The Cincinnati Review

@cincinnatireview

Publishing great literature and art since 2003.

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The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· 6d

"as soon as the scent lay like a feather onto his waiting cloth inside, he clasped tight, oh the way the poor man hunched and dipped out of the crowd . . ." Today's miCRo by @cherylpappas.bsky.social offers the reader a journey downward and inward on the back of a scent. Link in thread.

Centered typographic quote reading: "as soon as the scent lay like a feather onto his waiting cloth inside, he clasped tight, oh the way the poor man hunched and dipped out of the crowd" — Cheryl Pappas, "What Is Missing"

Head-and-shoulders portrait of Cheryl Pappas, a fair-skinned woman with short blond hair, looking slightly off-camera against a backdrop of leafless trees and tangled branches, framed inside a rounded arch with a dark gray border.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· 11d

Today on the site, contributor Gordon Taylor shares "The Moonbeam Elf," a delightful poetry collection written by his grandfather. Link in thread.

CR "from our contributors" graphic with photo of Gordon Taylor, a white bald man with a 5-o-clock shadow, wears a black long-sleeved shirt against a blue background. He smiles, looking up and to the right. Text reads, "From Our Contributors: "The Moonbeam Elf," by Gordon Taylor.

Title "THE MOONBEAM ELF" centered at top above rows of dashed lines that shorten progressively to form an inverted triangle, suggesting a descending beam or spotlight.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· 18d

"The crows lie through their beaks." Today on the site, contributor Megan Callahan shares with us a very pigeon-forward comic to accompany her story, "Pigeon Language." Link in thread.

Three pigeons in a comic panel: one flying and exclaiming, "Ma plume! C'est un miracle!", a second saying, "But—the crows lie through their beaks."

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· 25d

"I am a cat, always running away on instinct. Since graduating high school in 2010 I have tried to put as much physical distance between us as possible." Our latest online web exclusive is by Ismael Rodriguez on how the shortcomings of family members can shape us. Link in thread.

Red polygon over a gray background. Small circular black-and-white photo of a bearded, smiling Latino man. Text above the photo reads: "Special Feature." Text below reads: "And where does that put me? I am a cat, always running away on instinct. since graduating high school in 2010 I have tried to put as much physical distance between us as possible, sometimes at the expense of others." Ismael Rodriguez, "Specs"

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· 29d

Last call for the Robert and Adele Schiff Award! Contest closes this Wednesday at 11:59 pm. Send us your best work for a chance to win $1000 and publication.

Call for submissions to the 2026 Robert and Adele Schiff Awards — 2 days left to enter; $1,000 prize and publication in The Cincinnati Review; categories: poetry, fiction, LNF; decorative mirrored red lions above the award title.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jul 10

"My true north has nothing to do with audience, but is about my own vision for my art, myself, and my joyful process of making." Today on the site, contributor Eric Weiskott speaks with poet and contributor @victoriachang.bsky.social, whose new book, TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, is out this week. Link below.

Featured interview graphic for The Cincinnati Review featuring Victoria Chang and her quote: "My true north has nothing to do with audience, but is about my own vision for my art, myself, and my joyful process of making."

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jul 6

We secretly opened up miCRo last week for a very short, exclusive, and fabulous submission period. miCRo is OPEN until we hit 300 submissions, so get your best 500-word pieces in ASAP!

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jul 3

"How beautiful were those documents that organized the learning we would do in a class. I still love to look at them." Today on the site, 2025 Robert and Adele Schiff Award-winner Jessica Cuello shares some of the documents that inspired her prize-winning essay. Link in thread.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 30

Congratulations to contributor B. Do, whose miCRo, "Revision," was selected by contributor @andrewporter01.bsky.social for inclusion in this year's @wigleaf.bsky.social Top 50!

Magazine-style cover showing two winged cherubs kneeling beside a central ornate chalice, painted in pastel greens and purples, with the title "the wigleaf top 50 [very] short fictions" displayed across the bottom.

Heading reading "B. DO, 'Revision'" with the word Revision highlighted in red; below it, italicized credit reading "from The Cincinnati Review."

