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

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!