Ahhh Fall, Autumn, my favorite time of the year. The nights grow longer, the air grows cooler, the trees display their colors and then shed their leaves. It heralds the holidays. For me, that always starts with Halloween, my favorite of the holidays. Spooky season is when I feel the most creative and the most cordial. I actively seek out my people during this time of year to commiserate, celebrate, plot and play.

This issue our featured article is about the artist DS Thornburg. His work is perfectly suited for this time of year as it’s rich with meaning and you might call his work “dark,” but that’s only the outer layer. His images reveal a lot, not all of it contained within the art.

Glenda Benevides brings us and article on the Dark Night of the Soul, Chris Herren serves up a story about a special train line, Anderson Routh talks about patterns, we have interviews with authors, and we have a few more bits of fiction, including one call Down Below made just for this season of spookiness.

We want to feature remarkable people, compelling stories, thoughtful essays, photography, music, literature, and the many creative expressions that make life richer. We’re gonna try some things that nail that and we’ll likely swing and miss a few, too. That’s all part of a realistic process of growth and adaptation. Our goal is that Pageant remains committed to something timeless: the pleasure of reading and discovery.

In every era, culture is shaped by those who care enough to explore it, celebrate it, and contribute to it.

We invite you to do exactly that. Welcome to the Fall 2026 Pageant Magazine.

Contributors in this issue: DS Thornburg, Glenda Benevides, Jennifer Lieberman, Chris Herren, Gene Williams, Sean Caldwell, Anderson Routh, Holly B Gutwilinger, Maria Gallucci, Sandy Malone, Terrance Niedziela Jr., Kristine Jensen, Ashdeep K Toor, JM Shaw, A-M Mawhiney, Dwayne Brenna, Joel McKay, Mandy Eve Barnett, Tricia Copeland, Seth Voorhees, Alan R Warren and Michael Hawley.