Tell us about Literary Cleveland
Literary Cleveland is a nonprofit creative writing center that offers writing workshops, craft talks, and publishing opportunities for adult writers and readers in Northeast Ohio. Looking to get back into the writing habit? Want to draft a new story, poem, essay, or book? Need feedback, community, encouragement, support? Looking to read and discuss all of James Baldwin in a single year? We’re here to help.
What are some resources or information that might be helpful to local educators and how they can connect to Lit Cleveland?
First, instructors who are looking to use example texts by contemporary local writers can turn to our resources. Knowing that an author is from your community, maybe your same neighborhood, can mean a lot to a student. We’re published contemporary work by local authors in our Gordon Square Review literary journal, placed-based writing in our Neighborhood Voices project, and theme-based work in our recent anthologies by Black women and LGBTQ+ writers.
Second, current and former students can also benefit from our programs, including our spring and fall internships, summer fellowship, and our ongoing workshops. We also have a list of online resources for those new to the local literary community. And don’t miss our free writing workshops, panels, and programs for adults and teens at our Inkubator Conference July 11-25.
Most importantly, many teachers are writers too, but it can be hard to find the time to make progress on your own creative work (particularly during the school year). Our programs are designed to provide the accountability, community, and support to help you achieve your goals.
What do you think is unique about Lit Cleveland?
We’ve run some exciting programs, including our Documenting Cleveland project chronicling an ordinary day during the extraordinary first months of the pandemic as well as our current Voices from the Edge writing program for essential workers.
In addition to our ongoing writing workshops we also offer reader series classes, designed to be more rigorous than a book club but more accessible than a college or grad-level class. We’ve offered classes on Colson Whitehead and Jesmyn Ward, on ghost stories and books about democracy, plus full-year classes on the complete works of Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.
But most of all, what makes Lit Cleveland unique is the experience of bringing your writing into a workshop with people from all different backgrounds, experiences, ages, and walks of life. You become vulnerable with strangers, you hold and care for one another’s words, you celebrate language and story. It is inspiring, boundary-breaking, and truly transformative.
How can a local educator connect with Lit Cleveland to learn more about curricula offerings or get his/her students connected?
Check out our website for current listings but most importantly subscribe to our free newsletter for new programs, opportunities, and listings of all the best literary events in town.
And if you’re ever interested in teaching a community class for adults, let us know!
