Thank you @underbellypress.bsky.social for being awesome.

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.

A second daily spotlight, this one from Scott 🦝 We loved this short-sharp bruising piece with its haunting ending. Amazing take on challenging prompts: During a Break Up, a Ghost, Dancing Read here: trashcatlit.com/phantom-pain/

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.

🚨TOMORROW🚨 This Thursday, The Darkest Tide by Jane Dougherty is available everywhere. This stunning epic mythology/historical fantasy novel is not to be missed! Discover the legend of Ys here: share.google/jpexLBwqBrlu...

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.

This week’s Thursday Throwback brings you Occupation by Shikha Sawhney Lamba. A sharp and thoughtful piece, it challenges human arrogance and reminds us of the futility in believing we can command what was never ours to control. Read it now in Issue 3.

🚨RELEASE DAY🚨 The beautiful and tragic scifi masterpiece Green Laughing by the incredible @criponatrip.bsky.social is available now! Order yours here: share.google/NEKseFipHJX9...

Prompts to get you thinking: Shorter days, longer nights, what memories come to mind when the dark creeps in? What rotten thing lurks beneath the surface? As trees lose their leaves, what do people lose, willingly, or not? What does it mean to have autumn without abundance?

Friendly reminder submissions are open for Issue 5: AUTUMN until September 26! 🍂 Thank you for an incredible response so far. For this issue, we’re weaving together Underbelly’s focus on gritty, human experience with the natural decay and quiet shift of autumn.

This week’s Thursday Throwback features Manor Road by Lexi Clidienst. An intimate piece, it simmers with quiet conflict and captures a moment suspended between doubt and desire. Find it in Issue 2.

My collection of 38 flash & short fiction, One for Sorrow is available to buy on the 'Zon. Includes published works from: @underbellypress.bsky.social @nffr.bsky.social @retreatwest.bsky.social @crankedanvil.bsky.social @loftbooks.bsky.social @frazzledlit.bsky.social @thebrokenspine.co.uk and more!

This week's Tuesday Taster is a stunning piece of artwork titled 'Same Old Ideas but They Want Them to Sound New, 2024, Oil on Canvas, 11x14' by Alejandro Gonzalez. Discover more artwork from Alejandro, alongside the work of other brilliant artists, in Issue 4.

We're late this month due to subs stuffs but here's the August newsletter 🦝 News, subs, prompts and Quick Reads, and we celebrate Trash Family @nomad-sw18.bsky.social @bsherm36.bsky.social @charliekondek.bsky.social & @francesgapper.bsky.social 💜 trashcatlit.com/2025/08/22/h...

Submissions for Issue 5: AUTUMN are open until 26 September! We’re delighted by the fantastic response so far and can’t wait to keep reading. For this issue, we’re weaving together Underbelly’s focus on gritty, human experience with the natural decay and quiet shift of autumn.

Prayer Position by Nobody Important. A raw and aching piece, it captures the detonation of memory and how the smallest thing can unravel a whole world of love, loss, and longing. Devastating and beautiful, it puts into words the impossibility of letting go. Find it in Issue 4.

Next month, we are taking part in the inaugural Liverpool Book Fair courtesy of La Vida Liverpool! Please do come and join us to celebrate our Scouse writers in a city that we always love visiting 😍

This week’s Sunday Snippet serves up Delicacy by @sadeebee.bsky.social A sharp, visceral piece, it questions what happens when desire turns spoiled & what remains when someone refuses to be devoured. Find it in Issue 4. Friendly reminder submissions for Issue 5 are open until Sept 26!

Subs open from Aug 15 to Sept 26! 🔗 forms.gle/mYLiJFPydb3X... 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. Full guidelines on our site.

🚨NEW EVENT🚨 We are thrilled to announce a free in-person event at Urmston Books on 11th September! Come and hear some of our fantastic literary authors from the northwest discuss how class and identity have shaped their writing! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/class-ic-l...

Eleven days until subs open for your Prompted Stories 🦝 Get inspired by this fab story from @quickasaflash.bsky.social who worked with the prompts: Storage Facility, Demon and Found Camera 📸 trashcatlit.com/get-thee-bes...

Submissions open August 15, in just a few days! Here's some key information about our upcoming call for submissions. Please familiarise yourself with our guidelines before submitting, all information can be found on our website: underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/submiss...

This week’s Sunday Snippet is metamorphosis by Dara Goodale. It’s a visceral, raw poem that explores the space between who you are & who you're becoming. A haunting reflection on liminal existence, transformation & the fragile balance between shedding and becoming. Issue 4.

Woohoo! Here are the WINNERS of the @frazzledlit.bsky.social Short Story Award 2025! www.frazzledlit.com/p/announcing...

I’m excited to share that the theme for Issue 5 is AUTUMN. Think decay, decline, the rot beneath the surface, the cold creeping in (whether that’s literal or metaphorical). The quiet unravelling. The weight of change. The season of letting go. Subs open August 15, in 1 week!

A favourite of mine for sure! Last summer, I was blowing up my kids' paddling pool by mouth and wrote in my head this while I was doing it. Thanks to Underbelly Press for loving it too!

This week’s Thursday Throwback dips into Paddling by Laura Cooney ( @lozzawriting.bsky.social ) a visceral, searing poem. Raw and emotionally resonant, the piece captures a moment of collapse and reprieve, culminating in a breath you didn’t know you were saving. Read it now in Issue 1.

We are absolutely delighted to announce our 6 finalists for the Frazzled Lit Short Story Award today. Massive congratulations and best of luck to you all! @nualaoconnor.bsky.social can't wait to read these pieces and choose the winners! www.frazzledlit.com/p/announcing...

The next submission period for Issue 5 will run from Aug 15-Sept 26! The editing period will follow through late Sept & Oct, with Issue 5 tentatively set to release in early to mid Nov. More info about the submission process will be shared soon. Thank you for your support 🖤

No More Heroes by @alisonwassell.bsky.social Told with tenderness & grit, it's an evocative, poignant story of sisters growing up too soon, fractured hope & the moment of realisation that heroes are only human. As one clings to rules, the other drifts further from childhood & further from reach.

The LONGLIST for the Frazzled Lit @frazzledlit.bsky.social Short Story Award 2025 is out! Congratulations to all, and watch out for the announcement of shortlisted and highly commended stories on August 3rd! www.frazzledlit.com/p/announcing...

We are celebrating the release of the incredible Remington Platypus today! Why not join us for a free online launch event with author Steve Nash tonight? A hugely entertaining performer, you can find the link here: share.google/SF9JLIApZeXw...

“… half defeat, half elation, at knowing my worth, the clarity of his cowardice.” Forbidden Fruit by @lisadellaporta.bsky.social in @underbellypress.bsky.social (p. 36) underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/copy-of...

This week’s Tuesday Taster brings you a stunning shot titled Coney Island by Peter Dino Bruno. Discover more of Peter’s photography, alongside the work of other artists, in Issue 4.

Things are about to get hairy for Remington Platypus; badger, detective, definitely not a platypus. Strange frankensteined corpses are appearing in his city, and he wants to find out who is doing it. Order this brilliant and bonkers crime novel from Steve Nash now: share.google/7ZiBLRtaxywT...

This week’s Sunday Snippet brings you COCO by Elia Rathore. It's a beautifully tender elegy told through the eyes of Coco, exploring abandonment, grief, and the tension between moving on and holding on. Read it now in Issue 4.

What's next? To make sure I can continue giving each issue the care and attention it deserves (and avoid burnout), I’ll be shifting the publishing schedule from once every three months to roughly once every four. More information on the next submission period coming soon!

We're back in the bin after a superb weekend @flashficfestuk.bsky.social where we met Trash Family in the flesh! 🦝 With Trash Family in mind, as promised here are the contributors for the upcoming charity print anthology. Twenty-seven stunning stories we can't wait to share 🤩

Tues Taster: I Like to Watch by @johannah.bsky.social In this sharp, voyeuristic micro, shame, desire, & hunger are explored with unsettling intimacy. What begins as a mundane moment in a café soon unravels into a disquieting reflection on control & longing. Read it now in Issue 4.

This week’s Sunday Snippet brings you Poorly Mended Fingers by T.E. Bean ( @tebean.bsky.social ) In this quietly powerful poem, T.E. Bean explores masculinity, vulnerability, and the strength found not in clenched fists, but in open hands. Read it now in Issue 4.

Today, we are celebrating the release of The Art of Murder at Northodox HQ! Check out this incredible debut novel from @annehosmwriter.bsky.social now 😍 share.google/ygz9cR78xFav...

This week’s Thursday Throwback serves up You get a quare feed at the Last Supper by Sophie Thompson. It's a wry, poignant meditation on grief, gossip, and tradition, told through the imaginative format of a funeral tasting menu. Read it now in Issue 2.

Really nice comment about Saltburn on that other place…. “Currently relishing SALTBURN, best enjoyed in tentative licks. A surreal & salty journey through the British underbelly, filled with pathos, posterior shocks, and Drew's uniquely flavoured subversion. Get one. It's well funny... 🔥🦭🍦🙌”

From our latest issue 🦝 We loved the use of structure in @lmbayley.bsky.social visceral piece - it adds tension and intensity - and the last few lines are like a gut punch that leaves you reeling. Read and listen to Linda's story, read by her, here: trashcatlit.com/mother-perfe...

This week’s Tuesday Taster features a photograph titled 'Laundry & Open Windows – Genoa – Italy' by D. C. Nobes, paired with thoughtful commentary. It offers a candid glimpse into everyday life, capturing moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Through visceral, bodily imagery & raw emotion, @meanerharker.bsky.social captures what it means to feel monstrous & human all at once. A celebration of courage & resilience, this personal piece lays bare the emotional & physical toll of pain, disability & uncontrollable change.

🚨1 WEEK TO GO🚨 Next Thursday, we put out one of the more curious and intriguing titles in our catalogue... Preorder and book details available here for the darkly brilliant The Art of Murder by Anne Woodward: share.google/7aVX5Xb5LBjn...

Burger Time by @bsherm36.bsky.social Tender & introspective, this piece shows that even brief encounters can leave an impact. It offers a poignant reminder that even in the most mundane & monotonous settings, unseen struggles & small, unexpected moments of connection carry meaning. Read in Issue 1!

All the Crazy Shit We Did That Last Summer by @therelphian.bsky.social What begins as a nostalgic glimpse into youthful rebellion soon unfolds into a tender, unflinching reflection on the beauty & tragedy of growing up. Brimming with grief, humour & heart, this is a raw, candid piece that lingers.

When There Are No Words, I Hope You’ll Still Sit With Me by Ellen Williams. It's a raw, authentic piece, unafraid to sit with sorrow. Ellen beautifully captures the exhausting truth of trying to survive in the absence of someone you love. Read it now in Issue 4!