Meet the team: Genevieve Rushton-Givens

Genevieve

 Hello, Miracle readers!

 Prepare to meet another member of the Miracle Team: Assistant Editor Genevieve Rushton-Givens.

Interview

Questions by Elizabeth Gibson

EG: Could you introduce yourself?

GR-G: My name is Genny Rushton-Givens. I am from Milton, Ontario, Canada (fastest-growing community in Canada).

Milton, Ontario: Photo from Wikipedia

I grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. I studied music (voice) at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo but after I graduated I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a musician or have a career in music. Right now I am focusing on self-discovery and finding out what I want to do with my life. I currently work as a cashier and as a part time reporter for a local events magazine, the Milton Villager. I also worked for the Ontario Provincial Election and I’ll be working for the town’s Municipal Election in a few months.

EG: What sort of writing do you do?

GR-G: I’ve probably written in just about every genre (except for screenplay, but I really want to hang out at a Starbucks and try that some time). My favourite genre would have to be poetry because it can be interpreted in so many ways and it’s great for expressing complex feelings. Another genre I like is fan fiction because it’s really fun to do and I feel like there’s a lot less pressure to be good at writing; people just want interesting scenarios. All the same, I’ve seen a lot of creativity in that genre and surprisingly good writing.

EG: What does writing mean to you?

GR-G: It’s communication... and fantasy. It’s so many things. An essential skill, an escape, a way to explain things, a method of communication far less scary than talking for introverts like me... And it’s timeless; writing will stay around long after the writer is dead. I guess writing to me is mostly hope and play; hope (that I can use it in a career) and play because it’s enjoyable and relaxing.

EG: How did you get into writing?

GR-G: I got into writing when I was a child. I loved playing with Barbies and playing make-believe with the neighbourhood kids so that was probably when I started using the skills you need for writing, namely imagination. I also liked writing diaries, especially on family cross-Canada trips. 

I did a lot of creative writing in school and it was one of the few tasks that didn’t feel like homework. I remember writing a bunch of Dungeons and Dragons short stories for fun; those were probably the first long pieces of writing I created outside of school. I also took a creative writing course in high school and that made me enjoy writing even more. Now it’s one of my favourite hobbies.

EG: Who or what inspires you?

GR-G: My biggest inspiration would probably be music. I play it almost constantly, especially when I’m writing. I love to listen to songs and fantasize about scenarios or stories that make sense with the music and the lyrics. Some of my writing is actually based on songs. 

A person that inspires me is my little brother Nick who aspires to be a professional musician. He doesn’t always receive positive feedback on his music (I admit I don’t always like the songs he makes) but is always playing an instrument or writing a song and never leaves the house without his laptop or an instrument. He can receive the most brutal criticism and be unmoved, simply not caring about what the person thinks. 

My favourite musicians and bands also inspire me: Imogen Heap, The Tragically Hip, Little Miss Higgins, Owen Pallett, Owl City, Billy Talent and many others. The Sound of Rum (Kate Tempest) is another inspiring artist for me as she is not only one of the few successful female rappers, but her music and poetry are utterly amazing. One more thing that inspires me are endlessly interesting cities, like Toronto, London and Amsterdam.

EG: What are your current projects?

GR-G: I’m working off-and-on in occasional bursts on a fan fiction novella that I’ve been working on for a long time based on Atlantis: The Lost Empire. I’m always coming up with interesting ideas for stories but I often procrastinate in actually turning them into writing. I’m also working on a few poems on various topics. I’m often working on local interest stories for the Milton Villager as well.

EG: What are your plans for the future?

GR-G: First and foremost, to be independent and financially stable. And secondly, to find a career that I love, maybe in writing, maybe in music, maybe in something else, but definitely something I enjoy doing. I don’t know what my future will be exactly, but I’m excited to find out.

EG: What advice do you have for writers?

GR-G: Whether you think it will be a career or not, write anyway. If you aren’t doing it because you enjoy it, why are you writing? Also, never be too discouraged by criticism (something I need to work on myself). One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. Another thing is to focus on is writing clearly so that you get your message across.

