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Mark Taylor

@markiswrit.ing

Manchester-based fiction writer, bee enthusiast, father and nincompoop. 🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://social.markiswrit.ing/@mark, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

232 Posts11 Follower1 Folgt
Mark Taylor@markiswrit.ing · 4w ago

This old sign at Manchester Victoria is beautiful and should be retained, but it's also extremely disappointing, so the information centre should stock a small number of books or at least a little library.

Blue and gold mosaic sign reading "Bookstall" over a train station information centre.
Mark Taylor@markiswrit.ing · 4w ago

Reasonably confident that the sync to my music player has gone wrong, but if not, I'm intrigued by Paris Paloma's decision to cut to a double-speed Divine Comedy track halfway through her new album

Mark Taylor@markiswrit.ing · last mo.

The importance of brand voice: I would have spotted that this was phishing sooner if I trusted Tesco not to write something as weird as "which can be redeemed for exquisite gifts".

Dear Customer, This is a routine update regarding your Clubcard statement. You have 3,347 points expiring tomorrow, which can be redeemed for exquisite gifts. You can check your vouchers online anytime via your browser or the app. View Statement
Mark Taylor@markiswrit.ing · 2mo ago

This week's @scattering is about anxiously grasping. Plus, microfiction about holding hot coals, kids being dicks, not finding bugs, and running out of ideas for the dystopia. https://www.scattering.ink/2026/08/hand-and-fist/ #fiction #microfiction #writing

Hand and Fist

This week, I have been camping on the beautiful shores of Ullswater. At such times I imagine myself sat quietly by the lake, getting lots of writing done. In reality, of course, I find myself heating tinned rice pudding in the pelting rain, and looking at the many fine dogs

scattering.ink

Mark Taylor@markiswrit.ing · 2mo ago

This is delightful on its own terms but I also appreciate how it creates the impression the whole website is about things that are large https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2026/08/grace-baldwin-giant-junk-drawer-sculpture/

# Sift Through Grace Baldwin’s Giant Junk Drawer Filled with Nostalgia August 20, 2026 ArtCraft Kate Mothes * Share * Pin * Email * Copy * __Bookmark We all have one, or at least some version of it: the junk drawer. Mine is a jumble of charging cables, old nails, a lanyard, matchbooks, a few key rings, scissors, an expired bottle of vitamins, every Allen wrench from every IKEA shelf I ever assembled, a few rubber bands, and frankly, who knows what else at this point. For artist Grace Baldwin, the junk drawer is a repository of memories and nostalgia, where common items end up in a place that’s simultaneously accessible and out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Lately, she’s been constructing a lifelike one at a monumental scale, drawer and all. “I typically create giant nostalgic but functional pieces, mostly through woodworking,” Baldwin tells Colossal. “I’ve been trying to branch out and utilize other materials more often and expand my creative ability. This project has given me the ability to do exactly that.” A Pink Pearl eraser is suitably smudged, a Blockbuster Video membership card sits in a plastic sleeve, and a half-used roll of Tums rolls around amid a slew of other realistic objects. Baldwin began with inspiration from her own junk drawer. As she shared her progress on social media, viewers began sharing random objects hiding in theirs, and it morphed into something of a virtual collaboration. “A lot of the suggestions overlapped with my original list, which was a fun reminder that junk drawers are surprisingly universal.” The first object Baldwin created was a giant pair of corded earbuds, and she began adding a few items each day. The relatability of the concept really speaks to her, not only because the objects are common and recognizable but because they are so lifelike, even at a blown-up scale. The artist credits the project with changing her outlook on making, material experimentation, and the power of detail. “At this point, I plan to keep adding things until it feels right,” she says. In addition to working on some larger objects to add so that the remaining space can be filled with more small items, she’s thinking about what comes next. “I really am hoping to find somewhere to display it once it is finished,” she says. “Maybe even leaving the possibility of the items remaining loose in it so that they can be rummaged through. I think there will be so many fun details to find hidden in the layers of ‘junk.'” Follow Baldwin’s piece-by-piece progress on Instagram. **Do stories and artists like this matter to you?** Become a Colossal Member now, and support independent arts publishing. * Hide advertising * Save your favorite articles * Get 15% off in the Colossal Shop * Receive members-only newsletter * Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms ### Join us today! $7/month $75/year Explore membership options Previous article Next article

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