Where This Started

Urban Graffiti has history.

The name was first brought to life in Edmonton, Canada, by a writer named Mark McCawley — a man who believed that the most vital literature of his time was being ignored by publishers who preferred safe, institutional writing. He built a print litzine, then a blog, and over more than a decade published poets, fiction writers, visual artists, and musicians who had something real to say and no approved platform to say it from.

Mark died in April 2016. He left behind a body of work that proved his instinct right: the underground has always been where culture is made.

This site continues in that spirit.

What We Are Now

Urban Graffiti today is a full-spectrum urban culture magazine — expanded from its literary roots to cover the full landscape of creative life in cities:

  • Street art & graffiti culture
  • Urban photography & visual storytelling
  • Poetry, literary arts & spoken word
  • Hip-hop & urban music culture
  • City culture & urban life

We kept the name because it earns it. Graffiti is not decoration. It is communication — direct, public, unauthorised, and often more honest than anything printed in an approved space.

That is the spirit we operate with.

Our Editorial Values

We platform the underplatformed.
We focus on street artists, poets, photographers, and creators who are shaping culture outside traditional institutions.

We write with honesty.
Urban culture is not sanitized. It is raw, political, emotional, and real — and we reflect that truth.

We are community, not gatekeepers.
We accept global submissions. Culture does not belong to one city or one industry.

We respect the legacy.
Street art, hip-hop, and urban literature all have deep roots — and we treat them with cultural respect, not trend-based coverage.

Our Mission

Urban Graffiti exists because mainstream culture consistently undervalues creative work happening outside approved systems.

For decades:

  • Graffiti writers were criminalized while galleries sold similar work for millions
  • Poets were ignored because they didn’t fit academic systems
  • Street photographers were told their subjects were “not important”
  • Hip-hop artists built global industries from underground beginnings

We reject that hierarchy.

Our mission is to document, celebrate, and amplify creative work from the edges — work that carries risk, truth, and human experience.

We are not neutral observers.

We are advocates for the artists who make cities alive.

What We Cover (Full Editorial Scope)

🎨 Street Art & Graffiti Culture

We cover global graffiti movements, muralism, tagging culture, stencil art, and street art as a legitimate visual language — not vandalism, but communication.

We explore cities like:
São Paulo, Berlin, Karachi, New York, Nairobi, London, and beyond.

📷 Urban Photography

Cities are complex visual ecosystems.

We publish:

  • Street photography
  • Urban decay photography
  • Night city photography
  • Photo essays from global photographers

We help photographers see the extraordinary inside the ordinary.

✍️ Literary Arts & Poetry

Urban Graffiti continues its literary roots by publishing:

  • Poetry
  • Short fiction
  • Personal essays
  • Spoken word
  • Experimental writing

We prioritise honest, raw, and emotionally real work.

🎵 Hip-Hop & Urban Music Culture

Hip-hop began on the streets — not in studios.

We cover:

  • MCing, DJing, breakdancing, graffiti (the 4 elements)
  • Underground music scenes
  • Global hip-hop movements
  • Regional cultural evolution

🌆 City Culture & Urban Life

Cities are living systems.

We explore:

  • Architecture and identity
  • Street food and culture
  • Subcultures (skaters, writers, punks, creatives)
  • Gentrification and cultural change
  • Urban lifestyle and community

Featured Editorial Vision (From Homepage Strategy)

Urban Graffiti is not just a publication — it is a cultural lens.

We believe:

  • Culture is not observed, it is lived
  • The street is the most honest gallery
  • Real creativity happens outside institutions
  • Cities shape identity, art, and expression

Every piece we publish reflects that philosophy.

Featured Content Direction

We publish stories like:

🎨 Street Art
The Wall That Divided a City — and the Art That Brought It Back Together

📷 Urban Photography
Shooting the Invisible: How Street Photographers Capture What Cities Hide

✍️ Poetry
Poetry From the Pavement: Voices Writing the Cities We Live In

🎵 Hip-Hop
From the Block to the World: How Underground Scenes Become Global Movements

Join the Movement

Urban Graffiti is not just read — it is built by contributors.

We are actively looking for:

  • Street artists
  • Writers & poets
  • Photographers
  • Music writers

If you create work rooted in urban life, this is your platform.

👉 Submit your work via the Contact page

Why Urban Graffiti Exists (Vision Layer)

We are building more than a website.

We are building:

  • A global urban culture archive
  • A creator-first publication system
  • A platform for underground voices
  • A long-term cultural record of cities

Final Statement

The streets are full of stories.

Most of them are never published.

Urban Graffiti exists to change that