Featured Contributors

Hokyu JL Aronson

Before finding himself the primary end-of-life caregiver for his fellow monastic Yukon Grody—an experience he reflects on in “Replanting the Garden”—Hokyu JL Aronson lived in Brooklyn, New York, where he worked as a documentary filmmaker and podcaster. He created a number of award-winning feature-length films, including Up on the Roof and Last Summer at Coney Island. As a skilled producer, editor, and cameraman, Aronson’s credits include work on HBO and PBS, and in Rolling Stone, among others. Despite his demanding career, he made time to sit at the Zen Center of New York City, where, in 2004, he first met Yukon. His Chan—and later Zen—practice eventually led him to Zen Mountain Monastery, in upstate New York, where he has resided for more than a decade.

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Vicki Mackenzie

The longtime journalist and author Vicki Mackenzie has told the stories of many iconic figures in the Buddhist world, including Freda Bedi, Tenzin Palmo, Osel Torres, and, for this issue, the performance artist Marina Abramovic (“Naked Reality”). Born in England and raised in Australia, Mackenzie began writing for the national and international press immediately following her graduation from the University of Queensland. While working as a features writer at the Daily Sketch and the Daily Mail in London, Mackenzie attended a monthlong meditation retreat in Nepal. This experience propelled her into a Tibetan Buddhist practice and opened the door for covering Buddhist topics in her writing. In addition to her considerable portfolio of articles, Mackenzie is the author of six books, including Reincarnation: The Boy Lama, Reborn in the West, and Cave in the Snow, and the coauthor of Child of Tibet.

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Haley Barker

For this issue, Haley Barker, Tricycle’s editorial assistant, profiles the Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013) in “Weaving Wire.” Raised in North Carolina, Haley majored in Religious Studies at Rhodes College, where she focused on Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia under the guidance of Tricycle contributor Brooke Schedneck. After graduation, Haley obtained her Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School, with an emphasis on Buddhist Studies. An animal lover, she would often petsit her Harvard professors’ cats. In pursuit of the Certificate in Religion and Public Life, Haley interned at Religion News Service, covering events such as the 2022 ordination of 144 nuns in Bhutan. She lives in Brooklyn with her dog Sage, whom she exercises every day in Prospect Park.