Note: Dante compares the pitch in which the corrupt sinners are submerged to the tar used in the Venetian Arsenal. Also, the fictional character Alan Ogan Tren works at an emissions testing center in Fogtown.
Fhen M. has received multiple recognitions, including second place in the 1st Chito Roño Literary Awards in the Waray poetry (siday) category and several daily wins in the DYVL Siday Contest, a radio-based poetry competition. His published works include “Bamboo House” and “Homing” in Horseshoe Spring 2024 and Fall 2025, respectively. His poem “Shadow Puppet” has been accepted by Straylight Literary Magazine, and “Bookcase in the House of My Ancestors” and “Spending the Night on Planet Mars” appear in Well Read Magazine: Best of 2024, Vol. 1.
Armageddon
The rugged ambience
of cultural dislocation,
the subtle behemoth
of Organized Noize
hence a re-constructed structure
of re-conceptualized cultural design.
Drawing parallels with
wands of remembrance,
concrete quakes
as lovers dance
between pillars of
admiration & despotism.
___________________
Hyde Park ghosts volley
between continents -
reminders of individual
amber solitudes amidst wars
and earthly revelations (War) -
a Cancer of Ego in science.
Chaotic planes
speed above
brick & concrete
ghettos inhabited by
black & brown aliens.
The design poetics
of the hereafter
encapsulated in
countercultural forests,
endangered pipelines,
wooden detritus and
clear oxygen.
Dear Richard, I am very happy to have this interview with you. Let’s talk about you. How was your childhood? Your dream?
I was fortunate to have a good upbringing, with supportive parents and a stable home, growing up in a working-class town – Mansfield – in Nottinghamshire. It was a grounded childhood – simple in many ways, but rich in the things that mattered: love, encouragement, books, and space to think.
Books were always part of my life. I have been reading from a very young age, and I still remember getting books every Christmas. My Mum once told me a story that stayed with me: she had gone to order some books I’d asked for, including the works of William Blake, and the shop assistant remarked on what good taste I had for someone so young. That says a lot about where my mind was even then.
Writing was there from the beginning too. I wrote constantly as a child, and one of my English teachers recognised something in it early on, telling me that one day I would write a book. He was right – I’ve now had five published. But at the time, writing never felt unusual to me. I didn’t “dream” of being a writer because I simply assumed it was something everyone did – writing in journals and note pads, etc. It felt natural, like breathing.
Poetry always fascinated me. I would often find myself drawn to the poetry sections of libraries, trying to understand what it was. There was a wonder to it – something elusive, almost sacred. Alongside poetry came philosophy and psychology: questions of existence, meaning, and the workings of the mind. Looking back now, I can see that all of these threads became woven into my work.
I never consciously set out to become a writer. Life seemed to shape that path for me. But I do remember when I first went to university thinking how powerful it must be to write words that could genuinely affect, and inspire, another person’s life!
Now, through my books, essays, and my freelance writing – including my own column in local lifestyle magazines – I find myself in that very position. Looking back, it all makes sense. What once felt ordinary has become my life’s work, and I feel deeply grateful for that.
2. When did you meet poetry? Who inspired you?
Poetry found me early, though I only truly recognised it later. It became a language for the things ordinary speech could not hold. I have been inspired by many voices across time – from William Blake to Jim Morrison. But life itself has been my greatest teacher.
3. What is poetry giving to the world?
Poetry gives the world pause. In an age of speed, distraction, and noise, poetry asks us to stop and feel. It reminds us of what is essential – love, grief, beauty, impermanence, truth. It keeps alive the inner life of humanity.
4. What about young people? Are they interested in literature and books?
I believe many young people are hungry for meaning, but they are growing up in a world that often fragments their attention. Literature asks for patience, and patience is becoming rare. But the hunger remains. The challenge is not that literature has lost its value, but that the world has changed its rhythm.
5. Tell us about your book. Why would you suggest your book to the reader?
My latest book, Introspective Soliloquies, is perhaps the clearest expression of who I am as a writer at this stage of my journey. It is a collection rooted in reflection, contradiction, rebellion, and inner searching – exploring themes of nature, identity, suffering, resilience, and the eternal tension between shadow and light. The title itself speaks to the essence of the work: a dialogue with the self, an honest confrontation with the inner landscape.
What makes this book especially meaningful to me is the journey it has taken beyond the page. It became my first work to enter the UK curriculum, now being studied in schools across the Midlands – something that felt both surreal and deeply humbling. That achievement also made headlines in India, because the book was published by the esteemed Indian publishing house Birutjatio, a publisher long associated with literary prestige and academic significance. Their catalogue has included giants such as Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel laureates, Bollinger Prize winners, and Pulitzer finalists. To become their first contemporary British author is an honour I hold close.
