Midwestern Writing VI: Cleveland Review and Of Rust and Glass

 The Cleveland Review of Books has a new website here.

Six Questions for... is a blog and has published Six Questions for Curtis Deeter, Editor, Of Rust and Glass. I submitted to them, was rejected, but got a very nice rejection.

SQF: What are the top three things you look for in a submission and why?

CD: Since we’re a Midwest regional pub, we first and foremost look for Midwestern voices. This is incredibly diverse and expands every year, but it’s the foundation of everything we do. Then, we look for passion. Last, we want to publish works (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, etc.) that show an individual creator’s handle on their craft. This is important because if you’re going to break the rules (especially the submission guidelines) you better d--- well know what you’re doing.


SQF: What most often turns you off to a submission?

CD: Misogyny (which we’ve gotten too much of, surprisingly) and pretentiousness. We’re circling a flaming ball of fire with nearly 8 billion others. We don’t need to know how much you hate women or think you’re better than us. Thanks 😊


SQF: What do you look for in the opening paragraph(s)/stanza(s) of a submission?

 CD: Everyone always says hook us with your first sentence/stanza. For us, we read everything in its entirety. If the first paragraph needs a little work but the rest is phenomenal, we’ll work with you. What we really look for is cohesiveness. Does where you start jive with where you end?

sch 12/7/22