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Underbelly Press
@underbellypress.bsky.social
360 followers 250 following 310 posts
Uncomfortable, unfiltered pieces that aren’t afraid to investigate the underbelly of existence. Narratives exploring the overlooked, the mundane, the human.

https://linktr.ee/underbellypress
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Winging It by Lee Fraser

Striking both visually and internally, this piece uses enjambment beautifully to mirror its themes of deconstruction and metamorphosis. It’s unique and raw, exploring the inescapable transformation that comes with parenthood.

Read it now in Issue 5.
Tuesday Tasters Winging It Lee Fraser The baby is out but you are still forming your cocoon: advice column shreds, leaves from trending parenthood books, family tree twigs that you realise don’t hold to threadbare social fabric, but metamorphosis is not optional. Deconstruct your surroundings & internal world; pray it doesn’t all wind up hollow or tar. The poem takes the shape of a cocoon. Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background behind the poem is an image of an orange leaf.
November 11, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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I’m thrilled to share Issue 5 of Underbelly Press!

Our website (in bio) features a PDF copy to download or read as a flipbook: underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
New Release Issue 5 08 November Underbelly Press In the background is a yellow circle. In the middle of the circle is the Issue 5 cover, it reads: Issue 5, Autumn 25 Underbelly Press at the top and below a crisp picture of orange maple leaves in the foreground and a blurred blue-green background.
November 8, 2025 at 1:05 AM
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The Days Grow Short by Scott MacLeod

'The boss was like a good butcher. He didn’t need a scale. He could tell if your envelope was light. By feel. Then he’d come for you. But he didn’t come in person. He had a guy. Who he sent to problems. To end them.'
Issue 5 Teasers That’s where it went bad. That’s when the calendar turned from Indian summer to icy cold in Doc’s world. The wind howled and the trees went bare. Sundown accelerating. The boss was like a good butcher. He didn’t need a scale. He could tell if your envelope was light. By feel. Then he’d come for you. But he didn’t come in person. He had a guy. Who he sent to problems. To end them. The Days Grow Short Scott MacLeod Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background is an image of an orange leaf.
November 5, 2025 at 12:06 PM
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Wild Things by James Diaz
Issue 5 Teasers Wild Things James Diaz In the centre is 'Wild Things' a collage artwork piece. It shows a person sitting on a blue bench sideways, knees up to their face, in the foreground. A hedge is behind them, with a smattering of orange leaves on the top of the hedge and the floor. A big cat is climbing down the hedge, with another to the right of the person watching. It has a cityscape background. Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background behind the collage is an image of an orange leaf.
November 5, 2025 at 12:05 PM
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Taste by @gphydeauthor.bsky.social

'‘Stand here,’ you say.
I look upon their naked bodies,
flayed, red-raw, denuded of their gnarled
and greying sheaths. We slip away,
follow our footsteps back inside.'
Issue 5 Teasers ‘Stand here,’ you say. I look upon their naked bodies, flayed, red-raw, denuded of their gnarled and greying sheaths. We slip away, follow our footsteps back inside. Taste GP Hyde Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background is an image of an orange leaf.
November 5, 2025 at 12:04 PM
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Abecedarian for a Once-Feral Child by @erinemilyann.bsky.social
'—now I scrub the sink after dinner and
X-ray my old diaries to get to the root of my
Yearning, twenty-year-old nightmares resurrecting at night like
Zombies of the women I thought I’d become.'
Issue 5 Teasers Precocious child, how far will I drift by fifty? I fancied myself a Queen of the fairies that lived on the Shores of the creek behind our house, the Underbrush at the edge of the fields my kingdom, the Varicose veins of clay that ran through the dirt my Weapons—now I scrub the sink after dinner and X-ray my old diaries to get to the root of my Yearning, twenty-year-old nightmares resurrecting at night like Zombies of the women I thought I’d become. Abecedarian for a Once-Feral Child Erin Emily Ann Vance Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background is an image of an orange leaf.
November 5, 2025 at 12:04 PM
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Going Underground by @deniseb.bsky.social

'The wrapped parcel nestles deep in his coat pocket. He treads with care as he heads back down the steps to the underpass. Stale urine fills his nostrils while traffic roars around the ring road above them.'
Issue 5 Teasers Frost is tinging the leaves on the pavement with silver when Claude leaves at the end of his shift. The wrapped parcel nestles deep in his coat pocket. He treads with care as he heads back down the steps to the underpass. Stale urine fills his nostrils while traffic roars around the ring road above them. Going Underground Denise Bayes Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. In the background is an image of an orange leaf.
November 5, 2025 at 12:03 PM
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I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of Underbelly Press Issue 5 ahead of its release this Saturday (8 November)! Less than a week to go...

