Luke Wallin is a writer, teacher, artist, and musician. He was born in Mississippi in 1943. He taught Philosophy, Literature, and Creative Writing, and has written 11 books, winning numerous awards. Luke has been Fulbright Teaching Fellow at University College Dublin, Senior Research Associate at the Center for Policy Analysis, taught Philosophy at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, Creative Writing in Spalding University's MFA program, and is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Visit @ lukewallin.com.

Episode 7: “Deep in the Woods with Luke Wallin”

Guest: Luke Wallin – Novelist, songwriter, and professor, whose life spans Mississippi’s rural woods, academia, and a 40-year creative career, now rooted in Little Compton, Rhode Island.

Setting: Smoke in Sedona, Luke in Little Compton—a coastal “winter wonderland” a mile from the Atlantic, steeped in nature’s quiet magic.

Summary

Smoke kicks off with a live rendition of Luke’s song, “The Redneck Poacher’s Son” , linking it to Luke’s debut novel of the same name. That song cracked open his creative process, turning a stalled draft into a published work by revealing his main character’s soul. The convo flows into Luke’s Mississippi roots, where at 16 he and pals Dennis and another friend rejected brutal deer drives—dogs and shotguns herding bucks to slaughter—and persuaded his sawmill-owning dad to ban them on their land, stirring enemies and planting seeds of integrity. This pivots to a deep dive on forgiveness, consciousness, and living present—core to Smoke’s journey and Luke’s arc from a star-struck 7-year-old to a seeker wielding gratitude and nonattachment.

Learnings

• Creative Alchemy: Luke reveals how “The Redneck Poacher’s Son” (the song) unlocked his novel—half a draft floundered until the lyrics bared his character’s essence, a tool Smoke ties to his 150-books-a-year quest for insight.
• Forgiveness as a Scalpel: Smoke channels David Hawkins: forgiveness slices through ego’s grudges. Luke confirms, having let go of old hunting and academic foes—start by saying it, then let it grow.
• Meditation Made Simple: Luke leans on Rupert Spira’s witness trick—sit, notice the calm, impersonal self watching thoughts or scenes. Smoke nods, citing his Nepal plea for help that sparked peace.
• One Small Step: Pick a practice—gratitude, kindness, respect for life—and stick to it relentlessly. Smoke calls it a snowflake that triggers an awakening avalanche.

Universal Truths

• Creation is Continuous: Luke’s 7-year-old awe—stars birthing as he gazed—echoes Smoke: every moment is creation, not a dusty past event.
• Ego’s Payoff Trap: Smoke dissects ego’s love for grudges, grief, or anxiety as identity fuel; Luke agrees, recalling how it stoked his early enemy mindset in hunting and academia.
• Silence Over Sound: Luke, via Hawkins, flips it: life’s noise fades against silence’s backdrop when you sync with your higher self—a calm cocoon.
• Nonattachment, Not Detachment: Smoke opts for nonattachment—play life’s game fully, untethered by outcomes. Luke ties this to blending spiritual and active living, no cave needed.

Examples

• The Deer Drive Stand: At 16, Luke, moved by Faulkner’s disdain for cruel hunts, rallied his crew to halt deer drives on their land. His dad’s hesitant yes—despite backlash—shows conviction’s cost and reward.
• Nature as Teacher: Luke’s 7-year-old self, roaming with dog Ginger, saw creation in stars and ants—a root Smoke links to his Sedona hikes and Nepal jolt.
• Synchronicity in Action: Smoke’s temple shock and Luke’s song-to-novel leap show asking for help delivers—call it divine or serendipity, it works.
• Enemies to Allies: Luke’s shift from grudge-holding (hunters fuming over a deer spat) to forgiveness mirrors Smoke’s trauma release, proving the scalpel’s edge.

Full length Q&A that go with the episode here