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 25

Congratulations to contributor Adam Scheffler on this month's publication of SO THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE: EMPATHY IN THE POETRY OF JAMES WRIGHT with @lsupress.bsky.social! buff.ly/Isq5yfT

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 24

"I’m wondering whatever happened to compassion/for that box of seconds picked up at the farmers market to make into sauce . . ." In today's miCRo, D. Dina Friedman extols the beauty and diversity of the tomato, one of the garden's most complex crops. Link in thread.

Quote from Friedman: "I'm wondering whatever happened to compassion/for that box of seconds picked up at the farmer's market..."

Black-and-white head-and-shoulders portrait of a woman with curly shoulder-length hair and glasses, wearing a light T-shirt and dark cardigan, offering a calm, thoughtful smile against a dark background framed by a thin red arched border.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 19

“We are used to being invisible in math classes. As early as elementary school, mathematics erased us, all the problems about trains or trucks, billiards or bowling, boys named Bobby and Dave..." @sfmontgomery.bsky.social's essay "Handprints," is our special web feature this week! Link in thread.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 17

"I’d build a cathedral to touching, all pinnacles and arcs." In today's miCRo, Lyn Li Che reminds us of how we can be surrounded by others and still be lonely. Link in thread.

Quote from Che: "I'd build a cathedral to touching, all pinnacles and arcs."

Lyn Li Che, an Asian-American woman with long hair and dark-rimmed glasses, smiles on a seaside beach.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 11

Our beloved Lisa Ampleman is moving into a leadership role with our sister press, @acrebooks.bsky.social. We're so excited for everything she will do for the press and can't wait to see what comes next for her. But...that means we're looking for a new Managing Editor! Application in thread.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 10

"nightly departure into the dreaming water made of wave forms oscillating in to the body’s container..." In this week's miCRo, "Traversing Floodwaters In Helios’s Cup" by @lowermelody.bsky.social, an enigmatic poem puzzles the classical. Read the full poem at our site. Link in thread.

white text on a dark-gray background: nightly departure / into the dreaming / water made of wave / forms oscillating in / to the body's container. D. W. Baker, "Traversing Floodwaters in Helios's Cup"

A closeup of a tarnished but shiny vase with sea scenes engraved on it

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 5

Awards! Three awards of $1000, one each for fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. Entry fee is $25, which includes a 1-yr subscription. Read more guidelines on the blog today! Link in thread.

Red text on a cream background: Submit your best work to the 2026 Robert and Adele Schiff Awards. In the middle of that phrase are two red lions facing each other. Below is a red box with other red text: $1000 prize, Publication in The Cincinnati Review, Contest closes July 15, poetry, fiction, LNF

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 3

"Really, how many of us have spent the entire weekend in one pair of sweatpants, lounging around the house, putting off chores, or nursing a recent breakup." @stdougherty.bsky.social writes about his experiences at work, a residential facility for traumatic brain injuries. Link in thread.

White text on a dark gray background: "And really, how many of us have spent the entire weekend in one pair of sweatpants, lounging around the house, putting off chores, or nursing a recent breakup . . . Sean Thomas Dougherty, 'Green Hoodie'"

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Jun 1

The Schiff Awards are open! The Schiff Awards are open! Spring is springing! Win $1000 and publication in CR! Contest closes July 15. Link in thread.

Schiff graphic featuring CR's lion mascots. Text reads, "Submit your best work to the 2026 Robert and Adele Schiff Awards. $1000 prize. Publication in The Cincinnati Review. Poetry, fiction, LNF."

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 29

Today on the site, Arah Ko shares four stunning poetry collections that honor rage—especially the feminine variety—to keep you company in the sauna of summer. Link in thread.

Photo of Ko and quote: "While I was stewing in front of an AC unit and mulling over some poems, I thought, why not embrace the heat? The anger and the temperature."

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 27

"Fiddlehead godhead maidenhead furred tendril up from ankle-deep bed, I unkneel moment by moment..." This week's miCRo, "Born Again" by Linda Parsons, is perfect for the season. Read the full essay on our site--link in thread.

White text on a dark-gray background: Fiddlehead godhead maidenhead furred tendril up from ankle-deep bed, I unkneel moment by moment. Linda Parsons, "Born Again"

An older white woman with a blue textured top on. She has white hair and glasses and is smiling and resting her face on her right hand.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 22

"I remember wanting two specific things in the poem: the tradition of that intentional beginning of slave narratives ('I was born') and clear, deliberate, declarative speech." Stephen Foster Smith tells us about his poem "The Yam Reflects" in our spring issue. Link in thread.

