The latest issue of Space and Time is uploaded to Amazon and waiting on their approval, so now it’s time to turn my attention to the next project: Shadow’s Lament by Ryan Aussie Smith.

Now this may seem like a familiar title to long time readers, and you’re not wrong. Ryan wrote this massive dark fantasy a few years ago.

Everything is edited, proofed and beta read. I used a ‘time saving’ layout program instead of my usual labor-intensive Quark… and that’s where it fell apart.

The layout program I used doesn’t allow for any customization, and it doesn’t fit Amazon’s criteria so it was back to the beginning for that.

Today we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary, and as my present, I am going to finish and publish Shadow’s Lament this week. Last week my plan was to get it finished and available by today, but 2020 seems to be a long line of tardy deadlines for me. We do what we can. Of course, I’ll be posting here when it’s available.

For his present, Ryan wrote me a beautiful poem about being married for ten years. He made it a rensaku, because I have been so into those lately. Don’t shoot me, but I included it in the just-finished issue of the magazine.

What made it an even better present is when he gave it to me I had just discovered a three-quarter page in the magazine that I’d left empty on accident. After about 30 hours of layout this past week, seeing that empty block took the wind out of my sails.

I was considering throwing in one of my own poems to fill the space, but that’s the last resort. As I considered my options, Ryan gave me the poem he wrote as a gift. Not only do I love it, but it solved a problem and saved me many tired brain cells. And I don’t have to pay him or get a contract—best present ever.

And here it is. You will also find it on page 82 of Space and Time issue #138, Autumn 2020.

By Angela Yuriko Smith

Angela Yuriko Smith is a third-generation Ryukyuan-American, award-winning poet, author, and publisher with 20+ years in newspapers. Publisher of Space & Time magazine (est. 1966), two-time Bram Stoker Awards® Winner, and HWA Mentor of the Year, she shares Authortunities, a free weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.

One thought on “Happy Anniversary, Mr. Smith! Shadow’s Lament”
  1. Ryan’s poem is a true BONUS to S&T — not to mention you, not to mention readers who appreciate fresh ways of saying “I love you” without the usual flowery lines.

    It’s just perfect! Thank you, Ryan and Angela, for sharing!

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