Thank you for answering our questions and even more so for contributing to our cause. Green Girl is gross, brilliant and hilarious in equal measures. It’s perfect for the anthology and we can’t wait to share it. Can you tell us a little a bit about yourself for our readers?

I’m Paige Johnson, co-owner of Outcast Press, which happens to have anthologies with many of the same writers here (Russel Thayer, Cassie Premo Steele, Neda Aria, Sebastian Vice). We also do charity anthologies like Mirrors Reflecting Shadows that partner with the Trevor Project, which works toward preventing suicide for LGBT youth. 

Foodbanks have become a part of our life. What started as a means to support those in financial difficulty has now turned into a long-term lifeline for many. Do you think that we will ever be free of them, or do you believe they will be here to stay?

Food banks will be/have always been necessary because unexpected disasters will always take place, whether a weather event, family death, job loss, etc., that requires immediate if not temporary support.

As an overseas contributor, what do you make of Britain’s dramatic reliance on foodbanks? How is this different or similar to your own country?

Especially around Covid times and all that job displacement, severe lockdowns, moving and changing families, of course food banks would be an extra necessary crutch. 

In Southern America, food banks, especially provided by churches, are huge. You do not have to be religious at all to attend and it is often a happy family outing to connect with many caring workers and people in the community of all different backgrounds and financial situations. Many grannies look at it like a social event and come to get extra food for their grand babies to try. Even with government assistance, this is better because it’s quicker and more reliable than dealing with hotlines, paperwork, cold employees, confusion, less embarrassing for some, etc. The food is often farmer’s market fresher compared to, say, Walmart, where food stamps can have changing conditions (I.e. when food that’s supposed to be covered gets new packaging, sometimes the system won’t realize it’s the same product that was always covered because the barcode will be slightly different).

Here at Urban Pigs Press we believe that the indie writing scene is an incredible place of support. From fellow writers to zines and indie presses. Who is your favourite writer in the indie community and why?

Kristin Garth is my favorite indie writer, as featured in Outcast Press’ short story collection, Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, and her dozens of poetry books. Her catalogue is inspiring in its range from Mormon scandal/mystery novels to handmade Barbie poetry books and her Lolita-esque sonnet mags often colored with her signature knee-high sock/Wednesday Addams pigtail aesthetic. Her work is pithy yet kaleidoscope vivid, taboo but with universal longing and alienation.

Tell us about your latest work? Do you have any books you would like our readers to know about?

My romance-ish grit lit story, Inn Trouble, is featured in Cowboy Jamboree’s MOTEL anthology. It’s about a counterfeiting/drug-dealing couple on the run I always write about and will make into my third novel. The first chapter of such is in Anxiety Press’ Anxious Nothings anthology and sprinkled throughout aforementioned Outcast anthologies.

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

I saw the cute piggy logo on Twitter and liked how its gritty cuteness reminded me of Urban Decay makeup. Sebastian Vice, founder of Outcast Press and contributor to this book, encouraged me to submit and we had heaps of fun trading in-progress snippets from our pieces. I never laughed so much as writing my pukey cam girl story and, even though I cut half of it, I’m saving it for the next volume of out Slut Vomit antho so the hilarity to heartfelt bits don’t have to end. 

Thanks again for taking part. I’m loving everyone’s different answers to these questions. You’ve really flipped the narrative and focused on the positives of foodbanks. I’ve got to say that it is a huge honour to have both co-founders of Outcast Press in our anthology. The support in the writing community is amazing.

“Green Girl” is about a bulimic cam-girl with an audience who gets off on it. Though she’s pleased with the lifestyle, she wishes her work–that doesn’t even involve getting naked–didn’t make it so awkward to find a traditional companion. She’s feeling especially lonesome this Valentine’s. 

– Read it from the 7th of March in the HUNGER anthology.

Paige Johnson (@OutcastPress1 on Twitter, /OutcastPress on Facebook and @OutcastPress on TikTok) is EIC of Outcast Press. She put together and featured in the short story collections In Filth It Shall Be Found, Slut Vomit: An Anthology of Sex Work, and Diner Noir w/ Craig Clevenger. As for her solo work, she authored Percocet Summer: Poetry for Distancing Dates and Doses, with its sequel, Citrus Springs, shortly on the way. 

Release date for the HUNGER anthology!

We have good news! The release date for the HUNGER anthology is set for the 7th March. Initial release will be through Amazon and Kindle but we hope to have physical copies in local book shops soon after. One place you can be sure to find this incredible collection will be Dial Lane Books in Ipswich. Andrew has been as much a part of this fantastic cause as all our contributors. We couldn’t be any more excited to share this with everyone. 23 different authors have given up their time and talent to help us make a difference to those in need and we are beyond grateful to each and everyone one of you. Jo Andrews has gone above and beyond to deliver us a cover that represents everything we set out to do. Cody Sexton has also contributed with an incredible piece of talent for our title page. We are both proud and humbled by the incredible efforts of everyone involved. Stephen J. Golds and Rob Jelly (BBC Suffolk) have also given their time to praise this darkly beautiful collection.

As part of our promotion for the anthology we will be posting interviews from the authors involved. Judging by some of the answers given already, I can confirm that we really have discovered a great bunch of humans in this anthology.

This book won’t put an end to poverty or hunger. Neither will it change the agendas of our politicians. But it will make a direct impact to a few of those we hope to represent. And for now, we’ll take it. So, please set that date in your calendar and help us to make that difference.

The Hunger anthology is a collection of 23 stories by 23 different authors. Tales of brutal reality, dark horror, gritty crime and dark humour sprawled out upon each page. Each story delivering a unique take on the prompt HUNGER. A true representation of some of the strongest talents within the writing community.

“A collection of stories that are as close to the bone in literary class as they are in their scathing analysis of a broken society.”

– Stephen J. Golds

Author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone