Sidenotes in the margin
A block style on paragraphs, quotes, images, lists and groups. Pure CSS: no JavaScript, no layout shift, and an honest fallback that puts the note back in the column on a narrow screen.
★ Free block theme
Marginalia — a WordPress theme for writers, built around the margin.
A free WordPress theme for writers, essayists and anyone whose site is mostly words. Notes sit in the margin beside the sentence that prompted them instead of at the foot of the page. The archive is an index rather than a card grid, so a post list reads well with no images at all. Four style variations, ten patterns, six typefaces served from your own site — and not one plugin required.
4style variations
0axe accessibility issues
WP 7.1tested up to
Overview
What this WordPress theme for writers does.
Almost every block theme for blogs is the default theme with different colours: one centred column, a grid of cards, and a featured image doing all the visual work. Marginalia is built for sites that are mostly text, so it puts the page's second voice where a book puts it — in the margin.
Give any paragraph, quote, image, list or group the Sidenote block style and it moves out beside the text it follows, where it can be read without leaving the line you are on. Narrow the window and it steps back into the column with a rule down its left edge. Nothing is hidden, nothing is numbered and nothing has to be clicked.
Who it is for
Who this minimal WordPress blog theme is for.
It suits a particular kind of site very well and others not at all. Worth knowing which you are before you download.
Essayists and long-form writers
If your posts run to a thousand words and carry asides, references and second thoughts, the margin is where those belong. The reading column is set to a comfortable measure and you can narrow or widen it in one setting.
Newsletter writers with an archive
The index lists every piece by date, title and subject on one hairline-ruled row. It reads like the contents of a book and needs no featured images, which is how most writing archives actually look.
Researchers, critics and note-takers
A sidenote costs the reader nothing to reach, so you can afford to write more of them. No footnote markers to chase, no tooltips to hover, no accordions to open.
Not for shops or heavy landing pages
There is no WooCommerce styling, no slider, no mega menu and no page-builder integration. If you need those, one of the big multipurpose themes will serve you better than this one.
Sidenotes
From download to your first sidenote, in four steps.
No setup wizard, no demo import and no plugin to install first.
38rem
default measure, about 68 characters
0
external requests
1.1 MB
whole theme, fonts included
Compare
Marginalia vs a typical multipurpose blog theme.
Not better at everything — better at one thing, and honest about the rest.
One idea, not forty demos
Multipurpose themes import dozens of demo sites and hundreds of options, most of which you delete. This one ships eight templates and ten patterns, all for the same kind of site.
Variations that actually differ
A style variation here changes the typeface, the type scale, the spacing rhythm and the rule weight — not the palette with everything else held still.
Free, with nothing held back
No Pro version, no locked patterns, no licence key and no annual renewal. GPLv2, the whole thing.
Nothing to install alongside it
No companion plugin, no page builder and no framework. If you switch away later, your posts are still ordinary core blocks.
Screenshots
What this WordPress theme for writers looks like.
Price
Free. All of it.
Marginalia
Free
The whole theme. No Pro version exists.
- Eight templates
- Four style variations
- Ten patterns
- Sidenote, Index, Grid and Rail block styles
- Six bundled typefaces
- Appearance → Marginalia settings
- GPLv2 or later
Built for you
Quoted
We set it up, move your posts across and write the patterns you need.
- Theme installed and configured
- Content migrated
- Custom patterns
- Accessibility pass
- Training call
Custom design
Let’s talk
A theme of your own, built the way this one was.
- Design from scratch
- Block theme, no page builder
- Your typefaces, bundled
- Accessibility built in
- Handed over as GPL
GPLv2 or later. Use it on as many sites as you like, change anything you want, and keep whatever you build with it.
Changelog
Release history.
-
1.0.0
First release. Eight templates, four style variations, ten patterns and the Sidenote, Index list, Grid and Rail block styles. No axe violations across six page types in all four variations, and every text colour at 4.5:1 or better on its background. Six typefaces bundled and served from your own site.
How do I make a sidenote?
Select a paragraph, quote, image, list or group in the editor, open the Styles tab in the block sidebar and choose Sidenote. On a screen wider than 1100 pixels the block moves into the margin beside the text it follows; below that it returns to the column with a rule down its left edge.
Do I need a plugin?
No. The theme uses core blocks only. It adds no custom post types and no shortcodes, and it does not recommend or bundle anything. If you switch themes later your posts are still ordinary blocks.
Is it really free?
Yes, GPLv2 or later, with no Pro version and nothing held back. Use it on as many sites as you like.
Does it load Google Fonts?
No. All six typefaces are inside the theme and served from your own domain, so no request leaves your site to fetch them. Each one is licensed under the SIL Open Font License and its licence ships beside it.
What are the four style variations?
Marginalia, the default, is Newsreader on warm paper with hairline rules. Press is a newspaper: condensed Archivo headlines, heavy black rules, one red. Terminal is IBM Plex Mono throughout on near-black with amber. Letter is Fraunces and Literata on cream with generous leading. Switch between them in Appearance → Editor → Styles.
Can I keep notes in the column on every screen?
Yes. Appearance → Marginalia → Sidenotes → Always in the column. The same screen also sets the line length, whether post lists are an index or a grid, the drop cap, and whether links are underlined while you read.
Does it work with a page builder?
It is a block theme, so it is built for the WordPress site editor rather than for Elementor or Beaver Builder. If you want an Elementor theme from us, Consultation Booking is one.
Is it accessible?
It is built to be: a skip link, visible focus, reduced-motion support, and every text colour at 4.5:1 or better against its background. Automated testing with axe-core finds no violations across six page types in all four variations. The accessibility-ready tag is not claimed, because that carries a stricter manual audit we have not put it through.
How do I see it before I commit to it?
Install it alongside whatever you run now and use Appearance → Themes → Live Preview. Nothing changes on your live site until you press Activate, and the screenshots above are all taken from the theme itself rather than from a mock-up.
Which WordPress version does it need?
WordPress 6.6 or newer and PHP 7.4 or newer. It is tested up to WordPress 7.1.