Write On! interviews author Arun Jeeto.

Arun Jeetoo is a multidisciplinary artist, performer and English teacher with Mauritian heritage based in London, UK. His work features in established literary and contemporary poetry magazines and anthologies. Arun is an alumnus of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective (2021-2022) and was Ink, Sweat & Tears Pick Of The Month (November 2023). He has performed at events such as The Last Word Festival, Camden Inspire and #Kindfest. He is currently on Poetic Unity’s Liberated Voices project, creating a collective spoken word album with nine other young people in collaboration with live musicians. Arun’s debut pamphlet I Want To Be The One You Think About At Night was published by Waterloo Press (2020).  

WO: How would you describe your writing to someone new to it?

AJ: Nostalgic, as a lot of my work centres on remembering or misremembering snapshots of my life so far and writing about them from a distant perspective. Secondly, political, frank, open and playful come to mind. Sometimes the ‘I’ is not wholly me in my poems, but a fracture of myself or amalgamation of other voices blended into one. I also like writing about current affairs/political landscapes that affect everyday people. My poems are weird observations about anything and everything!

WO: Can you tell us a bit about your latest project?

AJ: I am on Poetic Unity’s Liberated Voices project which involves creating a collective spoken word album with nine other young people in collaboration with live musicians. I have enjoyed learning with and from the participants on the programme and seeing how talented they are in their approaches to writing poetry. I am privileged to gain industry insight on what makes a spoken word album and how to promote/market myself as an artist. I’m also grateful to collaborate with musicians to produce a track that means a lot to me and can hopefully resonate with listeners/audiences.

WO: What inspired you to write in the first place, and what inspires you now?

AJ: Inspiration comes to me daily, and it can be from anything: the way my grandma tells the stories of the struggles she faced settling in 1960s Britain, eavesdropping on conversations on the commute to work, repeating interesting lines from a daytime game show, how a student might phrase their dislike for Scrooge, to reading a bland article on how to repair one’s bike! Language is fascinating to me, and I love how we all use it in everyday life, which helps me figure out how I want to approach topics/ideas in my fiction and poetry writing. Of course, art that moves me inspires me (recent examples are Khabushani’s novel I Will Greet The Sun Again and M Huncho’s music) but what continues to inspire me – and always will – is how we all use language to communicate so many things.

WO: Recently Write On! explored the theme of ‘Misunderstandings.’ These can be used with great effect when writing. Do you have a favourite literary misunderstanding? Is it something you actively look to add into your work?

AJ: Although frustrating at times, misunderstandings are delicious for a writer. One of my favourite literary misunderstandings, and I hope I have interpreted this correctly, is how inappropriately misunderstood Bertha Mason is in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Her powerful presence is underplayed with her narrative of madness and savagery, and her only mark of agency is to throw herself off the roof – she is so much more than a ‘mad woman in the attic’ or a victim of her suffering. So much more. Thank God for Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea, which rightly challenges the Jane Eyre narrative.

WO: What one piece of advice would you give an aspiring writer?

AJ: Read. Read widely. Beyond your chosen form. You must try to read for pleasure, but also read with intent. How does a writer communicate ‘xyz’ ideas? What is it about their work that resonates with you as a reader? What didn’t, and why? I would also say that you have to know the writing rules before you break them. Experiment, be playful, you will write a shitty first draft (we all go through it!) but be persistent with your writing. No one can write like you. So write on!

WO: Question from Instagram user: @grasshopper2407 Any advice for poets looking to enter open mic nights and poetry slams?

AJ: Don’t be afraid to read your work to a live audience, they won’t eat you! In most cases, many people will resonate with the theme of your poem or lines in them – you feel wonderful when someone praises the genius of your poem. You just have to take a chance! Your performance skills, stage presence and confidence will improve dramatically. ‘Practise makes better because perfect doesn’t exist’. Once you find your go-to open mic night, you will make friends and perhaps from those trusted individuals you can request constructive feedback and offer it, too – we are a community after all. The same applies to poetry slams: just go for it. So what if you come last place (I did once when I was starting out and it was a humbling experience). So what if someone doesn’t agree with your work (it does happen!). That means there’s a space to hold a worthwhile conversation. The poetry world is small and friendly, and always supportive. Good luck!

WO: Can you tell us anything about future projects?

AJ: I’m working on something that’s been past overdue, but I prefer to keep schtum for now. Cryptic, I know.

WO: Lastly, if you could choose one fictional animal/creature to be a pet or companion, who would it be and why?

AJ: Easy! Crush from Finding Nemo. I dig sea turtles, especially ones who speak in the manner of a surfer dude. I love the ocean and I‘m a former competitive swimmer, so I will happily live in the ocean instead of taking a little sea turtle away from its natural habitat.

You can find out more about Arun Jeetoo here: waterloopress.co.uk/writer/arun-jeetoo/ and connect with them on Instagram: @g2poetry. I Want To Be The One You Think About At Night is available to buy from waterloopress.co.uk/books/i-want-to-be-the-one-you-think-about-at-night-2020/.

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Issue 25, featuring Sheila O’Flanagan, is out now. You will find it in libraries and other outlets. Alternatively, all current and previous editions can be found on our magazines page here. 

You can hear great new ideas, creative work and writing tips on Write On! Audio. Find us on all major podcast platforms, including Apple and Google Podcasts and Spotify. Type Pen to Print into your browser and look for our logo, or find us on Podcasters.Spotify.com.

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