Dale Pendell (April 14, 1947 – 13 January 2018) was an American poet, ethnobotanist, and novelist. Writing in an evocative style all his own, he fused

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, and

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

in describing the relationship between psychoactive plants and human beings. A long time student of

ethnobotany Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human socie ...

, Pendell discussed historical and cultural uses of "power plants" in his works. He read and distilled the literature of pharmacology and neuroscience, of ethnobotany and anthropology, of mythology and political economics as they intersect with the direct experience of human psychoactive use. His publications include the Pharmako Trilogy: ''Pharmako/Poeia'' (1994), ''Pharmako/Dynamis'' (2002), and ''Pharmako/Gnosis'' (2005), all published by Mercury House. He covered all the major categories of psychoactives and detailed the use, the pharmacology, the chemistry, the political and social historical implications and effects of the use of psychoactives. ''Pharmako/Poeia'' won a 1996

Firecracker Alternative Book Award The Firecracker Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards focusing on small-press publishing. Previously known as the Firecracker Alternative Book Awards (FABs), in the current form they are known as the CLMP Firecracker Awards for Independ ...

. He was also a myth critic. Certain of his works comment on the origins of cultural myths. Pendell also delved into politics, introducing the concept of "Horizon anarchism" at his

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

2006 Palenque Norte lecture.Podcast 055, "Horizon anarchism", Burning Man, 2006
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Bibliography

*''The Gold-Dust Wilderness'' (1971) *''Physics for the Heart'' (1985) *''Chasing the Cranes'', with Steve Sanfield, (1986) *''City Limits Blues'' (1986) *''Rough Cuts & Kindling'' (1986) *''Swirling'' (1986) *''Mokujiki: Thirteen Tanka'', with Kazuaki Tanahashi, (1988) *''Pharmako/Poeia: Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft'' (1995, Mercury House) *''Living With Barbarians: A Few Plant Poems'' (1999) *''Pharmako/Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions, & Herbcraft'' (2002, Mercury House) *''Pharmako/Gnosis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path'' (2006, Mercury House) *''Inspired Madness: the Gifts of Burning Man'' (2006) *''Walking with Nobby, Conversations with Norman O. Brown'' (2008, Mercury House) *''The Language of Birds, Some Notes on Chance and Divination'' (2009) *''The Great Bay: Chronicles of the Collapse'' (2010,

North Atlantic Books North Atlantic Books is a non-profit, independent publisher based in Berkeley, California, United States. Distributed by Penguin Random House Publisher Services, North Atlantic Books is a mission-driven social justice-oriented publisher. Founded ...

) *''Equations of Power'' (2013) *''Salting the Boundaries'' (2014) *''Seeking Faust'' (2014) *''Jeremy and the Mantis'' (2018, Mercury House)

References

External links

Official site & blogErowid's Dale Pendell vaultErowid review of Pharmako/Gnosis'Magical Practice'
a discussion with Dale at the World Psychedelic Forum, Basel, 2008 (MP3 available)
Dreamflesh.com review of Pharmako/Poeia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pendell, Dale 2018 deaths American psychedelic drug advocates Psychedelic drug researchers 1947 births