Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Underline exists to give emerging creative voices somewhere to be seen, read and heard. We want people from all backgrounds to feel welcome here, whether they’re contributing their first piece of work or have been creating for years.

We don’t expect our contributors to look alike, think alike or make the same kind of work. Quite the opposite. Different experiences, perspectives and ideas make Underline a more interesting place.

Everyone is welcome

We welcome contributors regardless of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, social or economic background, or any other aspect of who they are.

You don’t need to have studied a creative subject, attended a particular university, lived in a particular city or followed a conventional route into your field. What matters to us is the work and what you have to say through it.

We also recognise that some people have historically had fewer opportunities to have their work published, exhibited or taken seriously. We want Underline to be a place where those barriers aren’t reproduced.

Different voices and different ideas

Diversity isn’t only about who contributes to Underline. It’s also about making room for different experiences, ideas and points of view.

Our contributors aren’t expected to share the same opinions as one another, or as our editors. Publishing someone’s work doesn’t necessarily mean that Underline agrees with everything expressed within it.

We believe thoughtful disagreement can be valuable. Discrimination, harassment and personal abuse are not.

How we work with contributors

Everyone who contributes to Underline should be treated fairly, respectfully and with consideration.

Editorial decisions should be based on the work itself and its suitability for Underline, not on a contributor’s background or identity. Where editing is needed, we aim to work collaboratively with contributors while respecting their individual voice and creative intentions.

We want people to feel comfortable raising a concern with an editor. If something doesn’t feel right, we’d rather know about it.

Accessibility

We want Underline and the work we publish to be accessible to as many people as reasonably possible.

That includes thinking about the accessibility of our website and being open to reasonable adjustments when working with contributors who have particular accessibility needs.

We’re a small independent publication and we won’t always get everything right. Where something can be improved, we’re happy to listen and learn.

An evolving community

Underline is still growing, and the community around it will continue to change with it.

We don’t see equality, diversity and inclusion as a target to meet or a statement to make about ourselves. It’s something much simpler: creating a publication where people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives feel welcome to contribute, and where their work is given a fair chance to speak for itself.

That’s the kind of creative community we want Underline to be.