A huge thank you to the wonderfully talented D.C. Nobes whose stunning shot is the cover for this issue.

Teasers for Issue 5 coming soon!
08.11.2025 Issue 5 - Underbelly Press In yellow text at the bottom The image shows a black background with yellow writing across the background eight times saying 'COVER REVEAL' In the centre is a picture of Underbelly Press's cover - with Issue 5, Autumn 25 Underbelly Press at the top and below a crisp picture of orange maple leaves in the foreground and a blurred blue-green background.
November 3, 2025 at 12:03 PM
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Issue 5 of Underbelly Press will be released on the 8th of November! This issue marks another special milestone for us following one year of Underbelly Press, with it being our very first themed edition. A huge thanks to everyone who has submitted, contributed & supported us.
Underbelly Press Issue 5 Explore The Autumn The Mundane The Human Coming 08 November Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner. Behind the text is an orange leaf.
October 31, 2025 at 10:03 PM
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We’re excited to announce the incredible contributors for Issue 5: AUTUMN!
Huge thanks to everyone who submitted & supported Underbelly Press in shaping our first themed issue. It's bursting with stunning pieces, each offering a unique take on autumn. Release date coming soon!
Issue Five Poetry Bradford Middleton ☆ Dan Husband ☆ Deryck N. Robertson ☆ Erin Vance ☆ Ethan Clark ☆ Eve Lee ☆ Ewen Glass ☆ Faith-Anne Bell ☆ GP Hyde ☆ JD Clapp ☆ John Findura ☆ Joshua Walker ☆ Lee Fraser ☆ LindaAnn LoSchiavo ☆ Owen Townend ☆ Paul Callus ☆ Peter Devonald ☆ Rachel Burrows ☆ Sam Bartle ☆ Scott McLane ☆ Wendy Westley ☆ The text is on a black background, image of an orange leaf behind the text. Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner. Issue Five Short Fiction Amy Leacy ☆ Denise Bayes ☆ Derek Jennings ☆ Emyr Payne ☆ Heather Walker ☆ Ian Johnson ☆ John Storey ☆ Jupiter Jones ☆ L. Duthie ☆ Laura Cooney ☆ Madeleine Armstrong ☆ Rebecca Tiger ☆ Scott MacLeod ☆ T. E. O'Connor ☆ The text is on a black background, image of an orange leaf behind the text. Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner. Issue 5 Art & Photography D.C. Nobes ☆ GP Hyde ☆ James Diaz ☆ Jill Eloise Vance ☆ Laurie Avadis ☆ Mide Miles ☆ The text is on a black background, image of an orange leaf behind the text. Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner.
October 29, 2025 at 11:38 AM
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This week's Sunday Snippet is a stark and striking shot captured by Cyrus Carlson, titled 'Spaces'.

Discover more from Cyrus, alongside the work of other brilliant artists and photographers, in Issue 4.
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
October 26, 2025 at 3:07 PM
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After Ignition by Andie Weber
When a young girl walks into a church, haunted by the weight of her future & the scent of gasoline on her clothes, the whispers that follow speak of tragedy. An evocative, visceral piece, it confronts the intersections of faith, agency & judgment.
Thursday Throwback She is sixteen years old, awash in sanctified light. This is how witches, saints, and heretics die. A match has never been easier to strike. Afterwards, the greeters will whisper of the tragedy of it all, how inexplicable that a body so young and bursting with promise should seek out the flame. And then they will add, shaking their heads with dismay, that she’s well prepared for where she’s going. After Ignition Andie Weber Text is on a black background. In the bottom right corner is a red and yellow drawing of flames
October 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
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This week’s Tuesday Taster gives you a morsel of Light Years Ago by Adele Evershed @adlibby.bsky.social
It's a tender, poignant piece exploring memory and loss through finding meaning in the stars.

