Who we are

understory is a collective of artists and researchers dedicated to telling stories—both fiction and nonfiction—about people, our evolving relationships with environments and climates, the past that shaped us, and the many futures we might create.

Our approach

Environmentalism without class struggle is gardening – Chico Mendes

Our focus is on narratives from the Global South. We are driven by values of climate-justice and equity. We recognise the complex socio-political and economic linkages that drive and sustain climate change, and we aim to illustrate these connections through our work.

Our name

Understory is the layer of plants, shrubs and trees between the tree canopy and the ground cover in a forest. It is the part of a forest that humans can naturally access—an intersection of human lives and environments. After much debating, we settled on this name, partly, because of how the name points to the stories underneath and also because it aptly represents our goal.

What to expect from this space

Against algorithmic pressures, we have decided to publish slowly and steadily, in a manner that respects our team's bandwidth. We aim to publish a maximum of three pieces every two months. Initially, we plan to focus on written pieces included, but not limited to: short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, book reviews, illustrations, photo-essays and hybrid work.

We eventually hope to invite guest submissions. Stay tuned for more details!