EG: What do you look for in submissions?

GR-G: I always look for writing that has relatively good spelling and grammar and writing that is clear and coherent. I can’t stress learning good spelling and grammar enough. However, what is most important is writing that is unique and gripping. What really impresses me is a story that constantly makes me ask “and then what happened?”  

I like writing that is out there, different or that has never been done before but I can also appreciate stories that tackle familiar subject matter in a really skillful way. I especially like writing that truly transports its audience to a different world.

A sample of Genny's work

Wallflower

Little wallflower at the back of the room Sitting pretty, waiting to bloom Watching the others in their gaiety Dreaming of tiny steps to spontaneity

If you have something to say, say it But even when you do, you delay it Sitting in the back all alone Where have you hidden your backbone?

You wait it out until that perfect silence The challenge, the defiance Of delivering the right answer When everyone else just stands there

But it seems it will never come You’d rather they think you were dumb Instead of watching the heads turn And feeling your throat burn

And it has to be something meaningful Something wise, beneficial Because this is the leaf upturned This is the incense finally burned

You must be wise and reveal a profound truth Or the silent one will be seen as the dumb mute But not too weird and different either Or you might as well be having a seizure

As you speak there is such an unjust silence And as you finish an applause and laughter like raw violence For despite your careful wording They will never pay attention to anything but asserting

Asserting, asserting is gold Asserting yourself and being bold Being confident, being nude Being exposed, being rude

Even if you proved the professor wrong Even if in three seconds you wrote a song Even if you recited a hundred digits of Pi All they care about is that you are speaking and that you were once shy

And that my friends is a spectacle

Beer

Cat call in the distance at three am Someone far away is hot And someone far away is horny Decisions made with beer goggles As you half-sleep in a bubbly, pleasant haze There’s more evidence for evolution Than skeletons and theories I think as I hear a college girl Shriek just like a chimpanzee Below on Spruce Street Far away noises sound so close They are inside my tiny flat Invading

How frightening it would be to venture outside so late On a saturday night And soak up the stupidity Violence at the slightest provocation Passive-aggressive friendliness Walk past a bar Would I make it home alive?

The city lights cast a morning glow on the trees and the now-grey sky It looks as if the sun is rising

But, no, I’m still here in my warm, fluffy bed Half-asleep, half-awake like most nights When will I escape this vampire’s schedule? I long for the early mornings of my youth Seven am, the darkness lingering Birds chirping, parents yelling, Reading on the school bus Innocence, naïveté, thinking life was so difficult then But it wasn’t That was just the beginning

The jock population skyrockets after two am Because nothing good happens then Birds, maybe robins, singing at four am Everything is backwards at this hour And so much more frightening Terrified of even leaving my room Down the dark, empty hallway

Maybe I’m just jealous I wish I had some friends to be stupid and drunk with Some men and boys too Even just some alcohol A cold glass of beer To help me sleep To taste So bubbly and bittersweet Pop with a punch I must imagine my glass of water as a mug of beer And hope...

Green and White Snake:

Words were never spoken or exchanged. "The GO Train is here." The only five words anyone there ever thought they needed to hear besides they weren't words they were mentality the briefcases purses newspapers click-a-clacks of heels rustling of zippers and keys scrapings of sandals rollings of bags sharp noses blank eyes all pointed at their exact target click clack click clack a steady stream of everyone and anyone men with full black business suits girls in Gouci and jeans ladies in Reitmans men in checkered shirts and khaki shorts like ants they piled into the green and white snake dreading the fatal announcement "last call! Last call!" they accelerated full grown men and women whipping and thudding and click-a-clacking the wind pushed them back to their cars the ground screamed "Stop!" but they didn't listen a woman all in blue who could raise the dead with her clacking daintily ran as fast as she could "DOORS SHUT!" the conductor's voice was muffled and he followed through in a spurt of perseverance soundlessly the doors closed At least the adults knew one thing no amount of noise could open them so they didn't try the blue-clad woman slowed to a stop the GO train had gone she slumped in the middle of the station the wind urged her but suddenly the train came again always there always gone CLICK CLACK the heels revived click clack click clack clack

Victoria’s London

Take me back to when top hats were like business suits When the white moths had become black with filth When the Thames was brown like the rotted teeth of beggars And not just because of the mud When the Irish and the Slavic were exotic When London was Birmingham When Birmingham was Liverpool When Liverpool was a country village When there were millions And yet they were still so innocently oblivious Take me to the city clothed in black For there was always a funeral somewhere London The noisy factories And crowded slums The fear that the cold brings The pain that disease brings The real London The honest London The dark, deadly London of my nightmares Every narrow, dimly-lit alleyway dripping with piss and blood Full of criminals and drunks Ominous dark brown bricks The suffocating stink that follows you wherever you go

Cursing, begging Lifting, cuffing, gaffing, looting, nicking, pinching, swiping, thieving, pilfering, pillaging Hundreds of words for stealing

Where the poor are painfully poor Where every woman that smiles at you is a prostitute Corpses lying in the streets Next to gas lamps The only beacons of light People packed into bedrooms like chickens Sleeping on the string

Highly disturbing But it’s best not to interfere For someone else will deal with it Industry and decency will save us all

There is no trace of that now Except the noble stone buildings Commissioned by the corrupt

This is my fear and obsession

Meet the team: Kieran Rundle

 

 Hello, Miracle readers!

 Welcome to the second of our Miracle Team features. Today we will be meeting Poetry Editor Kieran Rundle.

Interview
Questions by Elizabeth Gibson

EG: Could you briefly introduce yourself?
KR: Hi! I’m Kieran Rundle and I’m a high school student from Virginia. 

I work on our high school’s Literary Art Magazine’s staff and also have begun to run my own magazine, Sincerely Magazine.

EG: What sort of writing do you do?
KR: I mainly write dark poetry and short fiction stories.

EG: What does writing mean to you?
KR: Writing means everything to me, it is how I breathe and I think. It is the connection between my thoughts and my reality and everything in between. Writing has become a second nature in my every day life and process. It has such power to sway readers into emotions, thoughts, ideas, and produce even more.

EG: How did you get into writing?
KR: I’ve been writing since before I could hold a pencil. It’s just always been a part of who I am.

EG: Who or what inspires you?
KR: Everything around me inspires me, the people, settings, conversations, the world is full of inspiration if we only know how to look for it.

EG: What are your current projects?
KR: I’m currently working on a one-act script for a new play competition in October with the Virginia Theater Association.

EG: What are your plans for the future?
KR: I plan on continuing my magazine work through high school and college, studying either writing or science.

EG: What advice do you have for writers?
KR: Keep writing and editing, the more you work and practice both of those skills the better your writing and editing skills will become. Don’t skip through the editing process either, that’s the biggest part of writing.

EG: What do you look for in submissions?

KR: As a poetry editor I usually look for a unique central theme or idea that is carried through the entire poem, along with nice rhythm or flow that is consistent with the word usage.

A sample of Kieran's work

The Girl on the Rock The sun slunk back across the bleeding sky. It cast a rusty shine over rocks piled high. The formation was suspended above the trees in the wood. The girl sat on the tippy top as high up as she could. Her happy laughter sang across the cinnamon light as she watched the autumn day turn into a chilly blue night. Back in the fading forest she heard her family call, but she turned up her cheeks and embraced the bright fall. Out over the tall rocks the woods rustled, untamed. Crimson, sunburst, pomegranate the colors grew like flames. They spread out of the greens with starbursts of hues. The girl breathed it all in and then out she blew. Then with a final look she turned to go back, to climb down the rock to where her family sat. She heard them call out again and made to reply but the only noise she made was a delicate sigh. She had a little more to go before reaching the land. Her hand held rock but her foot slipped on sand. Her scream shrilled out shattering hope’s light. Her foot dangled uselessly and her hand held her from plight. The girl screeched again as her fingers began to slip. She tried to scrabble upward but could not get a grip. In what seemed an infinity her palm began to slide. It could no longer hold the rock, the moon released the tide. She wafted down backwards, her eyes wide on the sky. The clouds seemed to stare and whisper goodbye. The girl heard her family running to the rock. But she could not speak, nor could she stop. The forest, like a vulture, closed in around her head. She fell to earth like a moonbeam, but hit the ground, dead.

