EDITOR'S LETTER

I’m writing this on a sunny weekend morning in Cleveland, on a day when spring seems to have finally and fully arrived. The sky outside my writing room window is bright blue, the tulips are opening, and violets have infested a patch of grass so green and sun-struck that it hurts to look at it.

From flowers to fruit and beyond, the natural world is alive not only outside my window, but also in Issue 4 of Gordon Square Review. This issue features Eve and her apple, the scent of almond and rose, a lemon rind so bright it’s “like the sun fell down,” an octopus, tobacco and tortillas, catfish and earthworms, plus onions, palm trees, and pecans. There are also hummingbirds, wolf-like creatures, mermaids, the Roman god Janus, a traitorously beautiful doll, and so much more. What a pleasure it has been to help bring this issue into being just as the earth itself is shooting forth new life.

Poet Phil Metres did us the great honor of serving as our judge for our Spring 2019 Poetry Contest for Northeast Ohio writers. Metres selected “meteorology is the science of remembering the sky stays relatively the same” by Inam Kang as the winning poem and “Mental Coordinates” by Emily Troia as the runner-up. Be sure to read these two powerful poems by two stellar Ohio poets. Issue 4 also highlights additional writers with ties to Northeast Ohio, including Melissa Ballard, Hannah Christopher, Annie Cigic, Dionne Custer Edwards, Patrick Culliton, Matt Kilbane, and Brandon Noel. We’re so proud to feature their work and to showcase our region’s deep pool of literary talent.
 
Supporting emerging writers and offering editorial mentorships remains an important part of our mission. In Issue 4, Matt Weinkam worked with Brandon Noel, Ali Black mentored Annie Cigic, and I worked with Charlotte Oakeby, who happens to be the youngest writer Gordon Square Review has published to date.
 
If transitions and growth are on my mind right now, then Literary Cleveland, Gordon Square Review’s parent organization, might be a reason for it. At the end of 2018, we said goodbye to Literary Cleveland Director Lee Chilcote, who moved on to other ventures after pouring his energy, time, and creativity into Literary Cleveland since 2015 to make it the thriving nonprofit organization it is today. In turn, we welcome Christine Howey as the new Director and look forward to her vision, her ideas, and her leadership. More recently, we were thrilled to learn that Gordon Square Review Prose Editor Matt Weinkam has taken on the role of Associate Director at Literary Cleveland. If you know Matt, then you know him to be a smart, enthusiastic editor, teacher, and advocate for aspiring writers. He’s going to do big things for Literary Cleveland and our city’s literary landscape, just watch.
 
Once again, Poetry Editor Ali Black took on the herculean task of reading every last poetry submission, all while carrying on her own work as a youth mentor and while creating her own poetry. She is a powerhouse for sure, and all of us at GSR count our lucky stars she’s on our team. Jay Rosen, Literary Cleveland’s Membership & Marketing Coordinator, was instrumental in helping us put Issue 4 together. He uploaded poems, prose, contributor bios, and photos; he sent proofs to our writers; he corrected mistakes; and he endured far too many emails from me about technical issues surrounding em dash formatting. Thank you, Jay, for all you do for us.
 
Finally, a thousand thanks to: Antwoine Washington for providing the profoundly beautiful cover art for this issue; all the writers who submitted work for our consideration; Bookhouse Brewing for hosting our launch party; Mac's Backs Books on Coventry, Belt Publishing, Literary Cleveland, Mitchell’s Homemade Ice Cream, and Cleveland Public Library for donating items for our raffle; and to all the writers who shared their personal submission statistics for our rejection contest game.
 
Throughout this spring season and beyond, enjoy your time spent in worlds both natural and unnatural in Issue 4.
 
​Laura Maylene Walter
Editor-in-Chief

Laura Maylene Walter

Laura Maylene Walter is a writer and editor in Cleveland. Her work has appeared in Poets & Writers, the Sun, Kenyon Review, Ninth Letter, Michigan Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. She has been a Yaddo Fellow, a Tin House Scholar, the recipient of the Ohioana Walter Rumsey Marvin Grant, and a past Fiction Editor of Mid-American Review. Her debut story collection, Living Arrangements (BkMk Press), won the G.S. Sharat Chandra Prize, a national gold IPPY, and a Foreword Book of the Year Award. Laura holds an MFA from Bowling Green State University, is a contributing editor for Cherry Tree, teaches workshops for Literary Cleveland, blogs for the Kenyon Review, and works for Cleveland Public Library. She is no stranger to rejection.