About this Issue

Dear Readers,

In early October last year, an exciting email landed in our inboxes: Young Inklings was planning to launch a Zine for the Inklings community, and the youth leaders were to play a major role in shaping that Zine!  During our subsequent IMAT and YAB sessions, we formed the Zine team and got to work.

We chose the name In the Margins because this publication is dedicated to the fragments, the footnotes, and the almost-erased lines—the stories that exist just outside the center. We were seeking writing and art that lingers in the margins, both formally and emotionally.

After much discussion, our editorial board chose Puzzle Pieces as our inaugural theme, inviting the writers and artists to interpret it in any way they liked. Maybe the characters were literally solving a puzzle or maybe the protagonist felt like they really didn’t belong. The response was incredible. You’ll find fascinating takes on the theme throughout these pages, including Gavin Liu’s intriguing poem, “Stretched Trapezoids,” and Naomi Pond’s unique piece, “7 or 8 things I know about him.”

Once submissions closed, our youth leaders reviewed every piece, commenting on each one. We then chose to review one or two pieces that we specifically enjoyed and wanted to work on. For those pieces we wrote editorial letters, and worked with the author to get their piece completely ready for publication.

Soon, it was time to decide the layout. We decided to pair pieces that complemented each other, like pieces from a jigsaw puzzle. Each section also starts with a reflection by the editor who reviewed those pieces and “puzzled them together.” This Zine is unique in that aspect, too. You will hear straight from the editor about the connections between their chosen pieces, and what they liked best about them.

To enhance the reading experience, our team also curated a playlist and a set of creative prompts for you to continue experimenting and engaging with the theme.

On behalf of the entire team, we invite you to enter the margins with us, and behold the faint footnotes and forgotten fragments.

Enjoy the issue!
From your In the Margins Zine editorial team

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