Fall 2021
Letter from the Editor
I would not sacrifice a single living mesquite tree for any book ever written. One square mile of living desert is worth a hundred ‘great books’ – and one brave deed is worth a thousand.
– Edward Abbey, American author
Mesquite trees can live for more than 200 years. I know a place in the middle of a historic Las Vegas neighborhood where the most beautiful grove remains. A few weekends ago when the temperature was still in the triple digits, the air was still smokey – when fall seemed so far away – I visited the immovable trees.
For editors at The Citron Review, there has been a lot of movement since last fall. A few editors relocated, and two more are preparing to move. We welcomed new editors and assistant editors, and this fall we are looking for a Social Media Coordinator.
But some things are as constant as the mesquites. Writers sent us compelling work, and the editors stewarded it into the creation of a robust issue along with a book review and interviews in Zest. Senior Poetry Editor and Zest Editor Eric Steineger reviews Clara Burghelea’s Praise the Unburied. Creative Nonfiction Editor Ronit Plank interviews Jennifer Fliss about her new collection of flash fiction, The Predatory Animal Ball. I also caught up with Citron’s former Assistant Editor, Nick Olson, to talk about his new novel, The Brother We Share.
We are also pleased to announce our nominations for this year’s Best of The Net Anthology. All of these works appeared in issues of The Citron Review between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. On behalf of the editors, we wish our nominees the best of luck.
This autumn, may we all find in ourselves one brave deed, and the resiliency of mesquite trees.
Sincerely,
Angela M. Brommel
Editor-in-Chief
Poetry Editor
The Citron Review
ABOVE PHOTO: Las Vegas Mesquite Grove, September 2021.
Masthead
Table of Contents
Poetry
Notes on the selections by Eric Steineger
| Cate McGowan | ||
| Megan Lim | Estrogen Gives and Estrogen Takes | |
| Peter Grandbois | There’s no answer to the way the body remembers | |
Creative Nonfiction
Notes on the selections by Ronit Plank
| Anne Gudger | The Artist | |
| Gary Fincke | On Location: A Valentine | |
| Kay Ugwuede | Here nor There | |
| Whitney Lee | The Garden | |
| Kaidi Stroud | Ourobouros | |
| Sophie Nau | I carry my weight in groceries | |
Flash Fiction
Notes on the selections by Elizabeth De Arcos
| Joe P. Squance | Triboluminesence | |
| J. Isaiah Holbrook | Mama Knows Best | |
| Mileva Anastasiadou | We Fade with Time | |
| Sam Simon | Sheets | |
| Suzanne C Martinez | How to Make Fire Prints with John Cage | |
Micros
Notes on the selections by JR Walsh
| Andrew Stancek | Rocks | |
| Aditi Ramaswamy | Imbalance | |
| Hannah Feustle | The Lady and the Unicorn | |
| Kevin Grauke | ||
| Susan Yim | ||
| Magda Phili | Listening to Anna Karenina |
|
| Juno Elio Avillez do Nascimento | You Told Me I Ruin Six Flags for You, and Honestly, I Hope I Did | |
| Kimm Brockett Stammen | Have You Learned Your Lesson? | |
| Sudha Balagopal | Frozen Biryani | |
| Eric Mohrman | Igneous | |
Zest
Notes on this issue’s Zest by Eric Steineger
| Eric Steineger | Poetry review: Praise the Unburied by Clara Burghelea | |
| Angela M. Brommel | Interview with Nick Olson, Author of The Brother We Share | |
| Ronit Plank | Interview with Jennifer Fliss, Author of The Predatory Animal Ball |
2021 Year End Nominations
Best of the Net
We are seeking a Social Media Coordinator.
Is it you?
It would be wonderful to find a magician of the socials. We’re seeking someone who is very familiar with our completely volunteer-run journal The Citron Review and wants to join us on this literary journey while reaching out to new audiences. We need an enthusiastic expert of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter who has the time to make our posts shine. If this sounds like you, please drop us a letter with a biography and resume at citronreview@gmail.com.
The Citron Review 