“To be alive is to be responsible.”
— Marguerite Duras
Orientation
MARGINS — 2026
I’m eight months into building this space, and what continues to surprise me is how much it still asks of me.
The writers who pass through MARGINS do not arrive to be admired. They arrive carrying questions they cannot set down yet. Their work stretches my thinking, unsettles my certainties, and reminds me that language is not something we use. It is something we stand inside, sometimes longer than we meant to.
That is the energy I am following into 2026.
Witness has been the foundation. It remains necessary. But on its own, it is no longer sufficient. Language reveals more than we intend. It exposes the places we hesitate, the loyalties we have not fully examined, the fears quietly organizing our intelligence.
This year, MARGINS stays close to that exposure.
Writers are selected as I encounter the work. There is no submission call. No advance notice. Those included are unaware of their selection until a Drop goes live. This is intentional. Foreknowledge changes posture. Attention shifts. The work begins to perform. I want the writing as it was written, not as it would be shaped to arrive here.
Each Drop will hold five pieces. No more. No less. Not to limit abundance, but to protect attention. To give each voice room to breathe and each reader space to feel what is actually being said.
I am not looking for writing that resolves. I am drawn to writing that stays. That lets meaning arrive slowly. That allows both the writer and the reader to be altered in the process.
MARGINS Drop 12 arrives this week, and it carries that spirit clearly. These five pieces pushed me. They reminded me why I began this in the first place. If this is how the year opens, I’m grateful for the company we’re keeping and curious about what we’ll learn together by staying close to the work.
If you are here, you’re already part of this. Bring your care. Bring your patience. Bring your willingness to be surprised.
That is more than enough.
MARGINS highlights voices shaping the contemporary canon—writers, artists, and thinkers who expand what language can hold.
This feature is part of MARGINS, an ongoing series dedicated to literary craft, witness, and the politics of imagination.
To engage or contribute, write to taylorallynofficial@gmail.com or follow UNSPUN for future features.
Every word here is researched, written, and sharpened by one person—me. If you value work that names what others won’t, consider becoming a paid subscriber. It keeps this space independent, and it keeps pieces like this possible.
Amazing