Meet the team: Steven Fortune

 Hello, Miracle readers!

 Welcome is the first on a series of features showcasing the wonderful Miracle team. Today we will be getting to know Steven Fortune, one of our Poetry Editors.

Interview
Questions by Elizabeth Gibson

EG: Could you briefly introduce yourself? SF: My name is Steven Fortune and I hail from Nova Scotia, Canada.

I live in a town called Glace Bay and have experimented with city life, but was ultimately drawn back to my home province, or chased back, depending on my mood as I reflect on those days. I have a degree in English Literature and History.

EG: What sort of writing do you do? SF: I write poetry, mostly free verse but I dabble in fixed forms to keep the pencil sharp. As a proud holder of no musical talent whatsoever, I'm a Bernie Taupin hoping to cross paths with an Elton John one of these days. That would be my dream job.

EG: What does writing mean to you? SF: Discovery. Discovery of self, of new worlds within worlds, of the latest universe in the infinity of the imagination.

EG: How did you get into writing? SF: Like many writers, I got into writing through reading and music. My parents were music lovers, and their record collection was my first muse.

EG: Who or what inspires you? SF: My late Dad. It was not until he passed away that I began to find myself in magazines after countless failed attempts at being found in them. My Mom also remains an inspiration and a source of unconditional support, along with a small group of friends who make up an informal literary circle. I also find inspiration in my living room window; the scenery has not changed as long as I've lived here, yet most of my ideas come to me while looking out.

EG: What are your current projects? SF: I recently signed a deal for my first book, which I'm slated to begin working on in the Fall. The Summer will be spent working on the manuscript, which will be in flux as I rediscover old pieces and concieve new ones. This whole writing gig started as a hobby and will finish as one when I do, but never would I have imagined it evolving to this stage.

EG: What are your plans for the future? SF: To wake up tomorrow; if I do that, hopefully I'll write. If I can't write, hopefully I'll read. If I can't read, I'll look out the window.

EG: What advice do you have for writers? SF: Don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't be afraid to be someone else. Don't be afraid to be yourself pretending to be someone else. And look out any window you may come across; every one is a story waiting to be told.

EG: What do you look for in submissions? SF: As a poetry editor, I look for subtlety in poetic devices: rhyme schemes that are hardly noticeable in their seamlessness, inverted rhymes in free verse, big words that become small within a rhythm and flow..."endearment" instead of "love," "existence" instead of "life," "darling" instead of "baby."

A selection of Steven's work

A YES-MAN'S MOMENT OF CLARITY The grains with which I accept all insistences are disassembled assemblages of the sweetest salt Nothing like an oxymoron to consign a benign blackball to the trifle of silence deemed to be awkward by the insisters And by benign I mean merciful In my circumstantial mercy they'll find an ante-inflating irony hungry for the hand of the oxymorons I am capable of spawning The ruins of the bed in which I made nullified love to my precious Psyche are what they should be studying If they aspire to prolong their insistent rhetoric in my verbal vicinity I will poison them with the sweet salt left behind by my beloved Psyche when the flower of her being was inhaled with a failed vacuum of vengeance Satisfaction and timidity I thought I could comingle to seduce I won't make that mistake again



CANDLE LOGIC Let's apply oblation to our hardships Obliterate the temptation to trip on languid lower lips imprisoning our stiffer upper lips Let's apply oblation to our grief Freeze the imitation waterfalls of hot wax sliding through the slippery stalagmites scaling the perimeters of our duet of melting candles Let us groom the fire for oblation like the old Greeks did and take a flyer on the possibility of comfort Let us take a lesson from the pond of hot wax destined to rebel and drown the wick before it brands lethargy on the local phoenix



INTROVERT A painless day An extreme haircut A graphic pierce Immaculate sunblock greasing up the impact of night's thud from the morning freefall Stares of admiration open-ended for the lack of notice or acknowledgement but a painless day of numbed moods and nil to lose in loss of mind 06 25 02

Creative workshop: Combining poem and image by Elizabeth Gibson

 Hello, Miracle readers!

