Image from Canva free stock images The year that was—that still is. You have done so well… but I need just a little more from you. It’s not quite over yet. It’s time to recalibrate. It’s time to reassess those goals you made in January, forgot about well before June but picked up again when the panic…
Category: Past editors
Review: Fabulous Lives by Bindy Pritchard
Fabulous Lives (2019) by Bindy Pritchard From Margaret River Press comes the short story anthology Fabulous Lives by debut author Bindy Pritchard. Each pocket of story speaks to the marginalised sorts that exist on the periphery—almost out of sight—if not for the surreal and whimsical characters they are or situations that they find themselves in….
Issue 28: Invitation
Cover art by Frank Candilaro ‘Invitation’ is special because, apart from being our 28th issue, it is being released on the 10th birthday of Underground’s conception in a coffee shop in Perth, way back in 2009. We’re incredibly proud of the work we do at Underground, and we look forward to growing, reaching new audiences,…
Underground Writers 10 Years On
On Friday, November 1st 2019, Underground Writers held a birthday party at PICABar in Perth to celebrate 10 years supporting Australian emerging writers. Our full team of editors were in attendance, and we were joined by a large crowd of supporters. What follows is the speech given on the night by our Editor-in-Chief, Jemimah Halbert…
Growing up: A tale of books read, by Dylan Dartnell
Once upon a time, in an age few can recall, lived a boy who read books upside down sitting on his Nanna’s recliner chair; his feet dangling well above the carpet floor. The couch was warm and the house still. The midday movie had just finished and Gameboys had not yet been registered into existence…
Review: Driving Into the Sun by Marcella Polain, by Dylan Dartnell
Title: Driving Into the Sun Author: Marcella Polain Genre: Literary fiction Publisher: Fremantle Press (2019) The novel that took some ten years to write, Marcella Polain is back with her breath-taking work, Driving into the Sun (Fremantle Press, 2019). The story revolves around an eleven-year-old girl named Orla on the precipice of womanhood. She, like most…
The Big 5 I Need for a Successful Year of Reading, by Dylan Dartnell
Reading Goals It all starts here! Whether we are deciding to read more of a particular genre or to read more widely, to read more of the classics or to read more Australian works, we need to set the goal and keep accountable. Goodreads is good for tracking the number of books we’ve read and…
Review: Flight Risk by Michael McGuire, by Fred Woolhouse
Title: Flight Risk Author: Michael McGuire Genre: spy thriller Favourite Part: Ted finally meets the individuals behind the terror attacks Favourite Quote: “No doubt plenty of people think the work I do is a bit murky, a bit underhand, maybe even lacking in ethics and morality. But there is a certain honesty in my dishonesty”…
What We Learnt in 2018
2018 was a big year for learning, and our editors were happy to discuss and share as much as they could. This post pulls together everything we learnt over the year about writing, reading and publishing. Take a look and check out the posts you may have missed or the ones you might want to…
Aussie Titles Reviewed in 2018
2018 was a huge year for reviews with our editors covering a range of genres, themes and authors. Take a trip down memory lane to see all the great Aussie titles we reviewed in 2018! Defying Doomsday edited by Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench, reviewed by Jemimah Halbert Brewster Grace Beside Me by Sue…
Dylan’s Character List
I am a jealous reader. Those characters we share an affinity with, you should know, are mine, mine alone, and, no, I will not negotiate. You might argue that these manifestations of thought and feeling are to be experienced by everyone with access to language but if I could, I would selfishly hoard those scripts…
Review: Oriental Vagabonds by Richard Regan, by Fred
Title: Oriental Vagabonds: A Tale of a Far East Tramp Author: Richard Regan Genre: Fiction Favourite part: Captain Rowden finds himself entangled with Chinese warlords. Favourite quote: “Aye, life’s tough enough tramping around these waters. But it’ll get harder, much harder if General Tojo and Herr Hitler get their way.” Oriental Vagabonds chronicles the trials…
Review: Rohypnol by Andrew Hutchinson, by Fred
Title: Rohypnol Author: Andrew Hutchinson Genre: Australian fiction Favourite part: The narrator’s revelation in the finale. Favourite quote: ‘The New Punk is not about moving towards your future. It is about your life right now, impatiently standing still.’ Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse, Sexual Predators, Rape, Sexual Assault Rohypnol by Andrew Hutchinson is the story of…
Dylan Dartnell’s TBR list – pt 2
Dylan Dartnell’s TBR list, part 2 You Belong Here, Laurie Steed I have seen this little number advertised quite a few times in the last couple of weeks, but what sealed the deal for me was when it appeared on Amanda Curtin’s blog, Looking Up/Looking Down. The story follows the lives of a couple who…
Issue 21: Mythological Figures
Issue 21: Mythological Figures is here! This issue is packed full of poetic goodness form MTC Cronin & Peter Boyle, Alys Jackson, Elise Kelly, and Maddie Godfrey; with room to sink your teeth into short stories from Jude Bridge, Sian Tondut, and Antony Millen. There’s a whole lot of re-tellings, re-visitings, revisions, and cheeky adn…
Writing: What You Need to Know for 2018, by Dylan Dartnell
If you are like me, a stupendous procrastinator with wild ambition, you might have exhausted Facebook’s ‘save’ function and now have an archive of writing tips and tricks, and a reading list longer than the Dymock’s Top 100. Soon, the heaping volume of saved articles, podcasts, and videos will be enough to incite an aneurysm….
