Underground Bookshelf

What does that mean? There are lots of options this month. Poetry, short stories, excerpts, and so forth are all welcome (the full list is below). The stipulation is that all submissions must be works of "own voices" writing or storytelling.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this past month's contest. I enjoyed the creative directions each of you took to the prompt. We got submissions of drama, general fiction, essays, and scripts.

Welcome to the latest resource series by Underground Bookshelf. This series focuses on literature written by authors of Iranian heritage. War often comes with undermining the humanity of the people and cultures impacted. One way to reaffirm a people's humanity is to engage with the people, culture, and perspectives through literature and storytelling. In this series, you'll find fiction and nonfiction books for children, middle grade readers, young adults, and adult readers.

Thank you to Alex Chan for allowing me to repost this article which discusses her views of the "fat" jokes used on the television series, The Good Place. You can find this article in its original form on the author's website. It was originally posted on June 21, 2020.

Underground Bookshelf attended the Roxbury Poetry Festival on June 27th, 2026. Attendees were invited to participate in a one-day micro-poetry contest at our booth, and we received so many great submissions that it was hard to select the winners. But it was truly delightful reading what everyone submitted. I can't wait to do another contest like this at the other events we attend this summer. Below, you'll find one of the honorable mentions, "Resistance is Joy," by Shirley A. Jones Luke (she/her). Thank you to everyone who submitted. Keep writing!

Underground Bookshelf attended the Open Streets: Jamaica Plain on August 2, 2026. Each person who visited our table had a chance to fill in one line of the following story. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. It was so much fun to see what each new person added to the project.

Welcome to the latest resource series by Underground Bookshelf. This series focuses on literature written by authors of Iranian heritage. War often comes with undermining the humanity of the people and cultures impacted. One way to reaffirm a people's humanity is to engage with the people, culture, and perspectives through literature and storytelling. In this series, you'll find fiction and nonfiction books for children, middle grade readers, young adults, and adult readers.

Elliot Harris is a father who believes that showing up should be enough. He wakes before dawn, counts his steps, and measures his energy against the demands of the day. Living with an autoimmune condition that does not show on his face, he negotiates every stair, every hallway, and every appointment with careful precision. From the outside, he appears steady. Responsible. Reliable.

What does that mean? There are lots of options this month. Here's what I'm looking for:

Thank you to everyone who participated in this past month's contest. I enjoyed the creative directions each of you took to the prompt. We got submissions of poetry and memoir on grief, loss, arts, joy, and more.

Underground Bookshelf attended the Disability Pride Celebration at the Museum of Science in Boston, MA on July 25, 2026. Each person who visited our table had a chance to fill in one line of the following story. Thank you so much to everyone who participated. It was so much fun to see what each new person added to the project.

Underground Bookshelf attended the Roxbury Poetry Festival on June 27th, 2026. Attendees were invited to participate in a one-day micro-poetry contest at our booth, and we received so many great submissions that it was hard to select the winners. But it was truly delightful reading what everyone submitted. I can't wait to do another contest like this at the other events we attend this summer. Below, you'll find one of the top three poems, "A Mini Thought..." by Kerrin "KJ" Jackson (she/her). Thank you to everyone who submitted. Keep writing!