We plan to use this space for editor posts about Rust Belt literature, culture, and art. We’ll also share news that comes our way, like the call for submissions that we received from About Place.

We’ve added this blog to CR to provide a place to share timely news, reviews, and editorials, but fear not–nothing else is changing. Full issues of CR will continue to be released twice a year, in January and July.

Feel free to write us at editor@clevelandreview.org if you have Rust Belt news to share, or if you’d like to query us about writing a guest post or book review. We’re also looking to feature the best Rust Belt blogs, so e-mail us your nominations.

We hope that you’ll find lots to edify and titillate you here at the brand-new CR Blog!

About Place is the new journal of the Black Earth Institute.  The first issue, A River Runs Through Us, is now out and available for viewing at www.aboutplacejournal.org.

The second issue will be Rust Belt Tales: Growth, Death and Rebirth. Rust Belt Tales seeks original unpublished literary essays, creative nonfiction, flash and other forms of fiction, poetry, photos and other media about that area of the American Midwest bordered roughly by Pittsburgh on the east, the quad cities of Illinois on the west, Minneapolis and the Iron range on the north and  Cincinnati on the south.  Tales can address the raw materials, the industries and the peoples who lived in the area or came for jobs and livelihood.  Export of manufacturing and abandonment of cities has been devastating to the area and has impoverished its people.  Rebirth has taken place in the movement of urban agriculture, green jobs, and the arts.  New social arrangements include movements for sustainability, common interests and cooperation, nonautomotive transportation and immigration of new populations.  Attention to spiritual relationships with land, water and people are fundamental to this renaissance.

Preference will be given to submissions that speak to the goals of the Black Earth Insitute, namely art serving the causes of spirituality, protecting the earth and social justice.

Submissions can include up to 3 poems and should not exceed 50 lines, essays, creative nonfiction and other prose should not exceed 4000 words. Submissions can be sent by going to About Place and clicking on submissions.  All submissions must be accompanied by a bio of not more than 150 words within the cover letter box.

Contact Michael McDermott at blackearthinstitute@gmail.com for information about non-text media submissions and other questions.