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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@PretiTaneja (https://twitter.com/PretiTaneja)