 My name is Elizabeth and I am Blog Editor and also Fiction Editor at Miracle Magazine. I also create what I call "poem-photos", a combination of a poem and an image, which I post on my own blog and on my Facebook page.

 I really enjoy pairing poems with photographs and vice-versa. Mainly the photographs are taken by me, though recently I have been collaborating with a friend; he has sent me some photos and I have set poems to them. (I use the word setting deliberately, because for me there are definite parallels between setting a poem to a photo and setting words to music.)

 To me, the pairing of poem and image makes perfect sense. Both photos and poems are ways of capturing one moment as well as possible, so that people who weren't there can know what it was like. If a poem and a photograph were written about the same moment, the image is even stronger. 

 However, I find it more interesting to match a poem with a photo that does not represent the same moment, but a different one. This challenges the viewer to find their own links between the poem and the image, and you can make connections you never imagined you could.

 Here is a photo-poem of mine where the poem was written about the photo. I looked at this ladybird on his leaf, fresh from his cocoon, and just wrote.

 Here is an example of the other type of poem-photo I do: one where the photo and poem were created separately and then combined: 

 The photograph was taken in Manchester one evening when the sky was really beautiful. The poem had been written in Wales several months previously. But when the time came to find a photo for the poem, this one called out to me. Why? The why is the beauty of it. I can't tell you exactly. But my subconscious immediately connected the two. 

 I prefer to feel connections rather than explicitly state them, but for the sake of explanation here are some I found: the poem has an "end of the world" kind of feel, as does the photo. Both feature birds. I wrote the poem at dusk, and the image clearly depicts the sunset. For me both poem and photo have a feeling of calm and reflection.

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 So, I have hopefully shown why I love this particular art form. I am now going to give a brief masterclass in setting poems to photos and vice versa.

 Firstly, don't worry if you do not see yourself as a photographer or as a poet. Either you could work in collaboration, or you could give it a go yourself - and I am sure you will succeed. I believe anyone can be a photographer, and anyone can be a poet. It doesn't matter if you don't have a good camera; it is the feeling behind the image that matters here, not the quality.

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Taking an image of a poem

 If you are matching an image to a poem, try to do it on as deep a level as you can. If the poem is about the sea, for example, don't just take a picture of the sea. Take a picture of the sky, perhaps, or a smaller body of water. This will allow both you and your viewers to make new connections.

 If you are taking the image first and then matching a poem to it, take photos of either some thing that is important to you, or, if you are struggling, something generic like the sky, flowers or trees. These shouldn't be too hard to find words for. When you are more used to combining photos and poetry, you can be more adventurous with your photos.

Writing a poem about an image

 I love writing poems about pictures; I find it a really creative and enjoyable way of writing. My way is simply to look at the image and write whatever comes into my head in a long flow of thoughts, and then edit it until I end up with something I like. 

 If you like to write in a more structured way, I recommend making a list or a mind map of words you associate with the image and then work them into poem. Think about the moment you took the photograph; what happened before and after, how you felt, what you were thinking. Alternatively, you could match it to another moment; a picture of flowers could remind you of someone you love; an image of the sky or water could remind you of a time you travelled. Here is a poem about a friend that I was easily able to match to a flower photo I had taken:

Putting the two together

 How you combine poem and image is up to you. I layer the writing over the poem but you could also display them side by side or you could perform the poem with the image behind you. It's a matter of what suits your style as a creative and as a person.

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 I hope you enjoyed this workshop and I wish you every success with the unique art form of the poem-photo. Here are a few of mine to finish. Thanks for reading,

 Elizabeth Gibson

 Blog Editor and Fiction Editor at Miracle Magazine

If you would like to see more of my work or contact me, check out my blog and Facebook page:

http://elizabethgibsonwriter.blogspot.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethGibsonWriterPoet

Interview with Elancharan Gunasekaran

The Miracle Team meet past contributor Elancharan Gunasekaran (EG). 

