Editor’s Page – Yellow Mama Issue #111 (Aug. 15, 2025)

Hi all!

Once again we’ve had troubles with our web host. I’m sorry for the delays and all the error messages you’ve been getting. But we stuck with it, didn’t we? Nothing could keep Yellow Mama Issue #111 from launching.

And this lineup was worth the wait.

Noir-wise, you’ve got it made. In Bill Mesce Jr.’s tale, the Jersey mopes break in a new “Freelancer.” John J. Dillon’s “Stupid, Silly Ideas” features a wannabe ballet dancer forced to please his mobster dad. John Helden’s “The Little Boy with a Gun” focuses on human trafficking in Vietnam. In Anthony Lukas’s “Burden of Proof,” the smug murder suspect is convinced he’ll walk. But in Mike Dwyer’s “The Knowing Day,” the alleged killer asks the grieving father for a break. 

Other gripping stories include Kenneth James Crist’s “Dominant Species,” about brainy, giant rats. Jacob Graysol’s “A Well-Played Hand” will turn you on to High Stakes Poker. And Louella Lester’s “This Is Where It Happens” will make you a bird-lover.

Our poetry lineup features four awesome works by both Elizabeth Zelvin and Rob Plath. Also check out fine poems by YM regulars Daniel G. Snethen, Damon Hubbs, John Grey, Bernice Holtzman, and others.

Full-length and flash fiction stories (and some poems) are individually illustrated by our gifted artists: Bernice Holtzman, Kevin Duncan, Hillary Lyon,

J. Elliott, Sophia Wiseman-Rose, Luis Cuauhtémoc Berriozábal, Steve Cartwright, Michael D. Davis, Darren Blanch, KJ Hannah Greenberg, April Lafleur, Kelly Moyer, Cynthia Fawcett, Zachary Wilhide and Mandi Rose.

Also, check out Bernice Holtzman’s and my gritty “Murder on Mercer Street” cover!

If you want to submit full-length fiction, flash fiction, or poetry, check out our guidelines page.

Also, please sign our guestbook! If you have comments about Yellow Mama or any stories or poems we publish, you may leave comments there.

And check out our Archives I–III to catch recent stories or poems by your favorite writers you might’ve missed.

 And thanks for reading!