TUESDAY TASTERS they fed me teaspoons empty calories lost dreams the fear swallowed i present to you this platter Eat Lauren Paré The text is on a black background. The poem forms the shape of a teaspoon.

This week's Tuesday Taster is a sharp bite of Eat by Lauren Paré.

A striking use of stark minimalism, we loved how every word feels intentional and the thoughtful format of the piece.

Find it in Issue 6.

We almost forgot April is Trash Cat Lit's 2nd birthday! Two years since we were birthed from a bin desperate for treasures. It's been a cracking ride so far, thank you to everyone who submits and supports this wee mag.
We will be mostly eating snacksies today 🦝
Stay Trashy 💜

There are two more days in our Prompted Stories submission window - get cracking! 🦝

Here's what the fabulous Gill O'Halloran @quickasaflash.bsky.social did in 2024 with the prompts: a Storage Facility, a Demon, and a Found Camera

Go get inspired!
trashcatlit.com/get-thee-bes...

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A big thanks to @underbellypress.bsky.social for feature my slice of noir, Blind as a Bat. Check out their full latest issue if you haven't already: underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/issue-six. It's terrific.

If you missed our Spring Pop-Up call, here's what's coming next 🦝
Our Summer General submissions open 1st-14th June for Flash (100-750) and Shorts (up to 2000).
There's a theme of GREEN BIN STORIES and a mood board to offer inspo:
trashcatlit.com/summer-mood/

SUNDAY SNIPPETS Growing up blind on the tough streets of Paterson, well you could imagine, wasn’t a wet dream. Took some beatdowns. Got his lunch money stolen plenty of times. Grab it, he can’t see ya—words echoing through his head even today. Slick spiny Solomon. With his little henchmen making out with Rollie’s sandwich money. Slither of hands then scattering like fallen dominos. Until one day, he learned to think with his head. College was never gonna be for him. Crime? Well, as they say, it pays. Blind As A Bat Jesse Binger Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. Image of a stack of cash in the bottom right corner.

This week's Sunday Snippet offers a gritty slice of Blind As A Bat by Jesse Binger. @jessebinger.bsky.social

A striking piece of noir, we especially loved the twist and the distinct narrative voice.

Read it now in Issue 6.

Submissions open Deception and dirty realism Submissions open April 17 to May 22 Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner Text is on a black background. There is an image of a skull behind the text.

Poetry (30 lines max), submit up to three. Short fiction (1,000 words max), submit up to three. Art & Photography (of any medium), submit up to five. Please note that submissions will be responded to after the reading period. Acceptances and rejections will start being sent out after May 22. Editing will take place throughout June (I am away from mid June to early July). Issue 7 tentatively set for mid to late July. For poetry and short fiction, if you were a contributor in the last issue we won’t be accepting submissions for the consecutive issue in the same category you were published. The theme is DECEPTION. For our two year anniversary, we’re returning to our roots. Issue 7 calls back to our initial core focus - dirty realism.We’re looking for work that is gritty, unflinching, raw. The mundane, the overlooked, the everyday struggles. Think gritty noir and kitchen sink realism. The underbelly of contemporary life. Where does deception live within that? In lies, fractured relationships, self delusion, blurred truths, the things we refuse to face, the things we conceal or convince ourselves of. For artwork, we’d love to see pieces that explore illusion and distortion, as well as greyscale or black and white pieces.

Submissions are now open (a couple of hours early), until May 22! Issue 7: DECEPTION and DIRTY REALISM

We’re looking for work that is gritty, unflinching, raw. Think gritty noir and kitchen sink realism. The underbelly of contemporary life.

🔗 forms.gle/rfX3nyUnRMwD...

