Issue 14: April, 2016

Issue 14: April, 2016 Issue 14 Bittersweetness 10th April, 2016 This issue features the parallels and contrasts of Bitterness and Sweetness, embodied in joy and pain, beauty and conflict, comfort and hardship: the extreme emotions we feel in equal and profound measures. We encounter lovers on a journey from pain into hope, the uncomfortable squirm of projected judgment, and the realisation that toast can trump love. We introduce the first in a series of connected short stories by author Nicole Bostrom, in which a young woman must make a difficult personal and social choice. We also have our first album review by editor Ana’Rchy, and another curated collection of contests, competitions and calls-for-submissions from organisations in Australia and elsewhere in the world. Don’t forget the writing exercise on the back page (extra credit for sending us a submission that came from one of our writing exercises!), and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for more Underground updates. ~ Jemimah Editor-in-Chief Underground 1 Issue 14: April, 2016 Editor-in-Chief Jemimah Halbert Volunteer editors Timi Adeyemi Dylan Dartnell Kate Lomas Glendenning Ana Victoria L. Neves Candace Sharpe Shelley Timms Jessica Wilson Contributors Trevor Scott Barton Nicole Bostrom Shelby Traynor Ana Victoria L. Neves Underground Literary Magazine is published four times a year Underground would like to respectfully acknowledge this magazine was produced and edited on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and also on the traditional lands of the Wadjuk people of the Nyoongar nation. As an internationally-reaching magazine, we also pay our respects to the traditional custodians of all the lands from which the stories and poems in this issue were sourced. Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. Copyright is reserved, meaning no one is permitted to scan or photograph our pages and publish them anywhere else. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited. Contact Submit your work to Underground at [email protected] For general enquiries email us at [email protected] Our website is underground-writers.org Find us on Facebook at Underground Writers Follow us on Twitter @undergroundWA 2 Underground Issue 14: April, 2016 Contents Cover…………………………………………………….Editor’s Letter 4…….…….………..Review: Panic! At the Disco’s Death of a Bachelor, by Ana’Rchy 6……..…….Feature piece: My Subconscious Doesn’t Care About You, by Shelby Traynor 7………………………………………Look, Frida, by Shelby Traynor 8-11……….……………………….Revolution, by Trevor Scott Barton 12-16…..….A fine morning on the Oakland Estuary, by Nicole Bostrom 17…………………………………………Introducing: Nicole Bostrom 18-19…………………………….…….Upcoming Local Opportunities 20-23……………………….….Upcoming International Opportunities 24-25……………………………………………...……….Our Editors Back cover……………………..………….Writing exercise & Contact Apology for incorrect attribution Underground would like to issue a correction and apology regarding issue 13. The pieces Gush and Firestarters were incorrectly attributed to Lunabella; the correct author's name is Luna Ma Narama. We apologise for this mistake, and the corrected version of issue 13 can be downloaded from the Underground website. Underground 3 Issue 14: April, 2016 ‘Death of a Bachelor’ Review Panic! At the disco lot of people feel betrayed that Brendon Urie is still performing on his own under the moniker of Panic! At the Disco. The band has been known to change up their style for each album, A and it’s been thought that this had been done to keep up with the tastes of fans. I consider this theory to be a bit simplistic. I think fans of the band and their brand have been able to relate to their growth and evolution over the years, and every time a new album is released, can appreciate the story it tells. Death of a Bachelor is no different. This album incorporates some very small elements of what made the old albums so “Panic!” but completely reinvents and reinvigorates their sound. Starting strong with Victorious, to Brendon’s beautifully haunting vocals in Emperor’s New Clothes, quickly followed by his mellow crooning in the titular song, Death of a Bachelor, the whole album leaves the listener with a gorgeous story to piece together. Being that Brendon is now the sole creator and contributor to this album, the lyrics feel almost autobiographical, and keeping that in mind, the album is more than anything we’ve come to expect from Panic! At the Disco in previous years. This shows such a dedication from Brendon Urie to the fans, but also a respect for the name