The Underground editors are sharing their To Be Read lists: the books they have on their bedside tables just waiting to be read! In this new series we will be sharing each of our TBR books, why we’re looking forward to reading them, and why we picked up those books in the first place. Read…
Author: Chris
Submissions closed
Thank you to everyone who submitted their writing to issue 18 of Underground Writers zine. The deliberating process looms, and we look forward to reading all of your amazing writing! Keep an eye on this space – Issue 18: Black Hole will be released on the 5th May, but if you’re one of our amazing…
We are seeking an illustrator for issue 18!
Underground is searching for artists to illustrate issue 18 “Black Hole”. If you’d like to submit your idea for our cover, send a mock up to submissions@underground-writers.org by Sunday 16th April. We pay the same rates for artists as we do our writers. If we choose your idea we will need a final product by…
Interview: Georgia Richter, Publisher at Fremantle Press
Georgia Richter, Publisher at Fremantle Press March, 2017 We are very pleased to present another interview conducted by editor Shelley Timms, this time talking to Georgia Richter, Publisher at Fremantle Press. Georgia shared with us the publishing process, tips on how to find a publisher for your book, some exciting new releases soon to…
Perth Writers Festival 2017 – Big Bold Ideas
A review of this year’s Perth Writers Festival by Jess G Big Bold Ideas was the theme of this year’s Perth Writers Festival, held from February 23rd– 26th as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Packed full of passionate and courageous writers covering a multitude of political topics, the cornerstone of the festival was…
Issue 18 submissions are open!
Submissions for issue 18: Black Hole are now open! Issue 18 will be released on Friday 5th May, and submissions for this issue close in early April – check back here soon for a date. Check out our Submissions page for more details of how to submit your work to Underground Writer’s Zine. Black Hole…
Patreon launch! Issue 17 deadline!
Hello fabulous readers & writers, Just a small reminder that submissions for issue 17 of the Underground zine,åÊthemed The Hitchhiker, close onåÊSunday 15th January. So get your poetry, short stories and flash fiction to us in the next four days to be considered for issue 17! And some exciting news: we’ve launched our very own…
December’s review: Saga (Vol. 1), by Shelley Timms
December’s Review Saga (Vol. 1), writer Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Fiona Staples A review by editor Shelley Timms When I first heard about Saga, there was a lot of hype surrounding it on Goodreads and YouTube. People loved it. And, being someone who wasn’t really into graphic novels, I didn’t quite understand why. I…
Submissions for issue 16 are now open!
Submissions for issue 16 of Underground are open! We accept poetry, short fiction, flash fiction and reviews, and as always the theme is open and submission is free! For an idea of what we publish, and to learn more about us, you can download our older issues for free on the Issues page. For specs on…
August’s review: The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Dylan Dartnell
August’s Review The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (pen name of J. K. Rowling) A review by editor Dylan Dartnell Warning: This review may be considered blasphemous in some literary circles. I apologise in advance. Robert Galbraith’s The Cuckoo’s Calling hit the shelves in 2013, and since then, we have come to realise that this…
Issue 15: Change is here
Issue 15 features works of poetry and short fiction that explore facets of change, both its unpredictable presence and equally fickle absence. Our feature piece is John Taurek Baziw’s poem Isolation, and we also have two poems from poet Felicity Oriander. Our short fiction pieces are from writers Taia Jones and Nicole Bostrom, whose second work in…
Issue 15 submissions are now closed
Submissions for issue 15 of Underground are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted; issue 15 will be released in the next few weeks!
June’s Review: The Dressmaker (book), by Jemimah Halbert
June’s Review 12th June, 2016 Warning: this review contains slight spoilers A review by editor-in-chief Jemimah Halbert The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham is, at its simplest, an Australian Gothic novel. I read it in large chunks over a long weekend, becoming fully immersed in the dusty town of Dungatar, its gossiping inhabitants, and the story…
The official Underground Goodreads page is here!