Read it now in Issue 4:
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Tuesday Tasters Next—I found my father’s birth star he’s been gone a long while but his star—Algol—is still shining it’s also called The Demon Star because of its links to the Gorgon— that dread creature with eyes that could turn you to stone Light Years Ago Adele Evershed Text is on a black background. In the bottom right corner is a picture of a star constellation with a yellow outline.
October 21, 2025 at 11:24 AM
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This week’s Sunday Snippet gives you a bite of Forbidden Fruit by @lisadellaporta.bsky.social
With evocative and stunning detail, Lisa deftly builds dread beneath the thrill, capturing how desire and secrecy unravel into danger and discovery.

Read here: underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Sunday Snippets But he’s running ahead of me now, disappearing between the rows, out of sight, soundtracked to the heavy rasp of canine panting. I am alone as they circle, barefooted as I was born, sticky with my shame. Forbidden Fruit Lisa DellaPorta Text is on a black background. Image of a glowing moon in the bottom right corner.
October 19, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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This week's Thursday Throwback is a striking piece of artwork titled Liverpool Storm by Nuala McEvoy.

Discover more from Nuala, alongside the work of other brilliant artists, in Issue 1.
🔗 underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/issue-one
October 16, 2025 at 12:55 PM
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This week’s Tuesday Taster gives you a raw bite of Another Ode to my Dead Mother by Kendra Whitfield. Intimate and unflinching, this piece offers a candid exploration of grief. It's heart breaking and beautifully human.
Find it in Issue 4.
🔗 underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Tuesday Tasters You were too stoic (stoic is in strikethrough) overwhelmed when your parents died to embrace that role; you poured your misplaced grief into me. Another Ode to my Dead Mother Kendra Whitfield Text is on a black background. Image of a yellow martini glass outline in the bottom right corner.
October 14, 2025 at 5:55 PM
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Oblivious To Everything But The Beat by @judepickledplum.bsky.social
Resonant and deeply affecting, Jude captures assault and dissociation with powerful authenticity. It's a raw, visceral piece, told with unflinching realism.
CW: sexual assault
🔗 underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Sunday Snippets Never gets the chance to utter a word. He’s pulling down the straps of her sundress, pinning her arms to her sides. His tongue in her mouth, his knee between hers and her heart thrashes like a wild bird, caged for the first time. Her head fills with too many thoughts; sensory overload paralyses her. She’s so dumb; he told her ‘I’m a horny little devil.’ But she still took ‘let’s get some fresh air’ at face value. Oblivious To Everything But The Beat Jude Potts Text is on a black background. Outline image of the lower half of a woman's legs in high heeled shoes in the bottom right corner.
October 12, 2025 at 11:54 AM
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Mr. Organ Trade by Audrey-Anna Gamache
It's a sharp, gritty piece that shows the brutal reality of labour, where workers are treated as expendable, giving up parts of themselves literally & metaphorically. Drained, overworked & expected to keep on giving.
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/issue-two
Thursday Throwback On Monday it’s a few chopped fingers. Someone stuck their hand too close to the gears and their knuckles popped like popcorn, attracting gawking onlookers like a crowded theater. The foreman yells, stop staring and call 911! The screams of the unfortunate recipient of this popping overshadow any calls for help. “It’s always the temps,” Herman sighs, a head shake as he hangs up his polyester jacket. “Those fresh shaven faces straight out of high school. They have no idea what they’re getting themselves into.” Mr. Organ Trade Audrey-Anna Gamache Text is on a black background. There is a picture of a plaster in the bottom right corner.
October 9, 2025 at 10:33 AM
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Thank you for your patience!

All Issue 5 responses have now been sent out! If you haven’t received a reply, please check your spam folder, and feel free to reach out at underbellypress@gmail.com for any enquiries.
RESPONSES SENT Thank you for your patience! Check your emails. All Issue 5 responses have now been sent out! I was up until 2 am sending off the last of them, so please excuse any typos (there were definitely at least a couple)! If you haven’t received a reply, please check your spam folder, and feel free to reach out at underbellypress@gmail.com for any enquiries. Reading through hundreds of submissions has been a privilege. Saying no is always one of the hardest parts of this process, and I’m always so grateful to everyone who trusted us with their work. It’s been such a pleasure to see all the unique and thoughtful interpretations of the autumn theme. Thank you, for your support and your contributions. More details about Issue 5 coming soon as we move into the editing phase! Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. Image of an orange leaf in the background, behind the text.
October 5, 2025 at 3:22 PM
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This week’s Thursday Throwback features Steal Yourself for a Brighter Day by Gill O’Halloran ( @quickasaflash.bsky.social ). Told through the candid, distinct voice of a child, the gritty narrative carries a spark of defiance.

