ABOUT

Nobody has lived the same life. We all have different experiences and view the world in our own way. 
Sometimes this can separate us, but at other times it raises questions that bring us together, like what gives us value, what's important and what makes us happy?

In Matter, contributors with one unique shared experience explore these questions and invite readers to do the same. 

​Everyone featured in this magazine is a member, a volunteer or staff member at Headway East London, a Hackney-based charity supporting people affected by brain injury. For many of them their injury has turned their lives inside out – their sense of self changed irreversibly by something beyond their control. The diverse community at Headway East London navigates the challenges of that experience while nurturing new roles, ideas, and friendships into existence.

Matter was conceived as a collaborative project, a collective exercise in sharing decisions as a group while still allowing individuals to explore and discover what matters most to them through their submitted works.

​Covering fiction, art, music, food, philosophy and more, Matter embraces what makes us different and what we share; the good, the bad and the ugly – and the true value of it all.

OUR TEAM

Artists, writers, photographers, editors, designers, reviewers, philosophers - we've gathered together a talented team of brain injury survivors to help at every stage of this magazine. Monthly editorial meetings brought together contributors to talk about their pieces and to feedback on progress of the magazine design. 

The magazine is a celebration and showcase of the talented community we have at Headway East London so contributions came in all forms. 

For many members, this marks the first time they have publicly shared their work. For others, it marked a return to skills and roles they had before their injury - all within a supportive and low pressured environment.

Contributor Firoza shared her thoughts on the process:

​"The best thing about being involved in the magazine project was writing a piece for it, it helped me focus on something which is positive and gave me an incentive to start writing, which I've been meaning to do for a while, so it was a good start. I also enjoyed being involved in the editorial meetings because I was able to put forward ideas and be part of the discussion, which gave me a sense of inclusion and working in a team. It really reminded me of my days working in publishing before my brain injury, there were a lot of meetings like these, you were involved in everything, text, design, covers etc. So it felt good to have a working role. I particularly liked having involvement in my piece and deciding on the design for it."

When discussion motivations for publishing this magazine, our team were clear that raising awareness was key, as was the opportunity to share something positive:

"I really hope that people can be inspired, and see how creative and hopeful people can be after sustaining a brain injury. Via this new medium, people can express themselves, whether it's through a piece of writing or a painting or something else. Hopefully it's another way to reach out to people affected by brain injury that's accessible, a physical thing that people can keep and refer to whenever, and it’s a way to give readers an insight as to what it's like to have a brain injury through these experiences, and to highlight awareness. It would be great to see the magazine in bookshops, and newsagents for commercial sale, but also in hospitals, rehab centres and more."