Introducing "Undertow — Issue 1"

We've got an announcement to make: we've published a little magazine!

You read that right – we went on a side quest and decided to publish a little zine called Undertow. When we set up Faction Press in 2020, creating a zine was something that we thought we'd entertain perhaps four or five years down the road, after we'd publish a few books.

But publishing stories about history, memory and grief – themes that we hold very close to our hearts – was an itch we had to scratch back in July 2023, especially after a Vietnamese writer called Mien Tuc sent us their essay about their grandfather's legacy in the Vietnam War (the 50th anniversary of its end also take place this year), and asked if we were interested in publishing it.

One and a half years later, behold! This tiny but mighty zine, called Undertow. The definition of 'Undertow' means 'the undercurrent that moves offshore while waves approach the shore', and all the writers in this inaugural issue – Mien Tuc, Linda Collins, Loy Sye Yuet, Shradha Biyani and Lawrence Ypil – navigate life's waves of grief through their thoughtful and moving pieces that touch on people, place, transitions, and a state of being in Southeast Asia.

We are extremely grateful to these writers, and their patience in getting these pieces out – all of which would not have been possible without zine exterior/interior designer extraordinaire Joanne Low and illustrator Bae Soo Yeon, whose criminally understated talent pours out of the pages, with each piece (!) having its own distinct illustrative style. Last but not least, a million thank-yous to Singapore-based riso-printer Knuckles and Notch for painstakingly printing copies of this zine (there will be a limited print run of 300).

We're working on getting this zine stocked across various places so you can follow our Instagram page for more updates. ⚡In the meantime, you can order this zine (SGD 24) at our webstore ⚡