Everything you said on the dance floor, did you love the words you worked into meaning? Were you drunk? Were you high? Do you remember what you whispered? Do you remember how you touched my arm? Do you remember how dark your eyes were? The concrete under my feet. The cold concrete on my back. All the buildings here are made of concrete. All the nights are filled with whispers. KitKat Berlin - first published in Azarão Literary Journal

I wanted to be good but I needed to live. I wanted to stay in but I love the beat of the music. I love the stars in the sky, the way it feels to stay up to see the sunrise. I love the night in Berlin, the strange techno, the sound of trains. The lights in Shanghai. The streets of New York City at 3 a.m. Bad

What's the best place to party? Berlin. Well, let me think about it. Barcelona? London. Reykjavik. Budapest. It has to be Budapest. Warsaw. Milan. Riga, unexpectedly. Helsinki. Zagreb. No, my answer is Berlin. Definitely Berlin. Europe

Rachel Turney was previously featured in Issue 2 with a photography collection capturing the ‘underbelly of the club scene in a tongue in cheek way’. This time, we’ve paired those images with poetry from Retired Wannabe Club Kid, bringing the visuals and words together.

This spotlight showcases Rachel Turney, who was previously featured in Issue 2 with a photography collection capturing the ‘underbelly of the club scene in a tongue in cheek way’. This time, we’ve paired those images with poetry from Retired Wannabe Club Kid, bringing the visuals and words together. ‘To all the eyes that have watched me dance from those of the moon to the boy in the corner at House of Yes: Thank you for the wild nights and the water washing over me. Thank you for the moonlight and the laughter. I loved the lights of Paris and watching the sunrise in Brooklyn. Berlin, you were the night to me. I am leaving Earth now. I am moving to Orbit City. Maybe, I will be back sometime. But to be honest, I doubt it. The memories will sustain me. I will think of you in that little time between sleep and awake, in the space between the stars. You will be in my dreams. Your thumping music, your chaos, the feeling of euphoria. Goodnight to the clubs, to the beaches, to the full moon parties. Goodnight to the rooftops, to the jets, to the boats. Goodnight to the raves and the discos. I am off in my flying car to the future. Stay ferocious, Retired Wannabe Club Kid’ Rachel Turney is currently Jane Jetson, but was formerly a party monster. She is from the Midwest and resides in Colorado. She works in education and refugee services.

Retired Wannabe Club Kid by Rachel Turney features an expansive collection of poems spanning decades and continents, all celebrating the power of music, parties, and the night. Published by Parlyaree Press. Happy publication day! @rachelturney.bsky.social @parlyareepress.bsky.social

Sunday Snippets In the seaside resort of Cleethorpes in North East Lincolnshire, UK, the slot machines in the penny arcades do a brisk business, enticing holiday makers to spend their pennies and pounds. The clink of copper coins provides a soundtrack to desire and the hunger to possess. Here you can make a Deal or No Deal and face down the faded celebrity of Noel Edmonds, now confined to a plywood cut-out and stashed away in a dusty corner. Harmless fun or a tiny ecosystem nurturing the need to acquire? Prizes GP Hyde

This week's Sunday Snippet features one of the apt shots from GP Hyde's collection, titled 'Prizes'. @gphydeauthor.bsky.social

Harmless fun or a tiny ecosystem nurturing the need to acquire?

Find the rest of the pieces in Issue 6.

THURSDAY THROWBACK She said I knew the water better than myself, better than the Lord’s Prayer. I agreed. My great-grandfather sailed that briny road, put down a mutiny with one indifferent pull of a trigger, waged war on everything, including himself. Come October I don’t go into the water, only lie awake at night staring at pictures of waves, calculating their heights, the weight of each individual crest. One day I will say a prayer and return to the water. It will cleanse me, but of what I don’t know. THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT I CAN CLOSE MY EYES BUT THE WATER MUST WATCH IT ALL John Findura Text is on a black background. Image of an orange leaf behind the text. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner.

This week's Thursday Throwback is THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT I CAN CLOSE MY EYES BUT THE WATER MUST WATCH IT ALL by John Findura. @jfindura.bsky.social

An introspective and striking piece, we really enjoyed the uneasiness threaded throughout.

Find it in Issue 5.

Stunning shot!

Theme Reveal Deception and dirty realism Submissions open April 17 to May 22 Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner Text is on a black background. There is an image of a skull behind the text.

