As summer yields to autumn, our thoughts turn quiet and we invite you to ‘travel to the land of malady, and back again,’ (a line from our October lead, Susana Moreira Marques). This month we’re all about memory, weight, the things we leave behind. Of course this leads to discovery – coming across treasures in the attic, faded but potent – what stories will they tell? What secret histories are woven into old blankets, and whispered into the wood of abandoned chairs?

We are thrilled to launch the September issue of Visual Verse in partnership with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, drawing on their rich archives to present an image of London’s past. This unique borough is in the grip of swift gentrification – from Hackney and Leytonstone to Walthamstow and beyond. Change at this pace can sometimes be unsteadying, but this is where we see initiatives emerge that are especially designed to keep communities bound tightly.

This August we have come over all hobo-ish, captivated by an image of a wandering traveller and his guitar, taken by the talented young visual storyteller Kimberley Richardson (http://kimyrichardsm.tumblr.com/) . He looks alone but of course there is someone else there – the photographer. And you: observing both. Displayed on the Visual Verse website the image almost sinks into the background, emerging like a wave.

July’s Visual Verse is a tribute to summer, to the heat of imagining, to the land. Our image is by photographer Jordan McQueen and as we bask in its midsummer glory, we also question what land means to us and how we think about it – politically and poetically. This question is becoming more and more important as new states come into being, climates change, and borders, cultural and political, are being redrawn.

June’s Visual Verse celebrates digital storytelling. How does living in our oh so digital world affect or influence the ancient ritual of telling stories? Our image this month is a departure and will certainly challenge writers to test their visual literacy skills in interpreting this image. After reading our fantastically imaginative responses from our lead writers, we are so excited to see what you all come up with.

May’s Visual Verse is a special edition dedicated to the human condition: our nature, behaviour and minds. We have invited three contemporary thinkers to respond to our image, using their analytical, critical and philosophical backgrounds. In their respective professions, this month’s lead writers interpret the big questions and ideas that men and women have been asking for centuries, and now they bring this thinking to Visual Verse.

Image: Georgina CopeGuest Editor: Kate Nic Dhomhnaill Easter falls early this year, just in time for the launch of April’s […]

Image: Dominic GoodmanGuest Editor: Kate Nic Dhomhnaill In honour of the infamous St Patrick, celebrated on March 17th, we dedicate […]