Volume 09, Chapter 06 | April 2022

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Image by Vony Razom

Dear writers, readers and friends,

This month sees the publication of Aftermath (https://www.andotherstories.org/aftermath/) , by Visual Verse co-founder Preti Taneja. Written in the literal aftermath of the killing of Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt, by Usman Khan, this exceptional work is an exploration of grief, guilt, trauma, politics and deeply-rooted injustice. Nikesh Shukla calls it a “masterclass in literary brilliance” while Max Porter calls it “a major landmark in British narrative non-fiction… a vitally important as well as deeply moving book”.

Those who have followed Visual Verse from the beginning will know that we have deliberately evolved our platform to provide literary space to underrepresented writers, and to encourage brave and challenging work. We are extremely privileged to have benefited from Preti’s rigorous intellect, literary expertise and her commitment to human rights and social justice. And now with her latest book she shows us the true power of words.

This month I chose to honour this commitment to brave, inclusive work by featuring an image by artist Vony Razom who is currently producing art from a bomb shelter in Ukraine. This image is complimented by three writers who have had to flee their homes, or whose families have had to flee. We are so grateful to each of them for bringing their completely unique voices to Visual Verse and sharing a piece of themselves in their work. Content warning: Please be aware that this issue contains reference to sexual abuse and violence that some readers may find upsetting.

On page one, we kick off with a beautiful homage to birth and rebirth by Daniela Suleymanova. With Russian, Armenian and Malagasy origins, Daniela explores the dimensions of multiculturalism, and the complexities and the beauty of métissage through visual arts, photography and writing.

On page two, we present Emmanuella Dekonor (https://twitter.com/kenkeyandfish) , a native of Ghana who spent her early years in the UK where she sought refuge in 1982, following the ‘June 4th Revolution’ staged by junior military officers. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck University. You can read more by Emmanuella in our archive (https://visualverse.org/writers/emmanuella-dekonor/) .

And on page three, we welcome Najwa Ahmed (https://najwaahmed.com/) (1989), a Palestinian writer and visual artist based in Berlin. In their short films “when we were already made”, “silence” and “Zehra on the roof” they worked with queer identity politics and the consumption culture of bodies. In their writing and performance such as “the watermelon resistance”, “how dance moves my gender euphoria” they tackle topics of displacement and migration stereotypes, sometimes only to reflect and sometimes to deconstruct. Connect with them on Instagram @purplekarmel (https://www.instagram.com/purplekarmel/) .
For every piece submitted before midnight today, 1st April, we will donate £1 to Poets for Ukraine (https://gofund.me/80ab4dec) and £1 to the Vony Razom (https://vonyrazom.com/) , the Ukrainian artist whose work we feature. Please consider chipping in (https://gofund.me/80ab4dec) to help Poets for Ukraine reach their funding target.
Donate to Poets for Ukraine (https://gofund.me/80ab4dec)

Before I sign off I’d like to say another huge thank you to our most recent cohort of volunteer editors and curators who have valiantly kept Visual Verse running these past few months: Tam Eastley, Anna Mace, Nahda Tahsin and Jordan Fleming and of course our two utterly brilliant editors: Lucie Stevens and Isabel Brookes. Thank you all for your time and commitment.

Now it’s over to you, dear writers. As always, we invite you to be brave with your writing and/or to use Visual Verse as a moment of blissful escapism. The image is the starting point, the text is up to you.
Kristen (She/Her)
and the VV Team

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Volume 08, Chapter 12 | October 2021

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Image by Nickhil Jain

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Dear writers, readers and friends,

We are delighted to announce the winners of our first ever Autumn Writing Prize. These four pieces have been selected from an astounding 279 entries:

WINNERS

T18.0XXA – Breathing Obstruction by K Roberts
Head judge, Preti Taneja, says: “It is very hard to use this device of forward slashes without them distracting from the feeling of the piece, instead becoming part of its focus, language and its drama. But the piece’s marriage of content and form, and its response to the image, its play with time, trauma and with ways of representing emotion is moving and accomplished and in the true spirit of Visual Verse.”