Poetry (30 lines max), submit up to three. Short fiction (1,000 words max), submit up to three. Art & Photography (of any medium), submit up to five. Please note that submissions will be responded to after the reading period. Acceptances and rejections will start being sent out after May 22. Editing will take place throughout June (I am away from mid June to early July). Issue 7 tentatively set for mid to late July. For poetry and short fiction, if you were a contributor in the last issue we won’t be accepting submissions for the consecutive issue in the same category you were published. The theme is DECEPTION. For our two year anniversary, we’re returning to our roots. Issue 7 calls back to our initial core focus - dirty realism.We’re looking for work that is gritty, unflinching, raw. The mundane, the overlooked, the everyday struggles. Think gritty noir and kitchen sink realism. The underbelly of contemporary life. Where does deception live within that? In lies, fractured relationships, self delusion, blurred truths, the things we refuse to face, the things we conceal or convince ourselves of. For artwork, we’d love to see pieces that explore illusion and distortion, as well as greyscale or black and white pieces.

Submissions open April 17 to May 22!

For our two year anniversary, we’re returning to our roots. Issue 7 calls back to our initial core focus - dirty realism.

Where does deception live within that? In lies, fractured relationships, self delusion, blurred truths...

TUESDAY TASTERS Ruminating, rumbling down narrow curves and old highways, childhood memories snowballed, restless with Scotch as his only companion. He arrived in front of a dilapidated farmhouse, and a smudged sign read, “Condemned! No Trespassing! County Code…” AMBITION Eric Herrington Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner. Bottom right corner is an image of a stack of gold bars.

Ambition by Eric Herrington.

This Issue 6 piece explores the relationship between greed and ambition, and the alienation that can follow. The contrast between past and present is striking, adding nuance to a short piece. The structure was inspired by the Japanese folktale Urashima Taro.

Issue 7 Explore the second year of Underbelly Press Submissions open April 17 to May 22 Theme to be determined Underbelly Press logo in the bottom right corner. Text on a black background. Behind the text is an image of a skull.

Subs open April 17-May 22
The editing period will take place in June. I'll be away from mid June to early July, so timelines may shift slightly (as it's just me).

Issue 7 is scheduled for release in mid to late July.
Theme to be confirmed - would love to hear your thoughts.

THURSDAY THROWBACK The clutter suffocates. I’ve stepped into a hoarder’s space. I suggest a remodeling and ‘a good riddance’ ritual to be held by a dumpster for all the worthless goods—except for this soccer player figurine. The way the red color of his jersey fades—because of the sweat from the owner’s once little palms—means it was cared for and played with a lot. A Borrowed Canvas Rola Elnaggar Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right. A knotted squiggle symbolising clutter in the bottom right.

This week's Thursday Throwback is A Borrowed Canvas by Rola Elnaggar.

An intriguing, imaginative piece, we loved how the narrator pieces together glimpses of unknown lives through introspective observation.

Read it in Issue 1:
underbellypress.wixsite.com/home/publish...

TUESDAY TASTERS On the floor in my boxers—why bother with the lights?—I suck tiny bits of batter from the drumsticks and wings, breast and thighs. There’s almost the illusion of meat. Know Thyself James Fleet Underwood Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo in the top right corner and in the bottom right corner is an outline of a chicken wing.

This week's Tuesday Taster is a bite of Know Thyself by James Fleet Underwood.

We enjoyed the gritty realism of the piece and its stark imagery.

Read it in Issue 6.

Our second marvellous micro is from @quickasaflash.bsky.social 🦝
This was our first experience with haibun and Gill has used it beautifully to reflect on loss. Brevity is used masterfully here.

Read and listen:
trashcatlit.com/naming-game/

Then enjoy more of Gill:
trashcatlit.com/if-it-aint-b...

