Fortune Society

Founded in 1967, The Fortune Society’s vision is to foster a world where those who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated will thrive as positive, contributing members of society. This is achieved through a holistic, one-stop model of service provision.

The Fortune Society's continuum of care is informed and implemented by professionals with cultural backgrounds and life experiences similar to those of the participants. They serve thousands of individuals annually through  New York locations: service centers in Long Island City, Queens and Morrisania, the Bronx, as well as several housing residences throughout the city. Their program models are recognized both nationally and internationally for their quality and innovation.

Dr. Shuvendu Sen 

Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from AmeriCorps and the Office of the President of the United States, Dr, Shuvendu Sen is an Award winning physician, community activist, Author, and Ffilm personality. He is the author of Amazon bestseller Why Buddha Never Had Alzheimer’s: a Holistic Treatment Approach through Meditation, Yoga and the Arts, which received the 2017 Nautilus Award. He recently directed and produced "Broadway Bars & Fortune," a 40-minute Documentary that unfolds the story of four incarcerated individuals and their triumphant return to life through arts and theater.

Shortfuse Podcast 

The Short Fuse Podcasts, hosted by Elizabeth Howard, are conversations with artists, writers, musicians, and others who have a lens on contemporary thought and stir us to seek change. With their art, their music, their performances, and their vision they lead us through the social and environmental transformations sweeping across the globe.

“Artists are here to disturb the peace.” James Baldwin.

The Short Fuse is distributed through the Arts Fuse, a journal of arts criticism and commentary.

Elizabeth Howard, Host

Elizabeth Howard is the host of the Short Fuse Podcast, conversations with artists, writers, musicians, and others whose art reveals our communities through their lens and stirs us to seek change. Her articles related to communication and marketing have appeared in European Communications, Investor Relations, Law Firm Marketing & Profit Report, Communication World, The Strategist, and the New York Law Journal, among others.  Her books include Queen Anne’s Lace and Wild Blackberry Pie, (Thornwillow Press, 2011), A Day with Bonefish Joe (David Godine, 2015) and Ned O’Gorman:  A Glance Back (Easton Studio Press, 2016).  @elizh24 on Instagram

Gerald Kent

 Gerald Kent is the producer and editor of The Short Fuse. Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Gerald is a talented musician and audio engineer who has been releasing his own music independently since 2021. Alongside his artistry, he’s built up experience working with multiple clients in the podcasting space, from editing to full-scale production. We’re thrilled to have Gerald on board and look forward to the journey ahead with him.

The Arts Fuse 

The Arts Fuse was established in June, 2007 as a curated, independent online arts magazine dedicated to publishing in-depth criticism, along with high quality previews, interviews, and commentaries. The publication’s over 70 freelance critics (many of them with decades of experience) cover dance, film, food, literature, music, television, theater, video games, and visual arts. There is a robust readership for arts coverage that believes that culture matters.

The goal of The Arts Fuse is to treat the arts seriously, to write about them in the same way that other publications cover politics, sports, and business — with professionalism, thoughtfulness, and considerable attitude. The magazine’s motto, from Jonathan Swift, sums up our editorial stance: “Use the point of your pen … not the feather.” 

The Arts Fuse has published over 10, 000 articles and receives 80,000+ visits a month. This year the magazine is celebrating its 18th birthday - a milestone for a small, independent magazine dedicated to covering the arts.

Assist Arts Fuse in its mission:  keep arts and culture hale and hearty through dialogue, and not just marketing.  

Serious criticism, by talking about the strengths, weaknesses, and contributions of the arts, plays an indispensable role in the cultural ecology. Smaller, newer organizations need a response. When they are ignored as they are by the mainstream media, they fail to gain an audience. And without an audience, they fold, further weakening the entire ecosystem.

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