of Panic! At the Disco. It’s a welcome rebirth for one of the noughties’ favourite bands! Recalling a time when P!AtD and Fall Out Boy were compared to each other, The Good, The Bad And The Dirty, is a fantastic anthem, reminiscent of our collective emo/pop-punk phases, with some bad-ass lyrics to match. For all the hype that comes with the rest of the album, the second last song, House of Memories, though catchy, leaves the lyrically inclined listener wanting, as its lyrics seem lacking in much depth. This makes it a bit of a let down, considering the quality of the rest of the album, and makes the lead-up to the final song less poignant. If this song had been left off the album, it wouldn’t be missed. 4 Underground Issue 14: April, 2016 The album ends on a melodically captivating note, with the final song, Impossible Year, carrying the listener through beautifully thought out metaphors and subtle clichés. The sound of the piano lifting the spirit to a crescendo as the final song signals an almost classical goodbye, brings forth the images of a black and white movie, where one can’t be entirely sure if the ending was a happy one… Like Casablanca. I have found this album easy to listen to, all the way through, regardless of how I’m feeling. I’m still constantly impressed by the attention to detail, and the effort Brendon Urie put into this creation. I always used to say Panic! At the Disco was all Brendon Urie, and now, we can definitely say Brendon Urie is Panic! At the Disco. And I, for one, am so excited for what this new era will bring! 4/5 - would listen again! P.S. Make sure to watch the music videos for the full experience. ~ Ana’Rchy Underground 5 Issue 14: April, 2016 My Subconscious Doesn’t Care About You Feature piece Shelby Traynor there is nothing I can pull from my memory quicker than the smell of toast or the crunch of toast the sound of curved cutlery on crisp bread turned golden by red hot wire and melting butter I can’t yank that feeling of lips curving that person singing those bones weighing down hospital beds so what does it say of my subconscious when all it ever really gives a shit about is toast? Shelby Traynor is a nineteen year old writer from the suburban wastelands of Perth, Western Australia. 6 Underground Issue 14: April, 2016 Look, Frida Shelby Traynor Frida Kahlo is staring at me from the head of my bed. Her self-portrait is taped in lilac at the corners, her flower crown balanced on her head like a bouquet. She makes me want to be spectacular – she’s my dreamcatcher, and right now she’s looking pretty disinterested. My bed is my cushioned hell. It’s where I sit to be glared at by Frida, to crumple my posture and crack my spine. Yawn and weigh the justice of my eyelids. It took me a day to notice the barbed wire circling her neck, and the hand hanging from her ear. She just looked so pretty, so tired, amongst my pillows and through my sleepy eyes. Underground 7 Issue 14: April, 2016 Revolution Trevor Scott Barton t was a rainy morning in Havana. He looked out the window over the old city and saw the dark clouds rolling in from the sea. He felt the cool breeze across his body. He turned quietly and watched her sleeping. The sheet rose and fell with each of I her deep and rhythmic breaths. He was glad she was finally resting. "Is she dreaming of a time or a place, of the sea or of what brought us here?," he wondered. Yesterday, they thought they would not see the light of the new day. There was a cut across her cheek, a rip in her jeans, and a determined look on her face as they struggled hand in hand across the countryside. They arrived at the hotel in the night. He washed away the dirt and pain from her body, took her worn and tattered clothes off of her, and soothed the fear and chaos within her. He remembered the look of fearlessness and hopefulness that were in her eyes as they journeyed together, a look that comforted him now as he watched her sleep. He laid down beside her. The curves of her body reminded him of the gently rolling hills below the mountains where he lived as a boy. She was beautiful like that land, like the flowers he found as he roamed the countryside, like the soil he walked over barefooted as his grandfather turned the earth with a donkey and plow, like the leaves of the trees that sparkled green after the rains of the rainy season. He moved close to her until he felt the breathing of her breath upon his face and the beating of her heart upon his chest. He closed his eyes. He felt the heartbeat of her as a little girl.

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