Underground now has its very own Goodreads page! Find us on Goodreads at Underground Writers and you’ll see our collection of monthly reviews. Subscribe to our feed and you’ll be notified every time a new review is released. Find our Goodreads page here
May’s Review: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Shelley Timms
May’s Review The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North A review by editor Shelley Timms The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August is a time travel story with a difference. He lives, he dies, and then he starts over again; in the exact same place he was born, and with all of…
Submissions for issue 15 are open!
Submissions for issue 15 of Underground are open! We accept poetry, short fiction, flash fiction and reviews, and as usual the theme is open and submission is free! For an idea of what we publish, and to learn more about us, you can download our older issues for free on the Issues page. For specs…
Issue 14: Bittersweetness has arrived
Issue 14 features works that explore the parallels and contrasts of Bitterness and Sweetness, embodied in joy and pain, beauty and conflict, comfort and hardship. We encounter lovers on a journey from pain into hope in Trevor Scott Barton’s short story Revolution, the poetry of Shelby Traynor in which we experience the uncomfortable squirm of projected judgment…
Issue 14 submissions are now closed
Submissions for issue 14 of Underground closed on 20th March, thank you to everyone who submitted. Issue 14 will be released on Sunday the 10th of April; watch this space!
March’s Review: The Hunting Ground (documentary), by Shelley Timms
March’s Review The Hunting Ground, a documentary directed by Kirby Dick A review by editor Shelley Timms It’s not often that a film leaves me seething. The Hunting Ground, Kirby Dick’s 2015 documentary about college sexual assault, did just that. I discovered this documentary while watching the 2016 Oscars, when Lady Gaga performed ‘Till It Happens…
Submissions open for issue 14!
Submissions are open for issue 14 of Underground! Send us your best poetry, short fiction, flash fiction and reviews, and you could see your work in our next issue, due out in April. Consult our Submissions page for what we accept and how to get it to us!
Issue 13: The Shadowed Side has arrived
Issue 13 is finally here, and features creative writing’s Shadowed Side, where reside the things we hide, things other’s cannot abide. Our feature piece, Raphaelle Race’s poem The last battle, explores the brutality of dealing with a mental illness. We have works exploring love lost, selfish and mysterious villains, and the eternal wrestle with one’s…
January’s Review: The Fifth Wave (book), by Candace Sharpe
January’s Review The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey A review by editor Candace Sharpe Am I the only avid reader that feels the bittersweet dread when the announcement of a favourite book is to be re-created on screen? To know that the words on a page that pulled you out of your own world and…
Submissions for issue 13 closed
2nd January, 2016 The first news of 2016 is that submissions for issue 13 are now closed! A hearty thank you to everyone who sent us their surviving darlings! We’ve had a lot of submissions for this issue and it is partly due to you, our lovely readers and writers, spreading the word to your…
December’s review: The Book Thief (book), by Jess Rae
December’s Review The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak A review by editor Jessica Wilson-Smith Despite classified as a “young adult” novel, Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief is anything but that. Set in WWII Germany, the novel is painstakingly structured to cause as much heart-ache in the reader as possible and still be a work of…
November’s Review: Life Partners (movie), by Shelley Timms
November’s Review Life Partners (2014) Directed by: Susanna Fogel Starring: Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs & Adam Brody A review by editor Shelley Timms Susanna Fogel’s indie gem Life Partners tackles the typical best friend/new boyfriend conflict seen in many romantic comedies. When taken on face value, the low-budget, GLAAD Award nominated comedy may seem a…
Submissions for issue 13 are open!
Submissions for issue 13 are open! 8th November, 2015 Issue 13 will be released in January 2016. As always it is an open theme and we are accepting poetry, short stories, flash fiction and reviews. Read through our submissions page, make sure your submission/s follow the guidelines, and send on over your best creative pieces! Submissions close end…
Issue 12 is here, and it’s Small and Potent
Issue 12 is finally here, and it’s small, potent and comforting, like a short black at the end of a long night. This issue features poems by Dean Meredith, short stories from Taia Jones and James Kay, October’s review by our very own DylanQuent, and introduces ShellShock, editor number 9, whose biography you can read…
September’s Review: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, by Ailish Beahan
September’s Review The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Morpurgo A review by editor Ailish Beahan Michael Morpurgo, a popular author of school age fiction, is well known for his books Why the Whales Came, A Medal For Leroy, and Kensuke’s Kingdom. Set in 1943, The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips is a well-woven…
Submissions for issue 12 closed
13th September, 2015 Submissions for issue 12 are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted, and keep an eye out here for the release of issue 12!