He speaks to Guntaj Arora, Christie Suyanto, Steven Fortune, Genevieve Rushton-Givens and Kieran Rundle. The interview is collected and presented by Elizabeth Gibson.

GA: Welcome, Elancharan!

EG: Hello, everyone! I'm glad to join you all for the celebration!

GA: Elancharan, can you tell us what does poetry mean to you?

EG: Poetry to me is a free art form and a way for me to express myself.

GA: Lovely! How does the process of creating a poem start and end for you?

EG: The process is akin to kindling a flame. It's a short burst of inspiration. A bout of emotion. Or it could even be a moment of solitude to start. To end a poem for me is rather hard. As perfection is necessary. Does it sound right? Does the poem mask the right messages? The end of a poem is never certain.

GA: In what ways do you think your writing has changed since you first started writing?

EG: I started off with Haiku and soon after that explored the different forms and lengths of poetry. The writing has not changed over the past 2 years. But the style of writing of has definitely changed.

CS: Do you have any favourite form?

EG: Monostich is my favourite form of poetry. Monostich are one-lined poems.

GA: Oh, I remember we had monostich workshop on Miracle once. Such lovely entries we received!

EG: Yes! Imagine compressing a chunk of thoughts/words into one-liners.

SF: Do you find the shorter fixed forms come more naturally to you than freestyle verse?

EG: Both forms come naturally. It's only a matter of what your inspiration/topic is and using the right style to get the message across. And never be afraid to experiment!

GA: Do you think submitting to various literary magazines have helped you to grow over the years?

EG: Yes, definitely! Contributing to various literary journals offline and online and helped grow my personal literary portfolio. And in the eyes of traditional publishers, a list of publishing activities would actually mean a good thing and that you do know a thing or two about the publishing/writing world. Also submitting to literary magazines would also mean that you are serious about writing. Publishers are looking for authors who can commit to their art.

GA: Can you tell us more about your poetry collections?

EG: My first collection is Supernatural Haiku which is based on the theme of the occult. The second is The Refugee, which is a fusion of realism and fiction. And based on the events of refugees. Dark Revolver is a collaboration with a fellow poet based on the theme of Hinduism and has been under work by the publisher for almost a year now and will be released sometimes later this year. Into Oblivion is a fictional work based on the start and end of all things. This is my first paperback work and has been released in India early this year.

GA: These are quite interesting. Keep us updated with the release and best of luck.

EG: Sure!

GA: So, are you being published by an Indian publisher? Where are you from?

EG: I'm from Singapore. Yes, most of my works are published by Indian publishers.

GR-G: How do you deal with writer's block/no motivation?

EG: Ha ha interesting question! I get up and exercise! Running helps to clear the mental blockages. And when I run out of motivation or creative ideas I go straight to comic books. Anything DC or Marvel gets me thinking and back on track again.

SF: Any plans to get into the publishing arena yourself?

EG: Thank you for your question Steven. I would like to remain an author. The publishing arena is not for me.

KR: What inspired you to begin writing, or have you done it your entire life?

EG: I started writing 2 years back and a Zombie Haiku book at a local bookstore actually inspired me to start writing.

KR: What are some of the biggest road blocks you've faced over these past years?

EG: The local arts scene is the biggest problem in Singapore. When I first started off, publishers said there was no market for poetry in Singapore and so I took my work out to the world. And of course the rejections from publishers kept on piling! It demoralised me at first.

GR-G: Well if there isn't a market, you can make one.

EG: Exactly! That was what I did and it started in the form of Ebooks!

CS: I think the literature/poetry market in South East Asia is quite problematic. I find it really hard to find publishers and even magazines based in SEA countries. It's inspiring that you managed to be published despite the market situation.

EG: I agree. Looking for a traditional publisher can be quite a pinch. Big houses like Penguin and Harper Collins are definite No Nos for poetry. But independent publishers keep poetry alive by taking in creative works.

GA: It was nice having you over Elancharan. Thank you for interviewing for our blog and do stay in touch I think it's the end of it, do you have any message? 

EG: Thank you for your time Guntaj and team! Once again, congrats! Happy Birthday Miracle Ezine!