Winter has long served as a time of reflection. As our calendar year draws to a close, we look back at the events the previous year brought. We celebrate our victories and mourn our losses. But we also look ahead, at what the next year may bring. Our fiction selections bring a similar sense of reflection and anticipation. In Typically Brittle and Optically Transparent, an artist works with a strange, semi-reflective medium. In Hard Rain Fell, Nathaniel Heely looks ahead to a possible future, as does Katie Cortese in Baby Pictures. Nancy McCabe considers the unique ending of a relationship.

It is only fitting for us to look back as well. Four years ago, I started The Citron Review with a small group of friends from my MFA program. In the years since, we’ve grown dramatically in terms of readership and the quality of work we publish. We’ve developed a reputation as one of the best places to go for the latest and best Flash Fiction (as well as Poetry and Nonfiction). Our success is due in large part to the dedication of our editors and the leadership of Heather Luby, who agreed to take over the reigns as managing editor for me. She took us to the next level.

I’m honored to work with my fellow editors, and humbled to be in a position to read the best fiction (and nonfiction, and poetry) the internet has to offer.

On a personal note:
This past year has been one of beginnings for me. Not only is my first novel (The Bargain) releasing this month, I also began a podcast on the craft of writing. I’d be honored if, after reading our issue, you picked up a copy of The Bargain and subscribed to Firsts in Fiction.

Until next quarter, good writing.

Aaron Gansky
Founding Editor
The Citron Review

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