Submission extension for issue 12
30th August, 2015 Due to a lack of submissions, we are extending the deadline for issue 12 of Underground to Saturday 12th of September. We are very short on poetry, but still accepting short stories, reviews and flash fiction. We offer feedback on pieces that aren’t accepted, so even if you’re not sure it’ll end…
July’s Review: Peter and Alice (play), by Kate Lomas Glendenning
July’s Review Peter and Alice (play) by John Logan A review by editor Kate Lomas Glendenning Peter and Alice is John Logan’s play about Peter Llewelyn Davies and Alice Liddell Hargreaves, two of the most famous muses in children’s literature. They are more commonly known as the children whom inspired J.M Barrie’s novel, Peter and Wendy and…
Submissions for issue 12 are open!
Submissions for issue 12 are open! 2nd July, 2015 Issue 12 will be released in September, so you’ve got heaps of time to polish up those poems, stories and reviews. Have a read through our submissions page, make sure your submission/s follow the guidelines, and send on over your best creative pieces! Submissions close 29th August.
Issue 11 now available!
12th June, 2015 Issue 11 is now live! Featuring pieces received in the three-year gap since our last issue, issue 11 is our Don’t mind the gap issue! Issue 11 – June 2015 – Don’t mind the gap Our feature piece comes from poet A. J. Huffman and can be found on page 2, our first…
Red Hot Release! Issue 10!
Hi all, Just a quick late-night update (well, ‘late-night’ over here in Australia… it’s 1AM!), and an exciting one at that! We may have been silent for a few months, but we’re pleased to announce that we’re still alive, and more importantly, we’ve just released Issue 10! It’s chock-full of prose and poetry goodness and…
Boom shakalaka! It’s Issue 9!
Hi folks! Sorry to disappoint, but this is not some kind of elaborate April Fools prank. Nope, you read right: Underground Issue 9 is out, and it’s just bursting at the seams with prose and poetry for your hot little hands. We’ve had an incredible number of submissions this issue, and we’re proud to say…
Local Literary Spotlight: Perth Writers Festival
Hi all, As you all probably know, the Perth Writers Festival is next week, running from the 24th of February through to the 26th. There will be stalls, workshops, lectures and panels with guest authors – local, national and international including the fabulous and hilarious Marieke Hardy, Germaine Greer, Thomas Keneally…a whole host of writers…
Happy New Year! Issue 8 and a new writing activity?! Say it ain’t so…
Howdy howdy, writers and readers alike, After a long, long wait, Issue 8 has finally been released. Now, you’ve probably got a few questions for us. Firstly, what is this monster ‘zine that appears in front of me, parading around with its 20 pages of literary goodness? Secondly, why does it say December 2011? Thirdly……
What is that I spy on the horizon? Could it be…? Issue 7…?
Hi all! Just dropping in with a quick announcement: Issue 7 is released! You can find it over in our Issues section. It’s a double-sized issue this time around, with eight pages of word-y goodness for you to devour. This also marks the first issue that our new editors have been involved with from the…
Adelaide Format Festival: Academy of Words 2011
Hey guys, Chris here. So you might have noticed with the last blog post that Underground was invited over to Adelaide for the Format Festival Academy of Words. Pretty big deal for a small street ‘zine! So it was that I flew over to Adelaide two weeks ago (so I’m a little late posting the…
NaNoWriMo is over!
Well, if there are any budding writers out there that took part in the madness known as National Novel Writing Month this November, my hat is off to you! Four out of our five editors gave it a crack this year, with three of them pulling through at the end with one finished novel on…