Liebe Radioaktive Damen und Herren by Clio Velentza
Preti says: “The everyday made extremely vivid, gothic and strange, yet populated with everyday fears of being made responsible, feeling ridiculous, being invisible and hypervisible – and being special but also normal. This writer understands loneliness and desire for connection that cities can offer. I loved the sudden turning point and yet the central protagonist continues her refrain. Ambitious and achieved.”

Movement by Mitra Visveswaran
Preti says: “I chose this for its imagery and its onomatopoeia – an art difficult to master – and its handle on the circularity of things gives it a self-reflexivity. Another piece about falling through wormholes, but very distinct from the other one.”

Stunted by Benedict Welch
Preti says: “I liked this one for its sense of a person coming to terms with their own strangeness, their own story – refusing to give up childhood habits but adapting them to a new self. I thought the nesting of characters and mother-child relationship well achieved; the child locked inside the poem while the reader is strung along in the narrative.”

SHORTLIST

Congratulations also to the shortlisted writers (in no particular order) whose work greatly impressed the judges:

Pandora by Corinne Lawrence
Why I Kept Losing My Keys by Hannah Whiteoak
A Mechanism Far Too Finely-Wrought by Ankh Spice
The Day of the Hanging Key by K. J. Watson
The Key to it All by Marilyn A. Timms
The Art of Looking by Emma Hynes
Putting the Tin Lid In It by R. J. Kinnarney
Anamorphosis by Ella Skilbeck-Porter
Fob by Sarah-Jane Crowson
Family Recipe by Jude Higgins
Little Lena by Sallie Anderson
Separate Floors by Ceinwen E. C. Haydon

Special mention to Marion Clarke for the very punny Fishy Tale–A Haibun, which gave us a belly laugh.

The judging process was anonymised and our committee applied the same principles that guide our selections on Visual Verse each month. That is, unearthing pieces that hit these three characteristics (what our editors call “the Golden V”):

1. Accomplished, high-quality writing
2. Masterfully evokes the image
3. Innovative and/or brave

Our four winners and our shortlist hit the Golden V, but so did many of the other submissions. In fact, we started to compile a “Special Mentions” list but it became far too long. There were so many wonderful moments and beautiful interpretations among the submissions. So, this is to say, congratulations to every writer who submitted to this competition. We hope that you surprised and impressed yourself, just as you did us, and that you will continue to write in extra-ordinary ways.

The October issue is now open for submissions. A selection of entries from the competition will be published throughout October so please do not re-submit. For those who did not enter the competition, you know what to do: the image is the starting point, the text is up to you.

With thanks and congratulations from the VV Editorial team and judging committee:
Preti Taneja (Head Judge) with Kristen Harrison, Isabel Brooks, Lucie Stevens, Tam Eastley and Nahda Tahsin.

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Autumn Writing Prize 2021

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Visual Verse Autumn Writing Prize

OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS

Image by Nickhil Jain

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Dear writers,

The Visual Verse Autumn Writing Prize is now open for submissions.

This is your writing prompt courtesy of photographer and developer, Nick Jain. Your task is to write 50-500 words and submit here (https://visualverse.org/submit/) by 10am Uk time (GMT) today, 30th September.

Please ensure you start the submission process at least 10 minutes early as the site will close promptly at 10am. We cannot accept submissions by email. Please also read the submission guidelines (https://visualverse.org/submission-guidelines/) to ensure your piece complies. The word count is strict.

Please proofread your work before submitting.

If you are a disabled writer and need additional support to submit your work, please let us know. Email visualverse@thecurvedhouse.com asap to let us know how we can support you.

You can write in any style or form and we encourage you to be brave and innovative.

We will announce the winners at 9am GMT tomorrow. All winners will receive a £50 prize and a one-to-one mentoring session with our publisher, Kristen Harrison.

The prize is judged by Dr Preti Taneja, publisher Kristen Harrison and deputy editor Isabel Brookes, with assistance from Tam Eastley, Nahda Tahsin and Jordan Fleming.

Good luck!
Start Timer (https://vclock.com/timer/#countdown=01:00:00&enabled=0&seconds=3600&title=Visual+Verse%3A+One+image.+One+Hour.+50-500+Words.+)
Submit (https://visualverse.org/submit/)

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