Fall Issue I
Foreword
War perfumes the air. The odor is so pervasive that even the young write about it. It shows up in their essays, their debates, their presentations. They use nouns like aggressor, violence, death; words taken from phrases overheard from the lips of parents and newscasters on television.
A year ago, submissions for the first issue of Samjoko Magazine arrived in our inbox from all over the world. COVID still raged then, around the globe and here in South Korea where thousands of new cases were announced every day. One of the more amazing aspects of this period of pandemic, however, was how, despite the illness and fear of contracting Coronavirus, life still went on.
Humans have to eat, so supermarkets were open, and at certain times during the day had long lines. Remote working was still the norm, yet those who could not work at home still had to commute, so busses and subways running during peak hours were still jam-packed with commuters. People still yearned to socialize, so restaurants had diners, though the hours were shortened; and bars still had drinkers, though the last call for the nation was 10pm.
Now, in November 2022, COVID has waned, or at least the government-enforced preventive measures have lessened. People walk around outside without masks, and social distance markers have been removed from floors. Yet as we take one step forward, we take two steps back, for heading into 2023, we are faced with new antagonists: winter’s cold, food shortages, and high gas prices. Around the world, preparation is being made for icy months and high heating bills because of the skyrocketing cost of energy. We can all hope that the weather will be mild, that the temperatures won’t drop below freezing for too long or too often.
Yet even as new threats loom, life goes on. Traffic still clogs highways, kids still play on the playground, the-most-important-elections-in-a-generation come and go, and a new issue of Samjoko Magazine is released.
For the Fall Issue I, there are six fiction writers, seven poets, and one nonfiction writer. Unlike the Sumer Issue, there is no central theme which ties many of the pieces together, though many of the narratives deal with how the past directly affects the present and future. We also have three Russian poems translated into English, and despite mild hesitation, we decided to publish them because they are good.
We hope readers enjoy the Fall Issue I of Samjoko Magazine. We are proud to have made it to a whole year of publishing fiction, poetry, essays, nonfiction, plays and screenplays from around the world.
We would also like to send a gentle reminder to those who are interested in publishing venues like this continuing to exist that we do have a Patreon, as well as Buy Us Coffee. We want to maintain this publication, but scope is limited by finances, and as of this Fall issue, we have not attracted financial support.
Finally, we would like to take a moment to say how sorry we are about the tragedy that happened in Itaewon, Seoul, for Halloween 2022. This deadly incidence, in which more than a 150 people lost their lives, is a reminder that time is short and can end at any moment. We can wish that the events of Saturday, October 29th, 2022, had unfolded differently, but ultimately, as humans, we must always remember (and be reminded) that we are not in control. We’re just along for the ride.
Thank you for reading, and enjoy the Fall Issue of Samjoko Magazine.
