[Buddha-l] AWP Panel, Buddhism and Humor

[Tony Trigilio]

If you're planning to attend the AWP Conference in Atlanta this coming 
week, please think about attending the following panel:

"What's So Funny About Suffering? Writing Buddhist Humor." (Bich Minh
Nguyen, Nin Andrews, Ira Sukrungruang, Tony Trigilio, Dinty W. Moore)
The first noble truth of Buddhist philosophy suggests that "life is
suffering," yet one defining characteristic of much recent American
Buddhist literature--poetry, fiction, and memoir--is a focus on
playfulness and humor in service of a spiritual message. Is this a
contradiction, or just a koan? Five American writers of differing
ethnicities and Buddhist backgrounds discuss the use of humor and
playfulness in their own writing and in the writing of others, such as
Ginsberg, Bassho, and the Dalai Lama himself.

Full conference schedule is at:  
http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2007schedWed.php.

Best,
Tony