Cave wall with ancient handprints stencil art, featuring multiple white and reddish handprint silhouettes overlapping on a rough, reddish-brown surface.

Trace Fossil

/trās ˈfäsəl/

  • A fossil of a footprint, trail, burrow, or other trace of an animal rather than the animal itself.

  • The art in wake of the artist.

2026

Anthology

Trace Fossils Review’s
2026 Anthology highlights some
of our favorite pieces from the year.

Purchase the anthology

Trace Fossils Review’s 2026 Anthology highlights some of our favorite pieces from the year.

Purchase the anthology

Buzzcut

In August, Editor-in-Chief Ellie Reid sat down with Niamh Carmichael to discuss her debut novel, Root Stock. A collection of poetry and short fiction, Root Stock explores loss, connection, and coming-of-age through surreal narratives.

Read the interview

In August, Editor-in-Chief Ellie Reid sat down with Niamh Carmichael to discuss her debut novel, Root Stock. A collection of poetry and short fiction, Root Stock explores loss, connection, and coming-of-age through surreal narratives. It was published this past May.

Read the interview

Current Issue

Featured

A collage-style portrait of a person with long hair, created with various small pieces of paper, fabric, and other materials in a mosaic technique. The portrait features a frontal view with a neutral expression, and the background is filled with a colorful array of small fragments.

Lobular

Sheila Black | Poetry

A Transience

Benjamin Ficklin | Fiction

Abstract collage artwork created with torn paper, featuring bright colors like yellow, red, green, blue, and black, with layered textures and patterns.

Caterwaul

Casey McConahay | Fiction

A collage art piece with a portrait of a woman created using various small pieces of colored paper and magazine cutouts, with a focus on orange, black, and blue tones.

The Astronaut

Ambrielle Butler | Poetry

Abstract collage consisting of torn paper, magazine clippings, and painted elements, creating a textured, colorful composition with swirling patterns and layered materials.