In many ways, Introspective Soliloquies represents a bridge – between the romantic inwardness of Lord Byron and the spiritual universality of Tagore. Some have described my work as occupying that middle ground, and I think there is truth in that. It carries both rebellion and reverence; both grit and grace.
The book also forms part of my wider literary journey – one that has seen my work recognised by UNESCO and Nottingham City of Literature, where I have been placed in conversation with the legacy of Nottinghamshire writers such as Lord Byron, D.H. Lawrence, and Alan Sillitoe. That lineage means a great deal to me, not because of status, but because all of them, in their own way, wrote against the grain.
I would recommend Introspective Soliloquies to readers who value honesty over polish, depth over distraction, and poetry that does not merely decorate life, but interrogates it.
Available here:
6. What is your favourite quote?
At the moment, my favourite quote is:
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
– Aristotle.
It’s a quote that resonates deeply with me and one that will appear at the front of the book I am currently working on. I won’t say too much about that yet, because I don’t want to give too much away, but I think the quote itself offers an insight into the spirit of the work.
It also reflects something central to me as a writer – my long-standing fascination with philosophy, consciousness, and the workings of the mind, which I mentioned earlier. Those themes have always run alongside my poetry.
I’ve always chosen quotes carefully for each of my books. They act almost like doorways into the work – particular fragments of thought that help frame the journey ahead. Over the years, those guiding voices have included figures such as Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, and Carl Jung – writers and thinkers whose words have stayed with me, each for different reasons, at different times in my life.
7. What are your future plans?
At the moment, my future plans are rooted very much in the place I come from. As Poet Laureate of Mansfield, I am working closely and passionately with my hometown to inspire and encourage local writers, helping to nurture creative voices that may otherwise go unheard.
Over the past months, I have been giving workshops, talks, and recitals of my own work at colleges and various venues around the town, sharing not just poetry itself, but the deeper idea that writing can be a means of understanding ourselves and our communities.
A major part of that work has been my role as judge for Mansfield’s Writing on the Wall poetry competition – a heritage project tied to the restoration of the historic Old Town Hall. The competition invited writers to respond to themes such as hope, courage, reflection, and community, and the winning pieces will not only be published in an anthology – for many, perhaps the first time they will ever see their words in print – but fragments of those poems will also be woven permanently into the fabric of the town itself, inscribed onto the historic stonework of Mansfield’s Old Town Hall. I think there is something incredibly powerful about that: words becoming part of the landscape, part of the town’s memory.
Beyond that, my ambition is to build on the talent we are uncovering and create something lasting – an annual literature festival in Mansfield that is recognised not just locally, but nationally. Mansfield has a rich creative spirit, and I want to help give it the platform it deserves.
For me, the future is not only about my own writing. It is about creating opportunities for others, strengthening the literary identity of my hometown, and ensuring that the next generation of writers knows that their voice matters.
8. A wish?
My wish is that people return to themselves – to silence, to reflection, to authenticity. In a world that constantly asks us to perform, I hope more of us remember how to simply be.
Tired of the world’s deceptive games, At times exhausted, at times worn away. Through countless knots that life became, I set my heart aside one day.
Some spread carpets beneath our feet, Some dig deep pits along our way. Sometimes the friend we trust deceives, While foes may bear their own dismay.
And who are we within this boundless earth? Just travelers in a borrowed place. In this short life, this fleeting path, Why do we bring each other disgrace?
Like our elder Abdullah, we should proclaim: “My homeland, your pain is my pain!” When noble dreams arise within the heart, My homeland is my joy, my honor, my name.
I need no false devotion lasting years; One moment of truth is enough for me. If you stand with pride and live content, Even the coldest heavens will know your dignity.
My name is Safarova Sabrina Fazliddin qizi. I was born on September 7, 2005, in Khatirchi District, Navoi Region, Uzbekistan. Since childhood, I have been passionate about learning, creativity, and the world of literature. The art of words, poetry, and literary works that reflect the human soul have always inspired me.
Currently, I am studying Russian Language and Literature at the Uzbekistan State University of World Languages. Studying the Russian language and literature, analyzing the works of writers from different historical periods, and expressing my thoughts through creative writing are among my main interests.
In my free time, I enjoy reading books, writing poetry, working on creative ideas, and exploring the world of art. For me, literature is the most beautiful way to express the human soul, emotions, and reflections on life. My future goal is to expand my knowledge and experience, become a highly qualified specialist in my field, develop my creative abilities, and make a meaningful contribution to society.
The soul is everlasting, Though every human, at some point in life, Must depart from this earthly shore. The body is left behind, While the journey continues beyond.
Thus we are noble, blessed, Honored, praised, and wrapped in love, Though sorrow still leaves its gentle trace Upon the contours of our faces.
Each living soul, when parted from its frame, Moves onward to another realm. Though the body may break and fade, The soul transcends, crossing From this side to the other.
