"Here for the Newer Writers." A Chat with Angela Yuriko Smith, Editor of Space & Time Magazine
"The magazine is the orchestra."
Howdy, pals! I come with April’s first editor interview, freshly wrapped.
Today I had the delight of speaking with Angela Yuriko Smith, Editor of Space & Time Magazine.
Space and Time Magazine has been putting the best speculative fiction and poetry in ink for over five decades—a must-read for true fans of the strange and unusual. Readers can look forward to stories from the future stars of genre fiction intermingled with unique tales from pros like Jessica A. Salmonson, Norman Spinrad, Jack Ketchum, Aliette de Bodard, Jonathan Maberry, and more!
Whether you are new to the magazine, or have been with us since our inception five decades ago, we are proud to provide you with this source of great fantasy, horror, and science fiction.
As someone who has spent most of her adult life reading, submitting to and thinking about literary magazines, lately I’ve been eager to explore more of our cousins in the genre realms. I must know how the other half lives!
It was a treat to hear about the origins of Space & Time, wherein in 1966 Gordon Linzer began the magazine as a high school student, copying issues on his mimeograph machine. Some of the earliest issues were illustrated by Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS!
In 2018, Angela sent a story to the magazine and also noticed an announcement that the journal would be closing if it could not find a new owner. In 2019, she officially took over as owner and Editor-in-Chief. She thought she’d only be at the journal a little while. But she “fell in love.”
Today, the journal publishes “poetry, art and fiction that bend rules, transcend genre and break stereotypes.” (Their cover art is also a bit more appropriate for readers of today.)
What accounts for the journal’s longevity? In Angela’s view, the magazine has “its own soul;” “it wants to survive.” No doubt its stamina can also be attributed to Angela’s own dedication. (She recounted a period of eating at a food pantry in order to be able to keep financing the magazine and continue to pay contributors.)
What sort of work is Angela most interested in seeing? She mentioned a penchant for work with themes of resistance, fighting back, that “overthrow the status quo.” She likes to see stories that “could elicit change.”
However, nothing didactic please. The journal is not seeking “blatant political statements.” An example she used from a recent issue is a story where the writer addressed race relations through the lens of light. What if light were alive? What if it had a consciousness? Such questions as a story’s engine have a good chance of exciting these editors.
What sort of work does Angela tend to see a lot of? Based on the magazine’s name, I assumed time travel would be a big topic. As would parallel worlds, alternate dimensions. She said yes to all these. She also sees a lot of writing these days about questions of freedom and food scarcity.
With so many emergent technologies making strides of late, Angela said she’s been encountering more and more writers wishing to bridge the gap between literary writing and speculative. With that in mind, what advice would Angela offer such writers? How ought one begin to write more speculative work? How does she approach her own writing and submissions?
I found Angela’s answer to these questions quite interesting! And no, I’m not going to tell you what the answers were. For that, dear friends, you will have to tune in.
Submissions to Space & Time are open for just four weeks each year, two weeks in winter, two in summer. The next reading period begins July 15th. For fiction and poetry they want “Broken boundaries, blown minds and new horizons.”
Angela also maintains a Substack where she lists opportunities for writers. It’s called
.To everyone who came out today to participate, thank you for showing up! Your faces are the sweet hint of warmth on my unexpectedly cold April day.
And, of course, thank you to Angela for taking the time to take us behind the scenes of another lovely little magazine.
Happy viewing!
Views expressed by any editor do not necessarily reflect my own.
Thank you not only for taking the time out to give Space and Time a little spotlight among all the amazing lit mags you have covered, but also for what you do. It helps both the magazines and the writers... and together that makes better reading for everyone. We appreciate you!
I submitted what I consider my most upbeat story to Space and Time, and was criticized for using the word, "psycho", even though it was a response from an antagonist. I was also told that a reader said that the protagonist was "victimized again", even though she clearly ended up as the winner. Political correctness has got out of hand, and believable scenarios suffer from its consequences. Lighten up people. Really. If it is Hallmark Greeting card prose you are after, please state this in your guidelines.