Meet AAU’s New Student Literary and Art Magazine: Margins

This semester marked the launch of a new club at AAU, Margins Magazine, dedicated to showcasing AAU’s creativity, from sketches, to poetry, to ceramics, to short stories, and beyond, and publishing each semester. The executive team—Genevieve, Ander, Hadley, Herta and Laura—saw an outlet for artists missing and decided to forge one themselves. 

“So many people partake in creative endeavors such as poetry, photography, writing and visual art, and there was no real outlet for it at our university,” said Ander who is the co-president with Laura. 

“Many students who major in International Relations, Journalism or even Business studies, despite choosing a different career, have many artistic tendencies. Having a place to exercise this freedom with no judgement was one of our main motivations,” added Laura.

Margins operates a collaborative, student-run editorial and production process, collecting submissions from members across the AAU community. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to submit their work, regardless of experience. They meet weekly to plan and create the zine, experiment, get to know each other, and share ideas.

The team launched their zine club and their first print edition this Spring 2026 semester. Each member brought their own experience and knowledge to the table from high school publication and club leadership expertise, writing and artistic prowess, to administration —not to mention all the amazing submissions from the AAU community.

Image provided by Margins Magazine

“What surprised me most was the emotional depth and vulnerability people brought to their pieces. Our theme, Home, gave people permission to go somewhere deeply personal. While going through submissions I kept encountering this raw honesty about belonging, about home, about nostalgia and displacement. To me, those are feelings that are hard to articulate but that people had somehow translated into their work so precisely,” said Ander.

Genevieve, co-founder and co-president in Spring 2026, emphasized how much support they received from peers, staff, and other clubs, like Lennon Wall and the Art Club. AAU provides a track for students to create their own clubs, but it is not easy: students must find five interested members, complete an application with information about the club and its administration, and attend a Student Council vote to approve the club.

“I hope that Margins continues for future classes and artists to enjoy, ideally forever,” Genevieve said.

“I hope it becomes something students think of instinctively when they finish a piece they’re proud of! I want Margins to be the place they want to showcase it. More than anything, I hope the heart of it stays the same: a space that takes student work seriously and treats creativity as something worth preserving and celebrating,” Ander and Laura added. 

How can you get involved? Check out Margins’ updates on AAU’s Weekly Bulletin as well as on Instagram where you can also join the WhatsApp group. Look around campus for posters to stay in the loop. Two executive team members are graduating, so reach out by email if you think you have what it takes to help lead and grow this magazine! 

Lastly and most importantly: submit your work for the rewarding chance to see it in print and watch out for the new theme drop at the start of the new semester. Content accepted: Prose, Short Stories, Personal Essays, Poetry, Nonfiction, Commentaries, Recipes; Sketches, Paintings, Ceramics, Photography, Graphic design, Multi-media, Comics.

“Celebrating what’s created in the margins.”