Rob Brezsny
Rob Brezsny writes Free Will Astrology, a syndicated column that has appeared for years in over 200 publications worldwide. He is also author of the bestselling manifesto of cagey optimism, Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings.
Brezsny’s neurodivergent improvisations on astrology and philosophy comprise part of a larger body of work that includes novels, poetry, essays, music, and performance.
His books are genres unto themselves: boisterous fusions of wonder tales, love letters, entertaining poetry, trickster prophecy, renegade activism, and benevolent sorcery.
In his exhilarating and meticulous explosions of playful revelry, soulful thinking interweaves with sumptuous emotion. Mystical comedy invites sacred healing. Irreverent worship provides solace and nurturing.
Bookstores and libraries find it challenging to identify his books’ proper niches.
Panoramic exuberance and inspirational generosity have always been his hallmark. The expansive intensity of his joyful offerings inspired the magazine Pop Matters to write, “Brezsny holds his own place next to cultural shamans like Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, William Burroughs, and Ken Kesey.”
Novelist Tom Robbins honored his daring craft, saying, “I have seen the future of American literature, and its name is Rob Brezsny.”
Utne Reader called him a “Culture Hero.” Rain Taxi described his writing as “poetic, circular, dancing, combining the narrative voices of Anais Nin, Tom Robbins, and David Ignatow.”
Author Jay Kinney declared, “Like a mutant love-child of Jack Kerouac and Anais Nin, Rob Brezsny writes with devilish humor, spiritual audacity, and erotic intensity.”
During his uncategorizable and wide-ranging career, Brezsny has found additional ways to channel his talents as a raconteur and poet.
As a songwriter and lead singer for rock bands, Brezsny composes lyrics acclaimed for their originality and witty storytelling.
Writing about him and his band World Entertainment War, SF Weekly’s Gus Stadler said, “Brezsny packs their songs full of enough heady words and phrases to fill a Greil Marcus-style rock critique.”
Joel Selvin of the San Francisco Chronicle added, “Calling this music ‘smart rock’ is correct, though we must also applaud the profound emotional sweep of the music.”
Another way Brezsny has perpetrated contraband poetry and storytelling is through his internationally syndicated horoscope column. With uncanny steadiness, he has generated thousands of expressive, rhapsodic, intriguing oracles.
The Boulder Weekly summed it up: “For years, Rob Brezsny has been covertly practicing poetry in the form of a weekly astrology column.”
The Sacramento News & Review added, “As much a storyteller and social observer as astrologer, Rob Brezsny brings a literate, myth-savvy perspective to his astrological writing.”
A third way Brezsny has expressed his multi-faceted creative zest is with his solo pagan revival show, Sacred Uproar, performed in theatrical venues all over America.
Here’s a taste of Sacred Uproar: Watch Sacred Uproar: Symbiosis →