Underground Bookshelf

Chapter 1: Lilia's Quest

Pour One for the Devil is a Gothic novella written by Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. A student of the Gullah language and a lecturer on indigenous American history, Dr. Van Vierlans is invited to speak to an historical society on the nature of certain shell circles located on an island off the coast of South Carolina. His host, Miss Lizzie would be at home in the antebellum South, the descendant of wealthy plantation owners. She even expects the three Black, Gullah women she employs as cooks and housekeepers to dress and act in a manner reminiscent of abject servitude. The Gullah women, though they humor her by dressing the part, have commanding presences and speak with confidence. It's an odd environment for Van Vierlans to navigate as a stranger, made worse by the Devil who visits him in his dreams and makes bids for his soul. As he gets deeper into his stay in Miss Lizzie's plantation house, he gets sucked into the house's secrets and caught between these four, strange women and the Devil who wants his soul.

Episode 1: The Celestial Mandate

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized in the United States from September 15 - October 15. This period was chosen because several major holidays for a variety of Latin American countries fall within this window.

I finally read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. In this blog post, I discuss some of my thoughts on the book. Share your own thoughts about this book in the comments (please be respectful). This book deals with difficult mental health topics including suicide. Please keep this in mind as you decide if and when to read the book as well as this essay. Below, are some mental health resources in case you or someone you know are in need of them.

All things spooky, paranormal, supernatural, thriller, horror, or otherwise Halloween. All forms and lengths of flash fiction, short stories and poetry will be accepted as long as the story is under 2,000 words and the content is somehow related to these spooky genres.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this month’s Flash Fiction and Poetry Contest! First, I’d like to congratulate everyone on a job well-done. The stories and poems submitted were each delightful in their own way and all fit perfectly into the theme of Mythology and Folklore. There really are no losers and I thoroughly enjoyed reading such great submissions.

The sea was her playground. For a thousand years, she swam with the fish and explored every crevice and cave in the Mediterranean. She searched the sunken remains of Carthaginian and Roman galleys, then later swam beneath warships - the huge quinqueremes and smaller Liburnas - as they battled atop the Ionian Sea's undulating surface.

*This essay is available to listen to on YouTube. Click HERE to be redirected.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized in the United States from September 15 - October 15. This period was chosen because several major holidays for a variety of Latin American countries fall within this window.

Do you remember

Looking for Black representation in your children's books? These books may not always get the attention they're due, but that doesn't mean that children's books books with Black representation aren't out there. In this resource, you'll find general fiction, biographies and other nonfiction, books that highlight STEM, adventurous fantasy, and more. The books below are sorted according to age. If you come across books that you think should be added to this list or a future resource, send your suggestions to contact.undergroundbookshelf@gmail.com for review.