Literary Cleveland is growing because LIT CLE has tapped into a need in the community—it offers something for every writer, at every stage. For example, there’s me: I’m not a new writer, but I am a middle-aged, part-time writer juggling a career and family duties, and I struggle to find balance. Writing always seems to be the ball that falls to the floor. That’s where LIT CLE has been a blessing for me—attending events forces me to make room for my writing, like I make room for everything else in my life. Last May, when I was at a low point and not writing much of anything, I turned to LIT CLE for help and signed up for Matt Weinkam’s five-session fiction workshop. Matt and my talented workshop cohort jump-started my creativity. What they pried out of me ended up being short-listed for a contest and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I’m not sure that piece would have been written without LIT CLE.