Cherry blossoms in Asia dispel the memories of a gray winter. White buds appear in withered branches to cover trees that have been slumbering since fall. The bloom lasts only three weeks in April, but the flowers symbolize the survival of yet another blustery season and leave an indelible impression on the peoples of Korea, Japan, and other areas where the cherry blossoms proliferate.
I can only imagine how important this representation of renewal was in the past, as cherry blossom festivals are a common sight throughout Asia.
The Spring 2022 release of Samjoko Magazine is a literary blooming of narratives and ideas. Fiction, nonfiction, poems and plays poured in from all over the world between January and April. The task of reviewing this deluge conjured to mind the difficulty of sustaining a magazine from month to month. Producing the inaugural winter issue was an exciting endeavor, the newness of the experience making the labor feel like play.
When submissions reopened for Issue #2 in mid-January, the excitement had worn off, the tone of the process changing. Trudging forward during the cold winter months, the evenings darkening early and the sun rising late; finding time within busy days to carefully look over selections; this all proved to be more challenging because the submissions were much stronger this reading period. There were far more 'Maybes', which required additional consideration as the whittling down process to 15 publishable pieces progressed.
