Authors

Since founding Speculative Non-Buddhism in 2011, I have been fortunate to be joined by others in writing posts for the blog. I hope that even more will contribute in the future. It will take some time for you to become familiar with the nature of the work we are doing here. But once you do, I hope you will consider writing something for us. Bear in mind that we are not looking for agreement or conformity. Speculative Non-Buddhism is, in the first and last instance, a critical practice, a practical criticism. It is, in other words, something that is done.  So, think of yourself as a craftsman using the non-buddhism tools. Be creative, and be yourself. If you have an idea for an essay, please contact me at gw@glennwallis.com.

In order of appearance, here’s who has labored in the workshop so far:

Glenn Wallis  holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist studies from Harvard University. He is the author of Mediating the Power of Buddhas and several other books and articles on Buddhism. He co-founded, with Tom Pepper and Matthias Steingass, the e-journal non + x. For more information, visit: glennwallis.com. Wallis can be reached at gw@glennwallis.com.

Tom Pepper teaches English at Southern Connecticut State University. His specialty is British Romanticism. Tom has a Ph.D. in English from the Stony Brook University, and is a graduate student in counseling psychology, as well as pursuing a further degree in mathematics. Tom can be reached at wtompepper@att.net.

Matthias Steingass Musician, Speculator, Writer. Lives in Switzerland and Germany. Blog: Der Unbuddhist. Email: mst.info@postmail.ch

Adam S. Miller is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney, Texas. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Villanova University, as well as a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brigham Young University. His areas of specialization include contemporary French philosophy and philosophy of religion. He is the author of Badiou, Marion, and St Paul: Immanent Grace (Continuum, 2008), Rube Goldberg Machines: Essays in Mormon Theology (Kofford, 2012), and Speculative Grace: An Experiment with Bruno Latour in Object-Oriented Theology(Fordham University Press, forthcoming), the editor of An Experiment on the Word (Salt Press, 2011), and he currently serves as the director of the Mormon Theology Seminar. He contributes to the blogs The Church and Postmodern Culture and Times and Seasons.

Shyam Dodge is a Harvard educated former monk. Raised in an ashram, he has been practicing and teaching meditation, Asian philosophy, and yoga for over 20 years. His books include a memoir, a collection of teaching stories, and a forthcoming war narrative of Hawaii. Shyam is an active critic and contributor to the understanding of contemporary Buddhism and yoga in North America. In addition to his work as a scholar and critic, he is a fiction writer, satirist, and pop culture essayist. Shyam’s blog is here. He co-founded and writes at Yoga Brains. You can also learn more in this interview.

Richard K. Payne is Dean and Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, in Berkeley, California. He is also founder of the blog “Critical Reflections on Buddhist Thought: Contemporary and Classical.” Payne is the author or co-editor of numerous books and articles on Buddhism, including, most recently, Discourse and Ideology in Medieval Japanese Buddhism (London: Routledge, 2006), and Approaching the Land of Bliss: Religious Praxis in the Cult of Amitabha (Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004). (Additional publications here.) Richard Payne is also the editor of the highly regarded journal Pacific World – Journal of the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Visit the journal’s site here. You can find further information at Payne’s faculty website.

Patricia Ivan is a social worker, psychotherapist and couple/family therapist working in private practice in Montreal, Canada.  She holds a social work degree from McGill University, a Master’s and DEA in philosophy from the Sorbonne in Paris, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Ottawa.  She blogs at Reflections and Contractions. Patricia can be reached at: patricia.i.ivan@gmail.com.

Craig Neely has a BA in Religion, MS in Counseling Psychology and an MS in Accounting and Finance. He is also an ABD in counseling psychology. His past work has been in college teaching, college counseling, addiction counseling and elementary education.  He’s currently a stay-at-home dad with his two boys.  He has experience in Zen, Nichiren and Tibetan Buddhism. Craig’s main avocation is writing and playing music.  His current project is Gates & Neely, an acoustic duo specializing in “futility rock.” For some rough demos check out:  http://gates-and-neely.bandcamp.com.

Alan Seltzer holds a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and taught high school English for twenty-five years. He has been practicing meditation for the last five years.

April Resnick has her BS in Nursing and is currently working on her Masters of Applied Meditation Studies. She has worked in the fields of surgery and labor and delivery as a nurse.  She is also a veteran of the USAF, who served on active duty, and as a reservist.  April has been meditating for 5 years.  She has instructed meditation at Penn State Abington, for staff, and Intercommunity Action Center, for adults in the Philadelphia living with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  She is also a writer currently posting poetry to her blog www.sometimesihatemycat.com.   Her current area of interest is the intersection between meditation and creativity, as well as the use of meditation in the management of PTSD, and its practical application in the recovery from childhood trauma.

James M. Cochran is a doctoral student in the Religion and Literature Ph.D. program in Baylor’s English department. He teaches in the first-year writing program at Baylor, and his research centers broadly on twentieth-century and contemporary American literature, religion, and culture. He can be found online at Academia.edu or on Twitter.

Matthew Joseph O’Connell is founder of the blog Post-traditional Buddhism and co-founder, along with Stuart Baldwin, of the SoundCloud podcast Imperfect Buddha (“going where other Buddhist podcasts fear to tread”). Twitter. Facebook.

Jonathan Earle is a recent graduate of Marlboro College in Vermont, and a non-novice. You can reach him at: jearle@marlboro.edu.