I met James shortly after starting work in Yosemite National Park. Meeting James was a fortuitous event in my life. We began meeting at Degan’s Deli for morning lattes and began conversations that continued for months and then years. We talked about myriad topics including philosophy, politics, music, literature, and poetry. His depth and ease of conversation was enlivening and eventually lead to beginning Poetic Matrix Press. James had been creating small handwritten poetry books (3 X 4 inches) of his poetry. We went on to do chapbooks of his, mine and other’s poetry. After these we started producing full length paperback books. Starting with his book Merge with the River, Brandon Cesmat’s Driven into the Shade, Tomas Gayton’s Winds of Change and my book Dark Hills and Wild Mountains, and over 80 books in 23 years; the Press continues. James began an on-going series of live events titled Words Performance in Yosemite with poetry and music. The series continued for many years.

This book of The James Downs Book of Poems - Low Temples is indeed James at his best. In it is his love of Joyce, the mountains of Yosemite, of philosophy, politics, music, literature, and poetry. It touches some of who he is, and it will touch you if you let it. James passed on October 10, 2020.