Some forms never truly perish. As souls are gathered beyond, Layer upon layer in unseen order, So too certain legacies endure, While all else passes into dust.
A day shall come when every soul awakens. A day shall come when every being rises, Reunited with its form, Hastening toward the Great Sustainer—
The One who grants life today,
Takes it back tomorrow, And on another dawn restores it once again, Body and soul together.
Yet we remain consumed by countless tasks, Busy with the burdens of our days. We forget our true existence. We forget our highest worth.
We seldom seek the voice within, Nor reach out with hands of love. We do not widen the roads for one another.
And yet, sharing our sorrows and affections, Our joys and griefs, Our peace and unrest, We could become a tree of comfort, Spreading shade across the world.
Today’s present will stand one day In the court of the future; Some will smile, And some will weep.
Still, paying the price of time, Each of us continues to live In our own way, Upon this fleeting earth.
Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh
08 May, 2026.
Md. Mahbubul Alam is from Bangladesh. His writer name is Mahbub John in Bangladesh. He is a Senior Teacher (English) of Harimohan Government High School, Chapainawabganj, Bangladesh. Chapainawabganj is a district town of Bangladesh. He is an MA in English Literature from Rajshahi College under National University. He has published three books of poems in Bangla. He writes mainly poems but other branches of literature such as prose, article, essay etc. also have been published in national and local newspapers, magazines, little magazines. He has achieved three times the Best Teacher Certificate and Crest in National Education Week in the District Wise Competition in Chapainawabganj District. He has gained many literary awards from home and abroad. His English writings have been published in Synchronized Chaos for seven years.
Once when he was in grade ten in 1990, his Bangla letter was selected as the best one from Deutsche Welle, Germany Radio that broadcast Bangla news for the Banglalee people. And he was given 50 Dutch Mark as his award. They would ask letters from the listeners to the news in Bangla and select one letter for the best one in every month.
From 17 to 30 September, in 2018 he received a higher training in teaching English language in Kasetsart University of Thailand for secondary level students through a government order from education ministry.
On 06 November 2015 he achieved Amjad Ali Mondal Medal for his contribution in education field by a development organization in the conference and felicitation function for the honorable personalities at Rajshahi College Auditorium.
On 30 December 2017 from West Bengal in India he was declared a ‘Literary Charioteer’ in Bangobandhu Literary and World Bango Conference and they awarded him with a Gold Medal in their International Literary Conference and Prize Giving Ceremony.
In 2018, he achieved Prodipto Lirerary Award in Prodipto Literary Conference at Kesorhat, Rajshahi for poems in Bangla literature. He received honorary crest from the administration of Chapainawabganj District Literary Conference and Cultural Function in 2021 and 2022 consecutively.
His poems have been published in many international online magazines such as Juntos Por las L Raven Cage Zine, and Area Felix. His poems have been translated and published in Argentine and Serbian, and he participated in many international online cultural meetings.
I have no fear of becoming small and insignificant
I have no fear of touching my inner infant
I have great fear of becoming large
I have great fear of being deceptively in charge
Of keeping an illusion of masquerade ball
I would rather scream and call
Everyone to rip off their masks
To give up on their made up tasks
And hear the sound of wings clapping
Or maybe I should be tapping
Myself to the ground?
High voltage woman
There should be a sign on my forehead
So everyone could just sleep and go to bed
Instead of trying to be awake with my high-maintenance Self
They should just leave me on the shelf
Full of misunderstood books
I just don’t care about looks
About shallowness
About being less
I have never stopped being much and more
I have never stopped searching for soul’s core
A sign should say:
“Caution, high voltage”
I am somewhere near middle age
But it doesn’t stop me to engage
Myself fully to every emotion
To every life motion
I admit, it is exhausting
Sometimes I wish I could just sit and sing
Just dance and stare at sky
Just watch the birds fly
But I am a mother
I cannot just say I don’t care, I don’t want to bother
With life’s biggest responsibility
I want to learn how to have ability
To relax
But still be me
But still be someone who deserves True Love
Just the way I am
So dangerous, high-voltage woman.
Jasmila Talić-Kujundžić
Short biography:
Jasmila Talić-Kujundžić was born on December 26, 1989 in Banja Luka. She completed primary and secondary school in Zenica, and in Sarajevo, where she still lives, she obtained a master’s degree in Psychology at the Faculty of Philosophy.
Her first novel “The Sky Window” (BMG, Bosanska medijska grupa, Tuzla, 2025) was awarded as the best manuscript at the “My First Book” festival competition.
Jasmila worked for six years as the editor of the youth magazine “Preventeen”. She has a lot of experience working with children and young people, and has worked in schools and day care centers. She has published poetry, prose, essays, and articles on numerous portals, magazines, and anthologies.
She also won first prize in the competition for the best newspaper story organized by “Naša riječ” Zenica in 2008.
Jasmila is currently focused on motherhood and writing.
