Understory/Contact

Write us a letter.

We read every message ourselves — by hand, slowly, usually in the evening at the cabin. Whether you want to send work, ask a question, or just write hello, the form below is the easiest way to reach us. We reply within a week, sometimes sooner.

Response time5 – 7 days
Reading hoursAfter supper, by lamp
Last reply sentYesterday, 21:14
Open letters14, currently
01 The letter

Begin here, in any tone you like.

We won't add you to anything, share your address, or reply with an automated message. Just one human writing back to another.

Where to find us, otherwise.

By post

The cabin, by letter or parcel.

Letters arrive on Thursdays. Parcels with submissions, books, or printed work are very welcome. Please don't send anything fragile in winter — the road freezes.

Understory Field Co.
P.O. Box 14
407 17 Hřensko
Czech Republic
In person

The print-shop, by appointment.

Lena prints the quarterly journal in Děčín on a 1962 Heidelberg Windmill. Visits by appointment, usually on Wednesday afternoons, and you'll be put to work folding signatures if you stay long enough.

Tiskárna · Děčín IV
Wednesdays 14:00 – 18:00
Write first, please
For press

For writers, editors, podcasts.

Anna does most of the press conversations. Send a brief outline of what you'd like to discuss and a rough timeline; we'll usually come back to you within three or four days. We have a small press kit on request.

press@understory.cz
Use this address only
for press queries

A few questions, answered in advance.

01.
Do you accept submissions?
We open a short submissions window every February — see the about page for details. Outside that window, you're still welcome to write and introduce yourself; we keep a small list of writers and photographers we'd like to work with when the next window opens.
02.
How do I order a printed issue?
Use the form above with topic set to "Print subscription · order." We'll send a small order page back. Each printed issue is 14 €, shipped worldwide. If you cannot afford it, write to us anyway — about a sixth of our print run goes out free, no questions asked.
03.
Can I visit any of the places in the journal?
All of them are inside the Bohemian Switzerland National Park (České Švýcarsko) and are open to anyone on foot. We're happy to suggest routes, the better season to walk a particular gorge, or where to stay. Write to us and we'll send a hand-drawn map back.
04.
Will you share my message?
No. The form sends only to the four of us, and we don't add you to any list. We don't track who visits the site beyond rough country-level traffic, and we never sell or share addresses. We mean this.
05.
Can I just say hello?
Please do. About a third of the messages we receive are just letters — people telling us where they read the journal, what they noticed on a walk last weekend, the bird outside their window. These are our favourite messages. We answer them all.
"
A letter is a particular kind of walk — slower than speech, more careful than thought.”
— From the cabin notebook, March 2024
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