Editor's note​​

​

It feels peculiar to say that Underbelly Press has been around for over a year now. It makes me wonder what it will look like in another year’s time and how strange it is, really, how fast time goes. The past year has taught me so much; it’s been an invaluable experience working with so many stellar writers and artists.

 

Issue 5 marks a special milestone, our very first themed edition. Its focus is autumn, a season of change and reflection. For this issue, I’ve blended together Underbelly’s focus on gritty, human experience with the natural decay and shift of the season. These pieces explore that intersection, the rot beneath the surface, the quiet unravelling, the weight of change, the season of letting go. I’ve never been a fan of change, so finding beauty in it, in melancholy and decay, has been striking. I’ve curated a collection of pieces that I hope capture what Underbelly is about, a space for the raw, the human, the mundane.

 

Putting this issue together has been a privilege. It’s a testament to the writers and artists who’ve trusted us with their work, and to the readers who continue to find meaning in what we share. Thank you for being part of this. 

 

May this issue remind you that there is beauty in the mundane.

 

Warm regards and gratitude,

​​​

- Lucy Huddleston, Editor-in-Chief