The Masthead

Every story on TIN 356 carries a byline, and every byline on this launch edition is a pen name. They are fictional personas that give each desk a consistent voice while the real team and contributor network take shape. We are telling you this directly, because a masthead is supposed to be a statement of fact, and we want ours to be one.

The launch-edition desk

• Elena Rostova: Editor-in-Chief. Sets standards, writes about media habits and the newsroom's own process.
• Marcus Vance: Design & Culture. Covers interface design, colour, typography and visual culture.
• Sofia Chen: Tech & Hardware. Writes about devices, making and small-scale manufacturing.
• Alex Rivera: Tech & AI. Covers models, tools and platform choices for builders.
• Jesse Rivera: Creator Life. Looks at cooperatives, ownership and independent publishing.
• Maya Lindqvist: Features. Longer, slower pieces on culture, community and attention.
• Kenji Takahashi: Synthetic Media. Writes about generated imagery, creative tooling and consent.
• Chloe Zhang: Creator Life. Covers solo studios, products and the working lives of makers.
• Liam Wong: Audio & Field. Field notes, remote reporting and the planned Audio Dispatch.
• Maya Lin-Sanchez: Startups. Covers micro-founders, bootstrapping and early-stage strategy.

What "pen name" means here

A pen name on this site is a persona used by the editorial team during launch. It does not refer to a real individual, and nothing in a story is attributed to a real person under these names. We do not publish photographs of them, and the circular initials you see beside bylines are simply initials. If you see a portrait on any page, it is concept artwork and not a photograph of a staff member.

Why we do it this way

Launching a magazine takes time, and we preferred to build structure, standards and an archive before recruiting a team. Pen names let us organise the desks and give readers a sense of who covers what, without implying a staff that does not yet exist. It is a design decision with an honest label, not an attempt to impersonate anyone.

How real contributors will be credited

When real writers, editors and artists join, they will appear here under their own names, with their roles and any relevant disclosures. Their work will carry their real bylines. Where we convert an existing launch-edition story to a human byline, we will note the change on the story. Contributors will control how their name and image are used.

Accountability

The Editor-in-Chief role is responsible for everything we publish, under the Editorial Code. Corrections and complaints go to [email protected], a placeholder address that will be confirmed before full launch.

Join the desk

We do not have open roles. If you would like to be considered for a future residency or to pitch a piece, read the Open Residencies and Submit a Story pages.