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About us
This site is in no way intended to promote us, the site’s administrators. However, some details follow, just in case you ask yourself who we are.
I am the published author of poetry books, youth books, children books, and I
am speaking guest to numerous public presentations and reading events around
my native country – Croatia. The forums are mostly libraries, schools and at
times the wide public for national events. As member of several local and
national organizations I am supporting art in all its forms. Working hard on
reaching a wider audience, I try my hand in a variety of styles - poetry
(English and Croatian), youth novels, mystery novels, short stories.
A number of my poems and stories are published in various anthologies. My
poetry style varies, mostly I write free verse yet from time to time I try
my hand at rhyming. Themes? Nature, love, society... The most important is
that I write not only with my pen (i.e. keyboard) but with my heart as well.
I do not fancy very modern and very dark poetry, of the kind where one must
"catch" the words all over the page. Yet I love any kind of poetry that
tells me something with beauty. Poetry is beauty.
Reading poetry since day one of my memory, writing it continuously since about ten
years ago. I have several published books, won and lost a few poetry
contests, have a number of my poems published in various anthologies. I
write and read mostly in English, however tried my hand in a variety of
other languages - Romanian, Hebrew, French, and even a touch of Dutch. I
have a special weakness for rhyme, which must be perfect to make it to my
heart, however love any other style which means something to the reader.
Modernistic presentations throwing words and punctuation all over the page
are not my favorites, sorry, and neither are stories redefined as poems by
defining the page size to about three fingers wide, sorry my friends.
I believe that every poem carries value, even those I do not like or those
considered too simplistic or populistic. Poetry is in the eye of the reader,
and there are readers for every style. And - yes, I do start sentences with
"and", and - yes, I do use commas before "and", and - no, "poetic license"
is not my first name but it is certainly my second.
I envy and admire whoever writes better than me. I envy those who are paid
for their poetry. I admire some of these and everybody else.
Born and living in Sweden since 1957, I have, for almost 20 years, been a
publisher and editor of the publishing house “Fyra Krumelurer”. (www.fyrakrumelurer.se)
In an interview with our publishing house and other publishers in Sweden in 2003
they wanted to hear our views on the thousands of newcomers who come knocking
at our doors. This meant that I was forced to seek to formulate in words the feeling I,
so far, had let guide my work.
They asked us to describe what characterized our publishing, what drove us, if we had
a guiding light, a particular focus, but also whether there are themes that we reject?
I remember that I said something like:
The driving force is the love of the written word - the guiding principle is
the feeling! Anything that appeals to us would, if we had the means, be published.
But what attracts us then? That question is harder to answer, but collections of nature
poetry of "weekly magazine quality" and destructive, xenophobic poetry and hymns to
one or the other religion is not a priority.
When asked if we had any advice to give to all “hobby poets” who had a dream of
being published, we responded:
Read a lot, be inspired and seek the knowledge of others!
To believe that you master both language and thought without trying
to verify this is to deceive both yourself, but also, the ever-hungry, editor.
I have a hunger for “poetry in my life”, but the work with the publishing house
has now taken a break. Instead I put all my energy into a web site featuring the
Mediterranean world. A “world” that I have long been in love with.
Maybe because of the countless trips I have made there since I was some ten years old.
On www.mediterranean.nu I nowadays present poetry by poets who, in some sense,
have been inspired by the Middle of the World! Here’s already a great treasure to enjoy!
Two of my greatest passions in life - teaching and writing. I can't exactly tell which one comes first on my list as I enjoy both disciplines enormously.
As a teacher, my goal is to draw the best out of my students' potential and usher them to view the world with an
optimistic and bright perspective. When I teach young children, I share with them the magic moments of discovery.
Every moment a child learns, is worth jubilating. Not everyone is cut out for teaching, though.
Coping with the challenges of this profession is quite a feat. I'm just so glad that I survived the teaching fever
for twenty-four blissful years and counting. My teaching adventures and misadventures with some how-to-do-it advices
for ESL preschool teachers are all revealed in my non-fiction book/manual - still unpublished but set to find its place
in the publishing world soon.
As a writer, I get to unleash my creative and imaginative side. I write to entertain the readers of my articles on children, education,
women issues, teacher training, cultural diversity and everything in between. My articles are published on American Chronicle online,
where I am a regular contributor.
As a writer, my first venture to write a short fiction-romance story was well worth the effort. "Winter Dream",
my short story won the grand prize in the Romance Short Story Writing Contest Online, sponsored by Unibook Publishing in 2009.
After which, my serious writing endeavor got off to a flying start. Currently, I am writing my first romance chicklit novel,
learning the art of multi-tasking between preparing school-lesson plans, performing household chores and writing a novel among other things.
It's tough, yet fun! As George Matthew Adams put it, "He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of everyday ...needs to
reorganize his life."
Thankfully, I'm doing it.
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Our opinion
Being a published author is in no way recognition of greatness, the way that
not being published is in no way dismissal of talent. Being published means
mostly being in the right place at the right time, having some relevant
talent and mostly – having “a champion to carry you”. We are sure there are
some great talents out there, waiting to be discovered. Maybe participating
in these contests is the tool that will kick you out in the limelight, who
knows?
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