts a conversation with Henry Shukman, British poet, Zen teacher, and author of ‘One Blade of Grass; a Zen memoir’; and John Brehm, American poet and author of ‘The Dharma of Poetry’.

Henry and John share the story of their formations as poets, compare the similarities as well as the marked differences in their backgrounds, and reveal the powerful forces that inspire the creative process.

They discuss the purpose and process of writing poetry, reflect on poetry as a means of contact with the sacred, and contrast the richness of poetry with attentional practices such as mindfulness and Zen—and they also perform and discuss several of their poems, including “Walk the Talk”, “Swifts”, “Yahrzeit”, and “Finis Ter”.

Zen Peacemakers Circle: The Art of Appreciative Attention

Rattlecast Interview and Reading

A wide-ranging conversation with Rattle editor Timothy Green. We talk about consciousness, the intersection of poetry and spiritual practice, the limitations of academia, and much more. And I read some poems from No Day at the Beach. My part of the program begins ten minutes in.

Yoga Hour Podcast with Laurel Trujillo

How can poetry open up new ways of thinking, feeling, and being in the world? Author, teacher, and poet John Brehm shares how we can enter a poem, allowing its power to be a gateway to experience a deeper sense of wonder and mystery. Listen here.

Livestream talk on The Dharma of Poetry, hosted by Annie Bloom’s Books

John Brehm in Conversation with Heather Sellers on The Dharma of Poetry.

Podcast on The Dharma of Poetry

Interview with Wisdom Publications publisher and CEO Daniel Aitken.