C.A. Parker

C.A. Parker has spent a lifetime working at the intersection of spirituality and social justice, both as the Executive Director of several non-profit organizations and as a pastor. His doctoral work is in early Anglican spirituality, and he has spent many years exploring the commonalities between Christian and Buddhist contemplative traditions.

Dr. Parker has studied the Japanese flute — the shakuhachi — and the Japanese martial art of Aikido for over 25 years (in which he holds a second-degree black belt) and has spent time in Japan studying both disciplines, which he has also taught and are part of his own spiritual practice. He lives in Washington, DC, with his two creative children, and two rescued pets (a grumpy old dog named Chewbacca and a neurotic cat named Luna).

X: @RevCParker

Instagram: @caparkerauthor

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?

I listen to many movie and television soundtracks, partly because they remind me of stories I love. But even when I don’t know the movie to which the music belongs, I love the sense of sweeping emotion and drama that is part of many musical soundtracks.

When I am writing, I sometimes listen to classical music, primarily Baroque (and certainly nothing with words!). I find most music too difficult to listen to when I write, but Baroque is generally quiet and structured enough that I can write with that in the background.

Not surprisingly (given the subject of Song of the Samurai), I also listen to shakuhachi music a great deal. And given that it is meditative and not particularly melodic, I can listen to it while writing. I actually found it helpful in setting the mood, when writing Song of the Samurai.

Favorite non-reading activity?

For nearly 30 years I have practiced a Japanese martial art called Aikido, founded by a 20th century martial artist named Morihei Ueshiba. A purely defensive martial art, the discipline uses an aggressor's weight and momentum to throw, pin, or otherwise immobilize an attacker.

Surprisingly, much of the movement derives from sword and staff practice. Morihei Ueshiba was an expert swordsman and believed that weapons practice helped to develop timing and distance acuity. This weapons practice was helpful when I wrote the combat scenes in Song of the Samurai.

In addition to Aikido, I also love playing chess.

Not all books are for all readers… when you start a book and you just don’t like it, how long do you read until you bail?

I’m terrible at this! I know I should give up on a book that hasn’t grabbed me by page 50, but I rarely do that. I blame this on a slight tendency to OCD, but it may be simple stubbornness. My daughter is constantly telling me to DNF (“Do Not Finish”) a book that I’m not loving; but more often than not, I just plow through until the end.

Vacation druthers… City or Rural destination? Why?

I honestly enjoy both but lean toward the city. Cities tend to be richer in history, museums, and art, all of which fascinate me. London and Kyoto are my two favorites. I thoroughly agree with Samuel Johnson that “when [one] is tired of London, [one] is tired of life.” That being said, I also enjoy hiking, biking, and off-roading in the wild.

Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance?

In addition to writing about the shakuhachi, I also enjoy playing this wonderful instrument. I began learning about 25 years ago from the late Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin, one of the first non-Japanese Grandmasters in the world. Ronnie also led my first trip to Japan, when he took a group of students there for the World Shakuhachi Festival in 2012. Playing the shakuhachi in most traditional schools involves practicing classical ensemble music (for shakuhachi, koto, and shamisen) and folk music (minyo), as well as the traditional zen repertoire.