Omar Musa Archives - Visual Verse

Image by Omar Musa

Dear writers, readers and friends,

Dreams do come true, people. I have wanted – for so long – to present the work of Omar Musa (http://www.omarmusa.com.au) here on Visual Verse. Omar is a Bornean-Australian author, visual artist and poet from Queanbeyan, Australia. He embodies the power of courageous art, producing hip hop, spoken word, poetry and (as you see here) magnificent woodcuts. His latest book Killernova (https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/omar-musa-killernova) , published in the UK by Broken Sleep Books (https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/) , is a masterful coupling of art and words, woven together with strands of Bornean mythology, ancestry, trade routes, history, identity, connection and so much more. ‘Tis a joy to proffer Omar’s piece “A Leopard Made of Midnight Clouds” and invite you to respond with your words. Before you pick up your pens, take a moment to read and enjoy the brilliance of our featured writers this month.

On page 1, we present Zaynab Bobi, Frontier I (https://twitter.com/ZainabBobi) , a Nigerian poet, digital artist and photographer from Bobi. Zaynab has graced us with a most beautiful diptych – don’t miss page 2. Zaynab is a member of Hilltop Creative Art Abuja, and a Medical Laboratory Science student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. Her poems are published and forthcoming in Strange Horizons, FIYAH, Asterlit (https://www.asterlit.org/summer2022/zaynab-bobi) , Anomaly, West Trade Review, Isele Magazine (https://iselemagazine.com/2022/04/30/self-portrait-of-grief-as-fire-zaynab-bobi/) , Salamander Ink (https://salamanderink.com/contour-salamander-ink-mag/poetry/) and elsewhere.

Ashish Kumar Singh (http://@Ashish_stJude) (he/him) is a queer poet from India with a Master’s degree in English Literature. Previously, his works have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Chestnut Review, 14poems, Bombay Literary Review, Mason Jar Press, Banshee, Tab Journal and elsewhere. He also serves as a poetry editor at Indigo Literary Review. Find him on Twitter (http://twitter.com/Ashish_stJude) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ashish_the_reader/) .

Also writing from India is Sahana Mira Sambandam (https://twitter.com/SahanaMira) , a writer and art journal enthusiast from Chennai. Her works have been previously published at The New Indian Express, Live Wire, Remington Review and Verse of Silence. When she is not writing, she mostly spends time strolling through the bookstores, making journal spreads and obsessing over bougainvillea arches. Her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sahanamira/?hl=en) is a thing to behold.

Courtenay Schembri Gray, a newcomer to Visual Verse, is a writer from the North of England. She takes pleasure in writing about the weird and the eerie. Find her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/courtenaywrites) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/courtenaywrites/) as @courtenaywrites and check out her blog www.courtenayscorner.com (http://www.courtenayscorner.com/) .

James Gale (https://jamesdjg.wordpress.com/) is a writer and journalist based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated with Distinction in (MLitt) Creative Writing from University of Glasgow, and has been published in newspapers including The Guardian & The Sunday Times, and creative titles such as Osmosis & SPAM. He is currently working on his first book and you can find him over on Twitter (https://twitter.com/jamesgale_) .

So there you have it, dear writers: a big, beautiful issue of Visual Verse to carry you through September. Let us see where the leopard takes you.

As always, for a chance to be published, you can submit 50-500 words, written in one hour, in response to the image. Submissions must be received by midnight, 15th September, UK time.

The image is the starting point, the text is up to you.

Kristen
with Preti, Lucie, Isabel and the VV Team