White text over a black and purple background: Emerging Writers, Stephen Foster Smith, Poet and CR 23.1 contributor ("The Yam Reflects") On the left is a circular photo of a Black man with a beard in a pink ballcap. He's in a kind of bluish light.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 20

"How many / bags, I wondered, would my life fit inside?" This week's miCRo is a short poem by Chelsea Rathburn that exhibits empathy for the woman of the title. Link in thread.

White text on a dark-gray background: "How many / bags, I wondered, would my life fit inside?" Chelsea Rathburn, "The Bag Lady"

A white woman with black and gray hair in a short pixie cut. She's wearing glasses and a teal sleeveless shirt and leaning on a wide wooden door next to a brick wall.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 15

"Sometimes a poem is wearing too much makeup or too many jewels, and it needs one item removed before it leaves the house." Today on the site we speak to poet Gordon Taylor about his piece, "Memory Foam," in our upcoming issue. Link in thread.

CR emerging writers graphic featuring a photo of Gordon Taylor, a bald white man with a 5-o-clock shadow who smiles in front of a blue background. He wears a black long-sleeve shirt and looks up and to the right.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 13

"I’m a head with a buzz cut, rolling past, trying not to stall in the road on the way to my university astronomy class, when I’m compelled to stop and check on my body." In today's miCRo by @nbrogdonwrites.bsky.social, the mental and the physical are at odds. Link in thread.

Quote from Brogdon (featured in post caption): white type on a gray background.

Nicole Brogdon, a white woman with a wavy dark bob and glasses, smiles.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 8

" . . . Modernist aesthetics, figurative language and the like weren’t capable of holding my pathos, let alone rage." Today on the site, contributor and emerging writer @gavinopoet.bsky.social talks to us about two works that appear in issue 22.2. Link in thread.

Gavin Garza, a white man with long brown hair, beard, and mustache, looks down at the camera under trees and a bright blue sky.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 6

"I raised you to believe you deserved to win, but you didn’t always listen when I taught you how." This week's miCRo, "Ace of Hearts" by Julia Hou, stages the multiplicity of grief as a final, intimate game between father and daughter. Link in thread.

White text on a dark-gray background: I raised you to believe you deserved to win, but you didn't always listen when I taught you how. Julia Hou, "Ace of Hearts"

Within the shape of an arch, a picture of an Asian American woman with long black hair, smiling widely. She's wearing a multicolored shirt and standing outside near water, but her face is in shadow.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· May 1

"Sending out work is a vulnerable process! So, I really do strive to read everything with care...seeing so many different styles, experiments, loci in slush makes me bolder as a writer, more expansive." Kate Jayroe and Andy Sia discuss their work at CR. Link in thread.

Featured Interview excerpt, Andy Sia: "I say this as a writer myself: Sending out work is a vulnerable process! So, I really do strive to read everything with care. But more specifically, seeing so many different styles, experiments, loci in slush makes me bolder as a writer, more expansive." Also included are small, round photos of editors Kate Jayroe and Andy Sia, their official bio photos from the CR website.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Apr 29

"Clawing our way forward. House by house. 'One at a time, all the way to Mariupol,' Bohdan used to say." This week's miCRo, chosen in part by a class from Amsterdam University College, is "House by House" by @lathamwithapen.bsky.social, which focuses on memory as fragmentary. Link in thread.

White letters on a dark-gray background: Clawing our way forward. House by house. "One at a time, all the way to Mariupol," Bohdan used to say. Kathleen Latham, "House by House"

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Apr 23

@ifkexists Carol Dorf's miCRo, "Conditional," patiently scrutinizes then ruptures expected notions surrounding cause and effect. Link in thread.

Excerpt from Carol Dorf's "Conditional" If after a bad night I need someone to blame, there are so many candidates. Streetlights. My left knee. The mystery set in twentieth-century rural England, which I mistakenly thought would be relaxing.

Carol Dorm stands at a microphone reading their work. Carol is wearing spectacles and a scarf.

The Cincinnati Review@cincinnatireview· Apr 17

Next week, @kathryncowles.bsky.social and Donald Revell read in University of Cincinnati's Elliston Room. Ahead of that, hear their advice for newer writers, craft suggestions, and more. Link in thread.