Free Words is about new ways of seeing and the wild joy of writing.
I am an artist, poet, teacher, and senior Zen student. To me, art and writing are where we can practice our deep engagement with the world.
What You’ll Find Here
The “ways of seeing” series (inspired by John Berger) offers prompts for attention and new ways of seeing which are inspired by art and literature. These prompts can be used whenever you encounter works of art or things of the world that you want to offer your attention to. They can also be used as starting points for writing, art-making, or any kind of creative practice.
Wild writing, feral writing, oracular writing, incantations and spells. This is a space where paragraphs liberate themselves. I’ll bring other kinds of poems and very short fiction into the mix as well.
I’ve been writing about the experience of art through the work of other artists, but now I’ll be adding stories of my own artwork into the mix. My work has lived in the space between language and action, in the space of story. It’s time to tell some of those stories.
All of my creative work is inextricably connected with my Zen practice. I’ll keep sharing my Zen talks and writings here.
Subscriptions
I opened up paid subscriptions a while back, but otherwise didn’t change anything I was doing — everything I write is and has been available for free. As a reader, I support as many writers with paid subscriptions as I can manage, but personally I find paywalls saddening.
To my astonishment and joy, some people immediately jumped in as founding or annual subscribers. From that first handful, the numbers have slowly grown. Every day I am moved by this open-hearted generosity and encouragement. That kind of support for my work means everything.
Thank you, thank you paid subscribers! Thank you Founding members!
About me
I am an artist and writer who lives in New York and works between language and action. I am the author of The Uses of Art.
My performance and social art works have appeared internationally at museums and in exhibitions including the Glasgow International, Ljubljana Biennial, Manifesta 4, and the São Paulo Biennial. My poetry has been featured in BOMB, jubilat, Sound American, and elsewhere. I have been a visiting artist at art schools including DIA: Beacon, Harvard, Mass College of Art, and RISD, and have taught at Princeton University and Bennington College.
About my book
Artist Sal Randolph’s The Uses of Art is a memoir of transformative encounters with works of art, inviting readers into new methods of looking that are both liberating and emboldening.
Dazzlingly original, ferociously intelligent.
— Michael Cunningham
A joyful, dazzling treasure-box of a book.
— Bonnie Friedman
Here’s a guide, to waking up, over and over again.
— Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara
