An Interview With Lewis Leverett

A door stands in the centre of a misty meadow, swept in autumn colours. Its hinges whine as a figure steps through from the other side (Where, who knows? Another meadow?) It is Lewis Leverett. The first chosen Lark.

You read that right! The Serein Lark Review has picked its first contributing writer. Lewis Leverett's short story 'To See the Minotaur' is to be featured in our upcoming August online issue, the very first in the history of this literary magazine.

To celebrate this occasion, we have gone ahead and interviewed Lewis.

Can you introduce yourself? Who are you, Lewis?

I am a singer-songwriter, poet and short story writer. I've written for other musicians and released four albums under my own name. I'm a performing poet and musician, with a particular fascination for the weird and fantastical, as evidenced by this story.

Without telling us too much, how would you describe your short story 'To See The Minotaur?'

It's a twist on epistolary fiction. The story takes place in and around a palace which sits on a cloud. In this palace, two mysterious children live. There are secrets all around, and when a stranger visits the palace, he is in more danger than he perhaps realises. I would describe 'To See The Minotaur' as a character piece, exploring the developing relationship between the two children and the stranger, set in a beautiful, fairytale world. For one of my stories, it's surprisingly pleasant. Pleasant, with a hint of mortal danger, obviously.

'To See the Minotaur' is actually only the beginning of a longer story.

Talk us through what inspired your piece. You've said it's inspired by And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur, a painting by Leonora Carrington. How and when did you come across it? How did it inspire you?

A teacher showed me the painting. It's such a strange piece, it instantly provides you with questions. My story, I suppose, is me beginning to answer some of those questions. When I told that teacher how the painting had inspired me to write this story, he told me that Carrington also wrote. I've since read all of her works (I highly recommend anyone that's interested in surrealist writing to do the same), and her writing style has gone on to massively influence my own.

Here is an excerpt from Lewis' story, 'To See the Minotaur.'

Dear Marigolds, dear Soil, dear Clouds Beneath. My oh my, can our Raphaella talk. We have a headache. At any rate, we sense anxiety. We send this message not to ask any action of any of you. Not yet, at least. Raphaella can handle herself well enough, we are sure.

Do you often find inspiration in artworks? What else tends to inspire your writing?

Absolutely. If you're ever wanting a new idea, taking a walk around a gallery (or - if you can't get to one - searching the internet for some artwork) is a fantastic way to get a seed of an idea. I get a lot of inspiration from other art. Films, TV, poetry, music. I can get it from anywhere, from conversations, from mundane or beautiful sights, from thin air. The important part is putting your brain into that mode in the first place - being absorbent. Which would be much easier to do if we didn't have to work, wouldn't it?

What do you enjoy reading? What are you reading right now?

I like reading poetry. I like reading older novels, as I more easily get an experience of escapism from them. I'm currently reading Don Quixote, alongside the third Hitchhiker's book, because you can never go wrong with Douglas Adams. No other books make me laugh out loud like those do.

Do you have any other publications you'd like to point our readers to? Or is there someplace readers can follow you for updates on future work?

If people want to follow my career in general, especially my music, they can find me @lewlevmusic on Instagram and TikTok, or they can just search "Lewis Leverett" on whatever music streaming platform they use. My latest album, 'If We Ever Got The Chance To Speak', is a folk record, story-driven and filled with mythology, folklore and fairytale aspects. So, if you like my short story, I think you'll like this record too. I've had some poems and short stories published in magazines like The Crank, Vortex, Smashing Blobfish, Wilder Things and the Anansi Archive, so you can probably find them with an internet search. My messages on social media are open if anyone wants to ask me a question or be directed to more of my work.

Thank you for your time, Lewis. And congratulations on getting published in the Serein Lark Review's first issue! May you keep finding inspiration in the strangest of places, so that we may read more of your work.