Australian titles reviewed in 2017!
Below are all the Australian titles reviewed by Underground Writers in 2017! The Other Woman by Kylie Jones, reviewed by Kate, Shelley, and Jess Rae That Eye, the Sky by Tim Winton, reviewed by Kate Lomas Glendenning Rubik by Elizabeth Tan, reviewed by Jess Gately Portable Curiosities by Julie Koh, reviewed by Jemimah…
Review: The Fremantle Press Anthology of Western Australian Poetry, reviewed by Dylan Dartnell
The Fremantle Press Anthology of Western Australian Poetry My first real introduction to poetry was in my high school literature class. My teacher romanticised French winters, nestled by an open fire; drawing on a cup of tea. As she spoke, we could almost catch the fondness of the memory glimmer in her steely, blue eyes….
Writing Community & Workshops, by Dylan Dartnell
Writing Community & Workshops By editor Dylan Dartnell Throughout primary school, every piece I wrote seemed to involve dinosaurs who betrayed each other incessantly with time bombs or incorporated an all-knowing, all-powerful wizard, which rendered the plot and any other character worthless. From memory, some of the feedback I received from my teachers went along…
Dylan’s TBR List
In this series we are sharing each of our To Be Read booklists, why we’re looking forward to reading them, and why we picked up those books in the first place. Read on to discover editor Dylan Dartnell’s next three books To Be Read! Murder on the Orient Express Agatha Christie I have a nasty…
Issue 15’s Review: Defiance, by Tim Adeyemi
Issue 15’s Review Defiance by C. J. Redwine A review by editor Timilehin Adeyemi (this review can found in issue 15: Change) This intriguing story is plotted around Rachel Adams and a firmly kept secret within the shadow of a brutal leader in the city – state of Baalboden. Unlike other girls who opted for…
Issue 14’s Review: Death of a Bachelor (album), by Ana Neves
Issue 14’s Review Death of a Bachelor by Panic! At the disco A review by editor Ana Neves (this review can be found is issue 14: Bittersweetness) A lot of people feel betrayed that Brendon Urie is still performing on his own under the moniker of Panic! At the Disco. The band has been known…
Issue 12’s Review: The Power of One, by Dylan Dartnell
Issue 12’s Review The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (1989) A review by editor Dylan Dartnell (this review can be found in issue 12: Small and Potent) Set in South Africa, The Power of One surrounds the character of Peekay during the closing years of WWII and well into the apartheid years following. We are…
Review: Ophelia by Breanne McIvor, reviewed by Dylan Dartnell
April’s Review Ophelia (2017) By Breanne McIvor (Illustration by Timothy Greene) A review by editor Dylan Dartnell I am sure no one remembers their first crush with much fondness. In fact, I am even more certain that those are memories we all suppressed until it was safe to laugh about without feeling the sting of…
Review: Underwater by Marisa Reichardt, reviewed by Tim Adeyemi
January’s Review Underwater by Marisa Reichardt A review by editor Timilehin Adeyemi Underwater is one contemporary novel that had me on the edge. Marisa Reichardt’s writing is phenomenal, employing a wordy style with every bit and piece coming together to form a brighter picture of event. The writing style was perfect for the plot. It captures…
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…
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…
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…