In casual conversation, the word “literature” is used broadly to reference anything that employs the written word as a vehicle for information exchange. For the purposes of deciding what is fit to be published in the CLR, however, this is a functionally useless definition as it includes anything ranging from ancient Greek philosophy to the legal copy on a car ad.
So, how then do we determine what literature is fit for acquisition? The short answer: we have criteria!
Having specific criteria we use to assess all submissions allows us to make the shift from the unhelpfully general definition of literature to a more selective and purposeful one; colloquially, works that fall into this latter category are known as Literature with-a-capital-L.
What elevates literature to Literature, as per the acquisition criteria we developed, include the following:
Cultural or Academic Value: Works that invite discussion and offer diverse interpretation, are morally or philosophically profound, and/or offer a timeless snapshot of contemporary sociopolitical contexts are Literature.
Unique Voice & Style: Works that push boundaries, explore complex themes, and inspire our readers through innovative writing are Literature.
Of Lasting Relevancy: Works that can survive trends and endure in meaningful ways generation to generation are Literature.
By being selective with what we choose to publish, we hope to curate a reading experience both profound and inspiring.
Step 1: A poet submits his work. In September of 2022, Steve Deutsch submitted his poem, “Looking for America,” for consideration of publication in volume XXVII of the Clackamas Literary Review (CLR). Steve is the poetry editor of Centered Magazine and was the first poet-in-residence at Bellefonte Art Museum in Pennsylvania. He’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times and won the Sinclair Poetry Prize for his full-length book, Brooklyn.
Step 2: Student editors select Steve’s poem for publication. Students enrolled in one of the English Department’s book publishing course offerings at Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, OR, who were learning all about publishing by working as assistant editors to publish the next volume of the award-winning and internationally-read Clackamas Literary Review, read, discussed at length, and were thrilled to acquire “Looking for America” for publication.
Step 3: A composer from the San Francisco Bay Area discovers Steve’s poem in the CLR. Martin Rokeach, a professional composer who had been commissioned by conductor Bruce Koliha to write a piece for chorus, had been searching for just the right poem—scouring the internet, visiting used book stores—to set to music. He had read over 200 poems and was coming up short. And then Dennis Lum, whose poems “Milky Way” and “The Answer Is No” were published in the same issue as “Looking for America,” and who happened to be Martin’s cousin-in-law, sent a copy of the CLR to his family to read. In Martin’s words, “I at last found what I needed in Steve’s ‘Looking for America.’” Martin reached out to the CLR’s managing editor about connecting with Steve regarding the exciting opportunity. The editor connected composer with poet, and the rest is, as they say, history.
Step 4: Composer sets poem to music. Martin wrote the music, to be performed by the San Ramon Valley Chorale, renaming it “Remembering We’re Alive.” It premiered in April 2025, nearly two years after the poem was first published in the CLR.
Step 5: Choral work wins a national music prize. Sacramento State’s Festival of New American Music, which received more than 230 submissions in four categories, selected only one choral work in the choir category. You guessed it: “Remembering We’re Alive.”
See how that works?
“Remembering We’re Alive,” adapted from Steve Deutsch’s poem “Looking for America,” originally published in volume XXVII of the Clackamas Literary Review and set to music by Martin Rokeach, will be performed November 2nd, 2025 at Sacramento State’s annual music festival.
“Looking for America,” by Steve Deutsch
Let us be best friends one last time—
roll out the old Ford and take
that trip we so often dreamed of
when young. Head to the west coast
on those two lane roads that once were America.
Remember when we were America too?
Fill that old Ford with chips and beer—
the radio set to the “Nothing but Oldies” Station,
loud enough to remind us we are still alive.
Swap lies with the locals in pubs on Main Street
and sample the biscuits and bacon in dozens of mom
and pop diners in what was once the heartland—
a thousand dots on a tattered gas station map
long ago bypassed and nearly forgotten.
And when the Ford throws a rod
in Kansas or Colorado, as of course
it must, we can unfold the aluminum
lawn chairs and sit on the berm to wait for the sunset.
CLACKAMAS LITERARY REVIEW 