Foreword
As Samjoko Magazine enters its fourth year in publishing, we are reminded of a story told in the Bible. We had to google exactly how the parable went as we’re no longer overly familiar with Biblical text. The incident happens in Luke 21:11-4. Jesus is sitting nearby a temple, and he sees rich people put their gifts into the temple treasury. Then he observes a poor widow put in two small copper coins, and Jesus commences to say, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of wealth, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
Of course, running a small digital magazine should not consume all of one’s living expenses, but it is true that operating a publishing venue requires a non-trivial amount of time and money that could go towards other matters. We feel that it’s easy to write off a publishing credit to a small magazine. This is unfortunate, for unlike large publishing venues that have advertising dollars, donors and staff, small publications are generally run by maybe two or three people. These individuals pay for production expenses out of their own pockets, as usually no financial support manifests (the number one reason publishing venues close shop being lack of funds). And the time spent on running the publication is given in spite of other pressing concerns, such as work, family and friends.
A publication may be small, but for those who operate them, it is a large endeavor taken on in the spirit of giving writers a chance to have their work discovered by a wider audience.
As usual, we ask that anyone who would like to support us to visit our Patreon or Buy Us Coffee. We would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our sole two patrons throughout the last four years: Lowkey World and B&B Trade Winds in Taiwan We sincerely appreciate your support.
Enjoy the Fall Issue III 2024 of Samjoko Magazine.
