Stillpoint: Reflections From A Year On The Cliff

Stillpoint: Reflections From A Year On The Cliff is the third book of short stories from Grammy-winning producer and award-winning writer, Barrett Martin. Building on his previous books, The Singing Earth (2017) and The Way Of The Zen Cowboy (2019), Martin delivers Stillpoint, a collection of 18 short stories penned in a remote cliff house inside a wildlife refuge overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, between Washington State and British Columbia. As a local who grew up here, Martin refers to this magical area as Cascadia, a wild and dramatic place with fierce storms, enchanting forests, and magical animals: bald eagles, ravens, hawks, screech owls, coyotes, raccoons, deer, bats, and the odd multicolored snake are just some of the many creatures that reside here and inspire the stories in this book. Stillpoint is also a Buddhist term for the moment between thoughts, when all mental chatter ceases and the clarity of Absolute Mind emerges from within. Drawing from his 25 years of Zen Buddhism, Martin recounts childhood memories, amusing animal stories, and environmental lessons learned from his decades of travel and ethnomusicology fieldwork with indigenous people around the world, including observations on the political and environmental turmoil that has enveloped the world.

Like his previous books, Stillpoint also comes with an album of original music that serves as the soundtrack to Martin's stories. This soundtrack can be downloaded from a link inside the book, and features 15 original compositions that Martin wrote, performed, and recorded inside the same remote cliff house where these stories were written. Stillpoint is both a written philosophy as well as a sonic adventure. Both take the reader/listener on an extended journey into the wilderness of the great Pacific Northwest-and beyond.

Barrett Martin has been studying Soto Zen for over 25 years. He also holds a master's degree in ethnology and linguistics, but is perhaps best known as the drummer for the seminal rock bands, Screaming Trees and Mad Season, as well as being a Grammy-winning producer, percussionist, and composer. He has performed on over 130 albums and film soundtracks, and his solo group, the Barrett Martin Group, has released 10 albums to date and continues to perform around the world. When not on the road speaking or playing music, he lives with his wife, Dr. Lisette Garcia, in their beloved Washington State.