"Stolen Sky" by Storm Humbert

Appeared in Writers of the Future 36, edited by David Farland.

A yelvani witnesses the sunsets of other planets on the mezzanine on Earth-Vega. Whichever alien is performing that night seems to get a sky designed to mimick its homeworld. The yelvani goes to interview each alien giving a performance.

Comment with some spoilery bits:

The story draws some of its resonance off what may be Margaret St. Clair's most famous story "Brightness Falls from the Air" (also discussed here). Both mine similar territory.

It might be useful to compare to see where the classic succeeds. In that one, we have a protagonist who has something to learn. Here, the protagonist has something to learn, but not about herself. As the above description suggests, she doesn't have goals. Since it isn't her planet, that they don't capture her sky isn't the real problem. One could say that it is a symbol of the real problem. 

The real problem is that her home world has been taken over. Maybe she's okay with this. Maybe she's cool with living with alien species. She seems attracted to the human aliens, too. But the real problem is not having an identity in herself or in her people. Perhaps she enjoys a mix or prefers the human culture, but she'd still have her own identity. What drew her to this planet? What drew her to interview the aliens? What drew to being attracted to humans? She sounds like an ex-pat--as such, she'd feel like an outsider to all cultures yet be fascinated by them all. We just need to see more of her and her passion, whatever that may be. 

Incidentally, sunsets will be affected by a number of factors: gravity (which dictates how much and how thick the atmosphere is there), air composition (which dictates how light gets bent and absorbed) and objects floating in the air (like clouds which may be lit and/or bend light as well. That humans are unable to correctly simulate sunsets means that they are not a super-advanced civilization. Given the above elements, it would require a major planetary overhaul that couldn't happen overnight--certainly not without disturbing the inhabitants, so the sky likely a simulation--a local light show--so the sky becomes less of an actual problem.

The story has imaginative strength, resonance, and, given the set-up, a good punch in the end. Storm Humbert's work has appeared in Apex and Interzone (see website for links).