How often are things set in stone these days? Where you can't hit 'undo' or 'ctrl-z'? How often are we confident enough in our thoughts, our arguments, or our ideas to actually make them last a long time.
In Smith Journal volume seven, we have committed a whole bunch of stuff to the page. Like the rapidly deteriorating spomeniks of the former Yugoslavia – monuments the people would rather forget.
Or the remarkable life of Ralph Izzard: explorer, family man and intelligence officer, who witnessed some of the most iconic moments in history, but whose story has only been told in grabs – until now.
Or Nicholas Felton, who meticulously catalogues his life in detailed annual reports. And Molloy and Sons, the last of their kind, making traditional tweed in the northwest of Ireland. Or even John Casey, who has been literally making his mark in his New York stamp shop for 30 years. And Ira Glass, whose thoughts mostly escape into the ether via radio.
It's all there on the page. In ink. Permanent.
