Underbelly Press
LightNews LightNews
banner
underbellypress.bsky.social
Underbelly Press
@underbellypress.bsky.social
360 followers 250 following 320 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
Posts Replies Media Videos
underbellypress.bsky.social
This week's Thursday Throwback is a gritty, atmospheric shot captured by Laurie Avadis titled 'The Oldest Simplicity', featured in Issue 4.

Discover more of Laurie's stunning artwork here:
www.laurieavadisart.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:30 AM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Burned Flowers Fallen by @tednorthodox.bsky.social
Told through the eyes of a survivor desperately trying to reach his mother, it's an emotional piece with a punch. The horror feels very much human, balancing grit and tenderness beautifully. Read it now in Issue 5.
Tuesday Tasters I tried to put my thoughts in order and shake away the shock. Mum had just been turning a corner and was finally able to get dressed and use the stairs on her own, but it wasn’t as if she had all her faculties back. My legs were wobbling, but miraculously I didn’t seem to have any real injuries. Ground zero must have been far away, but the devastation wreaked on the area, and my skeletal friend showed how powerful it was. Burned Flowers Fallen T. E O’Connor 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 25, 2025 at 2:43 PM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Crescent Bar by @ewenglass.bsky.social
A compelling piece with evocative imagery, we were especially struck by its opening & the personification of the wood panels.

Check out Ewen's latest publication, released 14 November: amzn.eu/d/iZcEtYw
'Playful, heartbreaking and formally adventurous'
SUNDAY SNIPPETS The wood panels have a ‘complicated relationship with themselves’ by osmosis; splashes of alcohol, late Saturday tears, midweek wakes agreed with the ownership. Crescent Bar Ewen Glass 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 23, 2025 at 10:30 PM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Clipped Wings by Sreelekha Chatterjee
This unique, sorrowful piece offers a vivid portrayal of despair and decay through the eyes of a bird.

A stark and striking read from our very first issue, find it here:
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/publish...
Thursday Throwback A giant comes out and doesn’t shoo me away. Blinking my eyelids while cawing, I flap my wings without any lift. My burnt black wings confine me to the land. A few days ago, when I delved into the foul-smelling heap of leftover food and detritus of everyday life, a terrible irritation seized me, as if I was set ablaze. Consequently, my feathers fell like the season’s leaves, and the existing ones resembled the spikes of bottlebrush flowers. Clipped Wings Sreelekha Chatterjee Text is on a black background. In the bottom right corner is a yellow outline image of a feather.
November 20, 2025 at 4:07 PM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Hallowe’en Masquerade in New Orleans - @ghostlyverse.bsky.social
This poem follows a tourist whose search for a costume unravels into something far stranger. Curiosity seeps into metamorphosis in this uncanny piece.

Check out LindaAnn's recent collection:
www.prolificpulse.com/lindaannlosc...
TUESDAY TASTERS Reality was ripped to shreds by what Appeared: a werewolf get-up, fur so soft I dared to try it on. A perfect fit. "How much?" No one replied. What sort of game Is this? No matter how I tried, the pelt Adhered to me — became my second skin. Complaints were useless. Speech turned into howls. Hallowe’en Masquerade in New Orleans LindaAnn LoSchiavo 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 18, 2025 at 12:26 PM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Aubade Close by Derek Jennings.

Thoughtful and melancholic, this piece offers a poignant take on the autumn theme. Derek transforms a mundane moment, an ordinary human experience, into something tender and compelling.

underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Sunday Snippets The many years lived of love and happiness and accumulated wealth in these bungalows could not stop the creep of loneliness and ill health though. Nothing ever can. Long lives lived behind four walls and almost seen, almost touched every day by him through letterboxes. Twelve, ten, eight. Aubade Close Derek Jennings 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 16, 2025 at 11:46 AM
underbellypress.bsky.social
Armchair by Alan Brickman.
It's a poignant, resonant piece that beautifully explores the way grief interacts with memory & routine. Turning a mundane object into a metaphor for presence, absence, & grief, it's a moving and tender read

Find it in Issue 4.
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...
Thursday Throwback He walked through the front door into his house without remembering how he got home, and dropped himself onto the couch, his breath rushed and shallow. He looked across at his wife's armchair and saw that her indentation from just a few hours ago was still there, as if she had stood only moments before and walked into the kitchen for a second cup of coffee. He found this heartbreaking, but also reassuring. It felt as if things had not really changed that much. As if his life had not been turned inside out. Armchair Alan Brickman Text is on a black background. In the bottom right corner is a drawing of an armchair with a yellow outline.
November 13, 2025 at 12:36 PM
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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
underbellypress.bsky.social
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