Thank you, friends 🖤💜

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well, well i’ve got stories in two cool kid journals 😎

thx so much @sillygoosepress.bsky.social & @underbellypress.bsky.social for hosting my tales 🙏

highly recommend subbing to these folks 👇

SUNDAY SNIPPETS A door swung open. There was an almost imperceptible thud as it skimmed a recumbent skull. A door swung closed. ‘Choose now or I choose for you,’ said the woman, her face reddening. She raised the gun, pointing it first at my face and then at my wife’s. Enceladus Laurie Avadis Text is on a black background. Image of a skull behind the text. In the top right corner is the Underbelly Press logo.

This week's Sunday Snippets is a slice of Enceladus by Laurie Avadis.

A sharp, absurdist piece with a darkly comical edge and a great build up, we especially enjoyed the repetition of the door opening and closing.

Read it now in Issue 6.

Wow, very grateful! 🖤

Where the cool kids are submitting their writing [SPRING '26] • Expat Press - Exploring alternative literature genres • West Trade Review - Authentically human • Queen's Quarterly - Food for thought,four times a year • BRUISER - There are no rules • Maudlin House - Transgressive, absurdist, and minimalist literature • the engine(idling - Seeking the crafty, the restless, the difficult personalities • L'Esprit Literary Review - Celebrating High Modernism • SWING - Print magazine with Nashville energy and verve • Citywide Lunch - Art and craft of the short story • Luna Luna Magazine - Lush poetics, fever dreams, and the dark ecstatic • BOMB Magazine - Delivering the artist's voice • Okay Donkey - Odd, off-kilter, and just plain weird • Burial Magazine - Sharpened and original works of literature • Be About It Press - Approachable, experimental, fun, and authentic • & Change - A home for gay poetry • The Gorko Gazette - Humor mag publishing fake news and real writing • Silly Goose Press - Craft-forward whimsy • Underbelly Press - The raw, unfiltered heart of dirty realism • Sabr Tooth Tiger Magazine - International lit mag with claws, teeth, and heart • Blood+Honey - Experimental and avant-garde work that provokes

We asked you guys what lit mags the cool kids are flocking to this season, and this is what you said 💌

Submit to them here: www.chillsubs.com/lists/cool_k...

#writing

Big news! My #narrativenonfiction book, 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘, 𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗭𝗘𝗗: 𝘼 𝙃𝙐𝙈𝘼𝙉-𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 𝙁𝙄𝙀𝙇𝘿 𝙂𝙐𝙄𝘿𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙀𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙄𝙏𝙔 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙄𝙈𝙀, will be published by @beaconpress.bsky.social and distributed worldwide by @penguinrandomhouse.bsky.social Coming to a bookstore near you in summer 2027 💥

#bookdeal #booksky #nonfiction

This week's Thursday Throwback features a gorgeous piece of artwork titled 'daydream' by Mirjana M. @cyanidecherries.bsky.social

Check out more of Mirjana's stunning work, alongside other artists, in Issue 4.

TUESDAY TASTERS Now during the first and second upheavals, many of these were broken down to sell for components, so to find one intact is pretty rare. If you’d been able to save the wires and such that would’ve been even better but even this could fetch between four and five thousand calories. I can eat a couple of full meals! I’d rather think a week’s worth if you’re savvy about it. Antiques Road Show 2163 Jason Graff Text is on a black background. Underbelly Press logo is in the top right. Bottom right shows an outline clipart of a computer server.

This week’s Tuesday Taster is Antiques Road Show 2163 by Jason Graff.

A unique, satirical dystopian piece, we really enjoyed this clever take on the theme, especially the idea of calories as currency.

Read it now in Issue 6.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Songs for a Burning Continent By Abraham Aondoana Songs for a Burning Continent charts the enduring legacies of grief and loss, tenderness and desire, endurance, and revolt. With striking emotional intelligence, Abraham Aondoana documents the vulnerability of the human heart, alongside the social and political histories that shape both intimate lives and national memory. About Author: Abraham Aondoana was born in Benue, Nigeria. He is a recipient of Idembeka Creative Writing Workshop 2026. His poem was shortlisted for Renard Press Interwoven Prize 2025. His works has appeared in Several Literary Magazines.

We're also delighted to celebrate Abraham's latest release, Songs for a Burning Continent, published on March 20.

You can find it here: nuriakenya.com/pro.../songs...