Meet Séamus Isaac Fey

We were lucky to catch up with Séamus Isaac Fey recently and have shared our conversation below.

Séamus Isaac, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?

So often, the most generous people I know are the people who came from adverse childhoods, or are people who have never had a lot of money. People who work long grueling hours in the service industry, making minimum wage. Those days are not so far behind me.

I ran away once at 16, and then again at 18. If it weren’t for the generosity of those who let me stay with them, I might not be here today.

It is difficult, in this economy, to give anything. Be it energy, space, time, money. At 18, I was at the mercy of the world, and the people around me gave what they could to keep me going. I’m so lucky to have been able to go off to college and to have been given the opportunity to start again, estranged from my biological parents.

What I was lacking in my childhood family dynamic, I found in abundance in the generosity of my community. I know what it means to not have a safe space for yourself, and to just barely survive in the environment you’re in. I try to approach the world with the knowledge that I have the ability to make survival more possible in someone else’s life; which my community has so graciously done for me.

As a writer, I’ve been able to learn alongside my peers, without having a degree in poetry, nonfiction, or fiction. My writing community is strong; we support each other through reading and editing each other’s work. Giving the time and energy we can to help each other grow.

As a literary citizen, I try to be as generous as possible with my time. Especially to young queer writers, who could use some help making their way in this alluring and nebulous world of publishing. I read and champion the work of my friends. I offer my eyes as an editor. I do what I can.

My generosity comes from knowing that we all have a lot to overcome. Any place I can lend a hand could make a huge difference for someone else.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I write poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and screenplays. Currently, I am the co Creative Director of Rock Pocket Productions, a production company where I make films with my friends, and the Poetry Editor of Hooligan Magazine.

My debut collection of poetry, decompose, is out now with Not a Cult Media. It’s accompanying album, containing tracks for select poems in the book, is available across all streaming platforms.

I have one short film I wrote and two I’ve directed currently in post production. They will likely debut next year. In the script writing department of my life, I’m currently working on a television pilot, which is an adaptation of an unpublished short story of mine.

In the book department of my life, I’m currently working on a craft memoir. It’s half about my life, half about how I write. A lot of its chapters stem from my experience studying theatre in college and how that intertwines with my writing in other genres. Then, of course, a lot of the book interacts with my abusive childhood and how it shaped some of my writing practice. I’m about 25,000 thousand words in right now. The book is teaching me a lot. My second collection of poems is also underway, surprisingly nearly done!

I love moving through different genres and seeing how they feed each other. I love writing in all its forms, and it’s been so exciting to see how my poems, nonfiction, films, and even an album can all be a part of my creative world; shake hands with each other.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I think for me the most important three qualities were my resilience, emotional intelligence, and the ability to learn from other people’s mistakes.

I watched how my parents caused immense harm, and knew I wanted to be nothing like them. Looking at their abusive, hurtful, and traumatizing actions helped me begin to learn from their mistakes. In a lot of ways, I began learning who I wanted to be by trying to become their opposite.

I think emotional intelligence is the most necessary skill in life. It encompasses so much: listening, empathy, the ability to hold yourself accountable. This has all helped me see my own mistakes, take accountability for them, forgive myself for them, and then learn and choose to grow.

Resilience isn’t easy. It costs so much energy. I’ve been nearly depleted of the will to keep going so many times. Somehow, every time, I’ve found the energy to keep moving forward and building my future. I’m so grateful to all the past versions of myself that kept going.

My best advice to anyone early in their journey is to decide what kind of person you want to be, the kind of life you want to live, and to make active steps toward it every day. Every step matters, even if it’s small. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the work you have ahead of you, but if you break it down into small and manageable parts, you’ll have an easier time moving forward.

When I moved to LA, I got a therapist here before I bought a bed. I radically prioritize my growth and my healing, and I try my best to continue doing just that. Of course, having the ability to get a therapist is a luxury I do not take for granted.

When I say start small, I mean it could be as small as making your bed every day. When I look back, this step actually meant a lot to me. It was a time where I showed myself I could form a new habit if I just kept at it long enough. It doesn’t have to be making your bed, it can be whatever small step you think would be best for yourself right now.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

Anne Carson’s Autobiography of Red.

Geryon, the main character, has an emotional landscape that looks a lot like mine. I’d never felt so similar to a character before this book, never felt so seen. It’s a novel in verse, a combination of fiction and poetry, which really speaks to my internal landscape as well. I’ve read and re read this book five times, and I recommend it to anyone who is going through a big change and needs a piece of art to help ground themselves. Every time I read it I discover something new in its rich world, turn over a new stone that concealed a glorious revelation beneath it. It’s a tender coming-of-age masterpiece, and truly, Anne Carson writes some of the best lines of poetry I’ve ever read. It’s a heartfelt adventure, to watch Geryon learn how to express himself through photography, philosophy, and falling in love.

Some of my favorite quotes are:

“Reality is a sound, you have to tune in to it not just keep yelling.”

“There is no person without a world.”

“Words bounce. Words, if you let them, will do what they want to do and what they have to do.”

“Desire is no light thing.”

“How does distance look?” is a simple direct question. It extends from a spaceless within to the edge of what can be loved.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sfeycreates.com/
• Instagram: @sfeycreates
• Twitter: @sfeycreates
• Other: https://linktr.ee/sfeycreates

Image Credits

Featured photo by Brian Seungheon Kim.

Following photo by Binx Perino

Poems were originally published in American Poetry Review.