Image by Yasin Aribuga
Dear writers, readers and friends,

We’re only a month in but already I have the feeling that 2022 will be a year of change for many of us. In fact, the question is not whether change will happen, but how it will happen. Will it be a transition, displacement, digression, transgression, move, evolution or a seismic shift? Will it happen by design or by surprise? This is what is on my mind and why I was drawn to this month’s image by artist Yasin Aribuga. It is aptly steeped in the ultimate symbol of metamorphosis.

We open our February issue with a summer adventure by Hannah Allies (https://twitter.com/hannahahahah?s=20) , a writer based in Brighton whose work has left an impression on us. Hannah has had poetry and flash fiction published by Reflex Fiction, Writers’ HQ and Visual Verse (https://visualverse.org/writers/hannah-allies/) . She is particularly interested in our relationship with the natural world and most of her work includes themes of environmentalism. She is currently writing her first novel.

On page 2, John Grey explores the transformative power of nature. John is an Australian poet and US resident, who has recently been published in Sheepshead Review, Stand, Poetry Salzburg Review and Hollins Critic. His latest books Leaves On Pages, Memory Outside The Head and Guest Of Myself are available through Amazon. John’s work will appear in upcoming issues of Ellipsis, Blueline and International Poetry Review.

Page 3 holds a multifaceted self-portrait of a butterfly by K Hartless, a poet and fiction writer who enjoys penning fantasy, science-fiction, and horror as well as the occasional memoir. She’s been recently published in Edge of Humanity Magazine, The Last Girls Club, Paragraph Planet, Pure Haiku, and Spillwords. Her blog, Yardsale of Thoughts (https://khartless.com/) , blends fiction, poetry, music, and art to create new experiences for readers.

Sending you off to your writing desks is a whimsical poem by Stephen Kingsnorth (https://visualverse.org/writers/stephen-kingsnorth/) , a regular contributor to Visual Verse. Stephen, who retired to Wales with Parkinson’s Disease from ministry in the Methodist Church, has had pieces published by online poetry sites, printed journals and anthologies. He tells us that he eagerly anticipates the monthly Visual Verse challenges and likes asking questions of himself, and anyone else looking over his shoulder. He has been, like so many, nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net this past year. You can read his blog at poetrykingsnorth.wordpress.com (https://poetrykingsnorth.wordpress.com/) .

So, now it’s over to you. Submissions close midnight (UK time) on February 15th. You can find our full submission guidelines here (https://visualverse.org/submission-guidelines/) and remember: the image is the starting point, the rest is up to you.
Enjoy!

Kristen
and the VV Team

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