Gordon Square Review, a publication of Literary Cleveland, holds two open readings periods each year:
- February 1 to April 1. Publication drops May 15.
- August 1 to October 1. Publication drops November 15.
Gordon Square Review pays writers $25 after publication.
Gordon Square Review considers works that have been previously published but are no longer available online or in-print. If work has been published on a personal blog or website, we request that it be taken down prior to publishing it.
Gordon Square Review welcomes works of translation; simultaneous submissions; writing from writers from diverse backgrounds, voices, and experiences.
Gordon Square Review encourages writers to submit poetry, fiction, or brief nonfiction. For genre specific guidelines, please see below.
- Poetry Submission. Only include one poem in your submission. We request that no cover letter or author bio be included in your submission.
- Fiction Submission. Only include one story in your submission. The word limit is 5,000 words (if fewer than 5,000 words, that is okay). We request that no cover letter or author bio be included in your submission.
- Brief Nonfiction Submission. Only include one story or essay in your submission. The word limit is 1,000 words (if fewer than 1,000 words, that is okay). We request that no cover letter or author bio be included in your submission.
Literary Cleveland is organizing a free reading titled "Hungry Heart" to be presented during the Cleveland Humanities Festival, on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the West Side Market.
For this year’s staged reading, we invite Northeast Ohio Writers to contribute a written or spoken word poem, personal essay, short story or other literary work addressing the Humanities Festival theme of APPETITE.
Specifically, we are seeking writing that bridges both the literal and figurative connotations of appetite:
- Literal: food, drink, hunger, thirst, feast, famine
- Figurative: desire, ambition, craving, consumption
For example, we're looking for writing that features the preparing or eating meals, scenes of how food can connect or divide us, what happens in restaurant kitchens or grocery store aisles. What do these places, scenes, or moments reveal about our individual or cultural appetites?
Personal narrative writing is the strongest fit, but we also welcome reflections on the material conditions of food production and consumption (factory farming, immigrant labor in food harvesting or processing, the impact of climate crisis on the conditions of food service or restaurant workers, climate shifts in growing, global capitalism food deserts, food waste). And we encourage writers to challenge or question common tropes, stereotypes, or cliches about food and appetite.
We will invite accepted authors to read their work at our event on Saturday, April 5, 2025 at the West Side Market. A select number of pieces may be printed and displayed at the West Side Market. Responses will be send by mid-March.
Guidelines
- Writers must live in Northeast Ohio to submit.
- Submissions can be in any genre and should be less than 1,000 words.
- Multiple submissions are allowed. If possible, please include all of your submissions in a single document.
- Previously written or published pieces that connect to the theme are also welcome. (Please indicate in your cover letter if the piece has been published elsewhere.)
- Deadline: Monday, February 24, 2025
From the Baker-Nord Center:
The theme of the 2025 Cleveland Humanities Festival is APPETITE. Feast. Famine, Ambition. Desire. Craving. Appetite is both a bodily state and an emotive force. As we celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the CHF, we will explore the multifaceted ways that humanistic inquiry has engaged this theme. What do we hunger for in our personal and civic lives? How does longing shape the human psyche? How have artists and makers explored the role of appetite in creative production? What metaphors of appetite resonate across diverse time periods and cultural milieus? How will AI and new technologies impact our collective appetites for knowledge? These questions and more will be addressed by Cleveland area arts, cultural and educational organizations through a series of public events in the spring of 2025.