THE DRIFT LITERARY MAGAZINE – FALL 2026

The Drift Magazine – The latest issue features an editors’ note on contemporary democracy, an interview with Marion Nestle regarding food industry oversight, a report on postliberal Budapest, and analytical essays on regional strategies and political momentum.

From the Editors

Editors’ Note​ | Democracy Now

The Editors

“Nobody Is Minding the Store”​ | An Interview with Marion Nestle

The Drift Editors

Front Lines

The Last Days of the Danube Institute​ | A Report from Postliberal Budapest

Brian Goodman

Everything in Moderation​ | Tech Fiction’s Discontents

Lora Kelley

Brothers in Arms​ | On the UAE’s Israel Model

Séamus Malekafzali

Home Front

Save Yourself​ | Secular Celibacy Gets Trendy

Saliha Bayrak

Socialists in Office​ | NYC-DSA Is Put to the Test

Piper French

Broken Records​ | Hollywood’s Music Biopic Formula

Hanson O’Haver

Fiction

The Visitor​ | Fiction

Lily Felsenthal

Unlike Things​ | Fiction

Henri Lipton

Abracadabra​ | Fiction

Chidima Anekwe

Pacific​ | Fiction

Ismail Ibrahim

Poetry

The Only Visit​ | Poetry

Ben Purkert

Year of the No-Talk Rule​ | Poetry

Sam Bailey

Reminiscing Yongsan​ | Poetry

Park Soran

Hermione Granger​ | Poetry

Lev Xue

“I wanted to like sports radio”​ | Poetry

grace (ge) gilbert

Self-Evaluation​ | Poetry

Rosanna Young Oh

How to Build a Chair​ | Poetry

Steve Roberts

Dispatches

Into the Funhouse Mirror​​ | Anonymous A.I. Confessional

Former Marketer at a Product Management FirmHollywood ScreenwriterIvy League Literature ProfessorIvy League PostdocLiterary AgentMagazine Editor and WriterNew York Times Best-selling AuthorNews ReporterPhD Student in HistoryProminent NovelistPsychiatry FellowSoftware Engineer at a Big Five Tech companyUnemployed AnthropologistUnion Organizer

THE NEW YORK TIMES – TUESDAY, SEPT. 15, 2026

Trump’s Effort to Control Elections Pushes Ahead Despite Court Loss

The Supreme Court blocked President Trump’s plan to restrict voting by mail, but his fight to assert control over the election process is far from finished.

With Trump’s Plans Blocked, States Work to Restore Trust in Voting by Mail

Efforts to restrict mail voting ahead of the midterms were thwarted by the Supreme Court, but they have sowed confusion among some voters.

Key U.S. Borrowing Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing

The 10-year Treasury yield breached levels last seen in 2007, with intensifying worries about energy-driven inflation contributing to investors’ angst.

Gulf Arab States Explore New Options as U.S. Bases Fail to Deter Iran

The American presence in these countries has not shielded them from retaliation during the Iran war. Now they are hoping direct talks with Iran could help.

Houthis Report Deadly Saudi Airstrikes as Kingdom Issues Mass Alerts

The two sides traded accusations of attacks as fighting inside Yemen remains fierce. The escalating conflict threatens to further destabilize the Middle East.