Thank you for submitting your work to Gordon Square Review, a Literary Cleveland publication!
Only include one story in your submission. The word limit is 5,000 words.
Thank you for submitting. 

Thank you for submitting your work to Gordon Square Review, a Literary Cleveland publication!
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).
Thank you for submitting.

Thank you for submitting your work to Gordon Square Review, a Literary Cleveland publication!
Only include one poem in your submission.
Thank you for submitting. 

For $10, a Gordon Square Review editor will read, consider, and respond to your submission within seven days. Submissions must follow our regular submission guidelines.

Please note that paying for a Rapid Response submission will not influence our editors’ decisions in either direction. Instead, Rapid Response is merely a way to ensure writers can cut out the waiting period and receive a decision quickly. Please also note that, like most literary journals, Gordon Square Review receives far more submissions than can be published in an issue. Our acceptance rate is about 2%.

Please make sure your email address is up to date within Submittable. If you do not receive an automated confirmation email after making your submission, please contact us at gordonsquarereview@gmail.com with “Rapid Response” in the subject line.

We appreciate the opportunity to read all submitted work, whether that work is sent via free, regular submissions or via Rapid Response. Thank you for your support!

– Gordon Square Review Editorial Team

Prose (Nonfiction) Guidelines: 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). 

Prose (Fiction) Guidelines:  Only include one story in your submission. The word limit is 5,000 words.

Poetry Guidelines:  Only include one poem 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.

Literary Cleveland Job Posting
Literary Cleveland is a nonprofit community of writers committed to bringing people into the world of words by providing educational writing opportunities at all levels, promoting new and existing literature of the highest quality, and advancing Northeast Ohio as a vital center of diverse voices and visions.

Literary Cleveland is accepting applications for a Part-Time Grant Writer. The Grant Writer is responsible for drafting, revising, submitting, tracking, and organizing grant-related materials, including proposals and reports. They will report to the Development Director and work closely with the Executive Director. Applicants from historically underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.

Compensation

• $23/hour or more depending on experience
• Approximately 5-15 hours per week on average
• Flexible Monday-Thursday work schedule with holidays and paid time off 
• Primarily remote work with once per week in-person meetings

Responsibilities 

• Write and edit grant inquiry letters, proposals, applications, and reports tailored to each funder
• Collaborate with staff to gather program information and documentation for funding proposals and reports
• Maintain grants calendar with pipeline of upcoming deadlines
• Maintain online storage folders of application and reporting documents and materials
• Assist with program evaluation processes and data collection
• Research new sources of public and private funding that meet the organization’s needs
• Assist Development Director in identifying potential funders and communicate with funders as necessary
• Assist with additional fundraising campaigns and activities when possible
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous grant writing experience at a nonprofit (ideally in the arts)
• Strong understanding of grant-making and reporting processes 
• Excellent communication, writing, and copy-editing skills with an ability to tailor communication to a range of audiences
• Strong scheduling, self-direction, prioritization, and time-management skills
• Adept with Microsoft Office, Zoom, Little Green Light (or similar database platforms), Asana (or similar task management tools), Box (or other online storage systems)
• Experience with database management
• Customer relations and interpersonal skills
• An ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Skilled at working on multiple projects and timelines simultaneously 
• Commitment to social justice and equity
• Previous experience in related fields such as writing, literature, arts or education is a plus
• Applicants need to be able to travel to events within the NE Ohio area and work in the Literary Cleveland office.

Note: don't reject yourself! Even if you don't meet all of the preferred qualifications you are still encouraged to apply. 

Hiring Process

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through March 10 
• Potential start date in March or April 2025