An Interview with the New Publisher & Editor-in-Chief of Space and 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.

In 2016, Space and Time Magazine celebrated its fiftieth anniversary of continuous publication. Only two years later in 2019, the magazine was in danger of closing its doors when Angela Yuriko Smith decided to take the reins and continue publication.

I remember Space and Time from my own High School days, when founder and long-time editor Gordon Linzner was still publishing. I was pleased, therefore, when the opportunity presented itself to interview Angela and learn about her reasons for taking on the challenge of continuing the Space and Time legacy.

Question: Angela, you're a former news journalist; you have 20 books and two collections of poetry to your credit, and you've taught creative writing. What attracted you to the idea of being a publisher and editor? And why take over Space and Time specifically?

Answer: I've been in love with the idea of publishing a magazine since I saw my first underground publication back in 9th grade at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. It was called A Wrench in the Monkeyworks, and it was an edgy bit of photocopied collage and badly typed articles. I was impressed with the concept. Anyone with a handful of change for the photocopier could publish! I didn't do anything along those lines until much later when I started a newsletter for our neighborhood, but the seed was planted.

When the self-publishing market busted wide open I became obsessed with learning all I could about creating books. My first lesson was End of Mae. I broke all the rules only to find out, when I received my print copy, why some rules shouldn't be broken.

I learned the hard way that 14-sized font is far too large. A few years after that I wound up as an editorial assistant for a weekly newspaper—The Bay Beacon in Niceville, Florida. This was the first time I'd done anything besides just write the stories. The publisher was a demanding and required me to learn how to do just about every job in the place. It was tough, but I loved it. I probably use something I learned from that experience every day, even now. When I retired, I started my own online local paper just for fun. I had a reporter and we covered local arts events but after a year I had it out of my system and was ready to focus on my own work.

Last fall I happened to run across former publisher Hildy Silverman's announcement that Space and Time would cease publication if no one would step up to keep it going. I debated about it for a week before I sent Hildy a message. I wanted to be careful not to bite off more than I could handle, and the magazine's reputation scared me. I don't want to go down in S&T history as the person that ruined the legacy!

In the end, it came down to a question of being selfish. I'd gotten spoiled with having sporadic, self-imposed deadlines. Taking over the magazine meant production schedules, paperwork and press releases. In the end, I knew I would regret it if I let 52 years of publishing history pass away because I didn't want to be inconvenienced. Lucky for me, the magazine came with an amazing staff. It didn't take me long to realize that it's the people behind the scenes that have given this publication such a soul. Now that we are on the verge of the next issue, my first with S&T, I am giddy with excitement again. I may as well be back in that high school lunchroom holding my first copy of Monkeyworks.

Question: Do you have a new direction for Space and Time, or certain themes you would like your authors to explore? Will you tend toward the darker side of things?

Answer: Space and Time already has her personality and spirit well established, and I respect that. She began, and remains, a venue for new and established authors to explore their creativity beyond market norms. We want what's different—the beginning of a trope before it's a trope. We look for fiction and poetry that challenges the horizon and breaks new ground.

As far as moving the magazine towards the darker side of things, no. I have three excellent main editors (Gerard Houarner for fiction, Linda D. Addison for poetry and our Art Goddess Diane Weinstein) that comb patiently through our submissions along with a team of readers. I trust their judgement and expertise, and while I may prefer the darker stories, I'm not the magazine. It will be a staff wide decision if we do.

Question: One of the most unexpected experiences we had starting DreamForge was that so many of the submissions were good. The practical reality of budgeting meant we could only publish 10% or less of what was submitted, so we turned away some fine work. What is your experience as an editor so far?

Answer: The same. Our first submission period brought in over a hundred pieces in just a few days. Too many excellent stories is a great problem to have, but it really did make it tough to decide. Lucky for me, again my editorial team took the bulk of it—Gerard is a champion! I had the much easier task of sifting through finalists. I still took on too many to fit in our print version, so we will be offering bonus material in our digital subscription.

Question: We have some young associates who tell us the pendulum is swinging back a bit toward print, as long as it's a high-quality production. We have both an online and print version of the magazine, and so far our experience is that the majority of our subscribers want print. What are your thoughts?

Answer: Print is still king in my experience. I think print has a few benefits that digital just can't compete with. There's the sense of ownership, for one. You can't get your Kindle signed by your favorite author. It's harder to share ebooks and many people really enjoy the tactile experience of physical publications. I am a digital reader myself. I love the convenience and efficiency of having a library in my phone. I can read in the dark. It's always there when I want it and I never lose my place... but even l still buy paper books and magazines sometimes.

Question: We have a suspicion there is a young SF and Fantasy generation that doesn't even know the old guard magazines (Analog, Asimov's, F&SF) exist, or that there are any such publications. Do you think that's true, and if so, how do we reach them?

Answer: I think social media is a key element, but it's more difficult than just throwing up a post on Instagram/Facebook/Twitter. We have to spend time noting the trends and staying current. I think it helps to get the younger generation on board with that. I lucked out because I have a younger friend, Chelsea Hunter, that volunteered to head up a street team and take photos for social media. She's gathered a team to visit local open mics, books stores, coffee shops and similar venues to share our magazine. They are brilliant, and way more hip than I can be. I think I just dated myself by saying "hip."

Question: Do you think Social Media can be useful in getting the message out and attracting new magazine readers?

Answer: Definitely. Social media has changed the way we do everything. It certainly has its downside— anything, can be misused and overused. To not take advantage of social media is the modern equivalent of sitting on a mountain top waiting for someone to climb up to seek your wisdom. You are going to have low traffic.

I think the best way to use social media is regularly and with care. It's ineffective to maintain silence and then shoot 100 spammy posts out into the void only to go quiet again. Social media is about building relationships. Like a friendship it takes regular, noninvasive contact to build trust and mutual admiration. I consider social media a major asset in our tool box, and I am a huge fan of a social and professional life I can maintain in my pajamas.

Question: Tell us about your latest writing project outside of Space and Time? What are you working on?

Answer: When I found out Bitter Suites was a 2018 Bram Stoker Awards® finalist, finishing the next book became my biggest priority. Fortunately, I was already well into it, but my enthusiasm shot way up.

Aside from that I'm getting ready to release my next poetry collection, Altars and Oubliettes, in April and a new collection of short stories due out in May. I'm also helping my husband release his first book, Shadow's Lament by R. A. Smith. The fact that his first book is a 100K word achievement while my books tend to be compact hasn't affected our relationship at all. I am a horror author. If I get mad, I will just have him murdered... in my next, compact book.

You can learn more about the history of Space and Time Magazine as well as Angela Yuriko Smith’s new adventure as its owner and publisher at www.spaceandtimemagazine.net.