Citron Lit is an international youth-run literary magazine dedicated to the literature of self-determination. We provide a platform for queer, immigrant, and marginalized storytellers resisting the geopolitical erasure and mislabeling of their homelands and identities. From Taiwan and Hong Kong to Ukraine and beyond, we refuse the monolith and aim to spotlight non-uniform voices.

​

In botany, the citron is famous for its protective rind. It is a fruit built to endure. It does not crush under pressure, and it does not rot easily when uprooted. Writers in the global diaspora know what it means to build a thick skin.

​

We feel the need to fight against the monolithic blur, and like the citron, our communities possess ancient, independent roots that have survived centuries of global migration. Our editors do not believe that marginalized lives should only be defined by their bitter moments. There are sweet, sour, bitter, everything moments, and we wish for you to give us all of it.

​

Our platform publishes bold poetry, prose, photography, and art that captures the entire spectrum of our existence. You do not have to perform your trauma for the global gaze to be published here. Whether you depict a political image or a sweet love poem, your voice is a radical act of preservation and refusal to rot away.