BCC Shines a Light On: Mukund Gnanadesikan
BCC Shines a Light On:
Mukund Gnanadesikan
Name of the piece published by BCC:
When/where was it originally published:
This piece was originally scheduled for a February 2023 publication in the Journal of Short Fiction and Poetry, which folded before the poem saw the light of day.
What is the background of the piece? What led you to write it? What’s your process?
I was in a philosophical mood. The first line floated to the front of my mind, and the rest built from there. Most often this top-down approach is how things work for me in writing poems: I think of a line, use it as a foundation, and a theme emerges. Sometimes I then realize I need to switch the position of the opening line, or invert stanzas, but that all comes further along the road.
How did you feel when it was first published and how have your thoughts or feelings on the piece changed from then to now?
I’m always excited when my poems or stories find a home. I doubt I’ll ever lose that enjoyment. When I found out that the original journal went dark before getting “Cold Cloth of Sentience” out into the world, my heart sank a little, as I questioned whether any magazine would find philosophical, reflective verse to be worth their time.
Is there a specific message you’d like readers to take away from reading this piece?
Sit and reflect. And if life exhausts you, know that you have plenty of company.
Where can readers find more of your work? (Website/social media, etc)
I’m on Twitter (I refuse to call it X, because it sounds too goofy) at @mukundgnanades1
I’ve got a chapbook, Petit Morts: Meditations on Love and Death upcoming from Finishing Line Press, that should appeal to anyone who’s been touched by love, loss, or related phenomena.
https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/petit-morts-meditations-on-love-and-death-by-mukund-gnanadesikan/
