John RC Potter is an international educator from Canada who lives in Istanbul. He has experienced a revolution (Indonesia), air strikes (Israel), earthquakes (Turkey), boredom (UAE), and blinding snow blizzards (Canada), the last being the subject of his story, ‘Snowbound in the House of God’ (Memoirist). The author’s poems, stories, essays, articles, and reviews have been published in various magazines and journals. Selected publications: PROSE – ‘She Got What She Deserved’ (Literary Yard); ‘Destination: Cannes @ Midnight’ (The Brussels Review); POETRY – ‘Amanuensis’ (New English Review); ‘A Year in Israel, Twelve Months in Tel Aviv’ (Culterate Magazine); REVIEW – ‘Tezer Özlü’s Cold Nights of Childhood’; (New English Review); ‘Kenan Orhan’s I Am My Country And Other Stories’ (Bosphorus Review of Books). His story, ‘Ruth’s World’ was a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his poem, ‘Tomato Heart’ was nominated for the Best of the Net Award. The author’s gay-themed children’s picture book, The First Adventures of Walli and Magoo, is scheduled for publication. He enjoys duties as the editor of the online journal Masticadores Istanbul.

John's poem, "No Religion in Heaven," was published by MoonLit Getaway in December 2024.

INTERVIEW

MG: What got you into poetry? 

JRCP: When I was a child, I remember my mother writing poems in a journal; she never intended for them to be published, but she enjoyed being able to express herself creatively. Then in high school, I began to enjoy reading and interpreting poems, which was further developed when I majored in English Literature in university. My first poem to be published was for a now long-defunct children's magazine many years ago. I began to write poems more frequently over the course of several years. During the pandemic, when I was out of work for half a year, I collated them into a manuscript of 115 poems. Most of those poems have been published individually, and the manuscript is under consideration by several publishers

MG: Tell us more about No Religion in Heaven—what inspired it? What makes it unique? 

JRCP: I lived in Israel for one year (2014-2015) and experienced air strikes from Gaza, but the Iron Dome ensured there were few fatalities or injuries. I was the founding director of an international school north of Tel Aviv and lived in that fascinating city. The school had Israeli and Palestinian staff members, as well as students from Israel, Palestine and from many countries around the world. When Hamas attacked in southern Israel in October 2023, my sympathies were deepest for the children affected by the conflict - Israeli, Gazan, & Palestinian. I read on the internet about a young Israeli girl who was killed in the 'safe room' of her family's home as well as a young Gazan girl who was the only survivor when her family's car was hit by artillery, but ultimately died. These two deaths symbolized for me the greatest horror of the Gazan conflict in particular, and wars in general, when children are affected.

MG: Are you currently working on anything else? 

JRCP: Although I work full-time, I am always writing. I recently completed a few new stories for my prose manuscript, The Memory Box: Collected Stories, and some new pieces for my poetry manuscript, Walking in the Shadow of Someone's Soul: Collected Poems. Both manuscripts are under consideration by publishers.

MG: What’s your favorite piece you've ever made? Why is it your favorite? 

JRCP: My favourite piece in terms of poetry is "Birds in the Setting Sun" because it was inspired by my young god-daughter's artwork (which was published along with the poem recently). My favourite piece in terms of prose is my short story, "The Fern That Fell" because it was the first of my stories to be published (2022) and more importantly, highlights a childhood memory when my sister Jo Ann and I went on a journey into our imaginations. She passed away suddenly in 2021, which was the impetus for me to write the story.

MG: Are there any poets that inspire the way you make your pieces? 

JRCP: I have been moved and inspired by many poets and poems, but "The Wasteland" by T. S. Eliot has been of overarching importance. It recently inspired me to write the poem, "Heimat" (which will be published by Overgrowth Press).

MG: Do you have any social media you'd like to share? 

JRCP: My main sources of social media are my author's website and my Twitter account (as per below). I also have LinkedIn, Facebook & Twitter accounts but only seldom use them for my creative writing.Website: https://johnrcpotterauthor.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnRCPotter

MG: Do you have any advice for other poets?

JRCP:  Since 2021, when I was out of work for six months during the pandemic as aforementioned, I have taken a dedicated and serious approach to my creative writing. I have established times for my creative writing and the time-intensive tasks related to submissions. That is my first piece of advice. Other advice: open Submittable and Duotrope accounts; purchase Grammerly; create a submissions document and keep it updated at all times; & keep writing and submitting!

Read "No Religion in Heaven," by John RC Potter.