Letter from the Editor

In the beginning I was so young and such a stranger to myself I hardly existed. I had to go out into the world. I had to go out into the world and see it and hear it and react to it, before I knew at all who I was, what I was, what I wanted to be.
– Mary Oliver, Upstream 

Outside of our anniversary anthologies, our 2025 Fall Issue might be our largest issue yet. With thirty selections across the short form genres, the editors and readers have woven together stories of self-discovery. In Upstream, poet and essayist Mary Oliver writes that in her youth she lived as a stranger to herself until going out into the world. Through those experiences, she came to know herself and who she wanted to be. 

One of the wonderful things about reading is that it allows us to travel the world through the eyes of the characters. As readers we come to know ourselves through these experiences that match or contrast how we know ourselves.The depth and breadth of the stories in this issue give us a glimpse into the many experiences that might be happening around and within us. 

Also in this issue, we are pleased to announce our nominations for this year’s Best of The Net. You can also find our nominations from other years on our Previous Issues page.

On behalf of The Citron Review, thank you for choosing to spend your time traveling with us. 

Cheers,

Angela M. Brommel
Editor-in-Chief
Poetry Editor
The Citron Review

Masthead

Table of Contents

Poetry

Notes on the selections by Angela M. Brommel

Creative Nonfiction

Notes on the selections by Ronit Plank

Flash Fiction

Notes on the selections by Guest Flash Fiction Editor Elizabeth De Arcos

Micros

Notes on the selections by JR Walsh

Zest

Find our best interviews and reviews.

This year’s Best of the Net nominations