Read it now in Issue 1.
Thursday Throwback STFU. This is a bad word my dad says to my mother, and it makes her be quiet. My larynx throttles a giggle. A clock beats out the red adrenaline pump-pump of my heart. Sound of the door upstairs closing. Nothing….Nothing. Steal Yourself for a Brighter Day Gill O’Halloran Text is on a black background. Image of a diamond ring in the bottom right corner.
October 2, 2025 at 2:54 PM
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I’m still making my way through submissions, slowly but surely. Thank you for your patience! In the meantime, here’s this week’s Tuesday Taster, REM by Taylor Hamann Los. It’s the perfect piece as we head into October, rainy, surreal, and a little bit haunted. Read it in Issue 4.
Tuesday Tasters This is where I find myself after every white pill—first over sink rim, then toeing the border of some forlorn country where it always rains. Where monsters slow for a moment before sliding past, their shadowed bodies wraithing beneath the storm. Their swamp-rot smell lingering. REM Taylor Hamann Los Text is on a black background. In the bottom right corner are two spiders facing each other.
September 30, 2025 at 8:05 PM
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Submissions for Issue 5: AUTUMN are now closed!

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be busy reading through everything and aim to send out all responses within that time. Thank you for your patience and, as always, your support.
Submissions for Issue 5: AUTUMN are now closed! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted. To be transparent, as it’s primarily just me working on the issue again (and with a new job recently started), I’ll be sticking mostly to form rejections. It’s not ideal, as I do prefer a personal touch to show my appreciation, but it’s the only way to keep things moving on schedule. Please don’t take a rejection as a reflection of your work’s quality. I’ve already come across pieces I’ve genuinely loved but that didn’t quite align with this issue’s theme. These decisions are always the hardest part of running a lit mag, and they’re never made lightly. I appreciate each submission and consider it with care. I’ve really enjoyed working on Underbelly Press’s first themed issue, and it’s been a pleasure seeing how people have responded. The takes have been fantastic and unique, I’ve loved receiving different spins on the theme. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll be busy reading through everything and aim to send out all responses within that time. Thank you for your patience and, as always, your support.
September 27, 2025 at 12:16 AM
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One more week to submit! Submissions close for Issue 5: AUTUMN on 26 September 🍂

For this issue, we’re weaving together Underbelly’s focus on gritty, human experience with the natural decay and quiet shift of autumn. We’re seeking work that explores that intersection.
Underbelly Press Submissions Close September 26. Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner Text is on a black background Image of an orange leaf behind the fives rows of 'Submissions close'
September 19, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever Died Today by
@tracieadams.bsky.social - Issue 3

This sharp, witty piece follows Jimmy, who grows up determined to elude his father's fate at any cost. It explores the fragility of control & the question of whether we can escape what feels inevitable.
Thursday Throwback If there was a booster, he was the first in line. If there was a clinical trial for an anti-aging drug, he did not hesitate to sign the forms promising not to sue. He knew the risks. Watching his widowed mother grieve his father’s premature death set a fire in him. He vowed he would never break her heart like that. He would live forever. The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever Died Today Tracie Adams Text is on a black background. Image of some pills in the bottom right corner.
September 18, 2025 at 12:09 PM
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This week’s Sunday Snippet is Needing an alibi by Lee Potts (
@leepottspoet.bsky.social )

A subtle yet striking piece, it captures a seemingly mundane moment and turns it into something quietly unsettling.

Read it in Issue 4.
Sunday Snippets I tried to tease an augury out of something inauspicious: A cricket hooked on our drowsing cat’s paw. Needing an alibi Lee Potts Text is on a black background. There is a picture of a cricket in the bottom right corner.
September 14, 2025 at 10:52 PM