Resources
From Category: Magazines and Literary Journals
Text Power Telling
Text Power Telling is a nonprofit literary organization that provides opportunities for survivors of sexual trauma to heal through creative writing. They publish an online literary journal and sponsor writing workshops online and in Bergen County, NJ.
Brawl
Launched in 2024 by Martheus Perkins and Taylor Franson-Thiel, Brawl is a quirky online poetry journal that seeks "groovy, snappy, sound work, and musical language." The tongue-in-cheek list of the editors' special interests includes sports, dinosaurs, the body, and "Mom trauma (: " but your best bet is to read past contributors online. Published poems are accompanied by bold pop-culture illustrations. When submitting, you can specify which editor should read your work, based on the list of their interests. No "racism, homophobia, zionism, transphobia, sexism, ageism, ableism ETC."
Exchanges
Founded in 1989 as a print magazine and now published online, Exchanges is a biannual journal of literary translation. It is published by the University of Iowa and edited by current students of the Iowa Translation Workshop.
Milk Candy Review
Milk Candy Review is an online journal of "beautifully weird, lyrical" flash fiction up to 750 words. They publish new work weekly, and include a two-question author interview with each selected piece. Send one unpublished story by email as a Word document or pasted into the message. Contributors have included Sara Siddiqui Chansarkar, Thomas Kearnes, Kathryn Kulpa, and Margaret Roach.
Rain Taxi
Rain Taxi is a well-regarded print and online literary journal that "provides a forum for the sharing of ideas about books, particularly those that may be overlooked by mainstream review media or marginalized for presumed strangeness, difficulty, or other othering." They publish book reviews, interviews, and critical essays.
Los Angeles Review of Books
The Los Angeles Review of Books publishes original poetry, fiction, essays, interviews, and literary and arts criticism. Their nonprofit foundation also offers publishing workshops, author events, and a book club. Use the online form on their Contact page to pitch an article.
Icebreakers Lit
Icebreakers Lit is an online journal that publishes collaborative writing (two or more authors) in the genres of poetry, short fiction, personal essays, flash prose, and hybrid text. If you don't have a collaborator in mind, ask them to match you with another interested author. Previously published work is eligible. See website for themed submission calls. Editors say, "We like 80s and 90s nostalgia, nods to pop culture, and vulnerability. We like good writing that doesn't take itself too seriously. We also like being surprised and things that don't quite follow the rules."
The Rebis
The Rebis is a print journal celebrating the connections among Tarot, art, and creative writing. Each issue so far has had a theme based on one of the Major Arcana cards. Check website for submission periods. Editors say, "The Rebis commits to amplifying and centering underrepresented voices, paying artists and writers fairly for their work, and redistributing profits to social justice causes."
Witcraft
Witcraft is an online journal that publishes "brief, humorous and engaging" flash prose and poetry, 200-1,000 words. They are seeking "wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense," and are not interested in political satire or gross bodily humor. Site is updated weekly, and top three submissions each month receive modest cash prizes.
Scraps Journal
Scraps is an online journal that "showcases the abandoned work of writers and artists," defined as work that the creator has indefinitely shelved after receiving several rejection letters from traditional publications. Editors say, "These pieces should be complete and polished, and mostly competent, but not quite good enough." Along with a short piece of abandoned work, you should submit a sample of rejection letters and a brief reflection (750 words) on what you think went wrong with the work. The editors will remix the rejection letters to create a new collaborative piece of art, such as graphics or illustrations, erasure poetry, essays, music, or bibliomancy.
Months to Years
Founded in 2017, Months to Years is an attractively designed online journal of poetry, essays, and artwork about terminal illness and mortality. See website for submission periods and suggested topics.
The School Magazine
A project of the New South Wales Department of Education (Australia), the School Magazine publishes poems, stories, articles, and plays that have literary and academic merit for elementary-school readers, typically ages 8-12. The four magazines under their publishing umbrella, each for a different age group, are titled Countdown, Blast Off, Orbit, and Touchdown. This is a paying market. See website for their values and content suggestions.
Good River Review
A publication of Spalding University's Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing in Louisville, KY, Good River Review publishes short creative writing in a variety of genres: poetry, fiction, essays, 10-minute stage plays or short film scripts, immersive journalism pieces, and book reviews. A notable feature of this magazine is that they publish writing for children and young adults in these genres alongside work for adults. See website for length limits in each category.
Active Voice Magazine
Active Voice Magazine is a youth-led literary journal publishing creative writing that inspires progressive social change. The editors are American high school and college students, with poets A.B. Spellman and Eduardo Martínez-Leyva as adult advisors. See their website for submission periods and themes.
Centaur
Launched in 2023, Centaur's motto is "Lit Half Civilized, Half Wild". This quarterly online journal specializes in hybrid-genre pieces, 400 words maximum. Authors and artists published in Centaur will be featured on their Bookstore page, receive a small honorarium, and be nominated for prizes such as Best of the Net.
Carousel
Established in 1983, Carousel is a Canadian literary and arts journal that is now published exclusively online. Sign up for their email list to be notified when their poetry and fiction reading periods open. Carousel's #USEReview feature is open year-round, seeking literary reviews that are written in an innovative or genre-bending style. They are especially interested in reviews of hybrid literature, graphic novels, or experimental poetry and prose. Reviewers receive a small payment.
Bulb Culture Collective
Bulb Culture Collective is open year-round to submissions of poetry that was previously published by a now-defunct journal or website, or that was published at least two years ago (regardless of the journal's current status). They will share a new poem on their website twice a week and promote it on social media. Please include credit to the original publisher, and any relevant content warnings about sexual violence or domestic abuse.
Only Poems
Launched in 2023 by award-winning poets Shannan Mann and Karan Kapoor, Only Poems seeks to publish longer suites of poems by each contributor in order to showcase their style and range. Authors receive $55 for each feature. They are open year-round to submissions of up to 10 pages/10 poems. Unpublished work only. Follow specific formatting guidelines on website. Editors say, "We love prose poems, traditional forms (ghazals, villanelles, sestinas), love poems, sex poems, speculative poems, and experimental questionnaires, but we are not married to a style or genre."
Story Monsters Ink
Story Monsters Ink publishes a glossy monthly magazine with children's book reviews, author interviews, and industry news. They also offer contests and publicity packages for indie authors of children's books.
The Perch Journal
Literary journal The Perch is a project of the psychiatry program at the Yale School of Medicine. They publish creative writing and artwork on themes relating to mental health. Eligible genres include poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, visual art, music, and academic work that is accessible to a general audience. See website for themed submission calls.
Iron City Magazine
Iron City Magazine is a print and online journal specializing in creative writing and art by currently or formerly incarcerated people. They publish short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, one-act plays, cartoons, comics, graphic stories, and art. Prison volunteers, staff, or family members may submit work on topics related to mass incarceration. Prisoners and former prisoners can submit work on any topic. Unpublished work only. No explicit violence, nudity, or detailed discussion of drug use. Read detailed guidelines and then enter by mail or email.
Blue Marble Review
Blue Marble Review is a quarterly online journal that publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, opinion pieces, travel writing, photography, and art by students aged 13-22. Accepted authors receive $30, cover artists $75.
Apogee Journal
Founded in 2011 by writers of color and international students in Columbia University's graduate writing program, Apogee is an independently published online journal of literature and art that encourages the thoughtful exploration of identity and its intersections, including but not limited to: race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability. Editors say, "The word 'apogee' denotes the point in an object’s orbit that is farthest from the center. Our approach to both art and political activism operates with the same motivation to center underrepresented artistic voices from the political margins." Apogee features poetry, fiction, essays, and artwork. Their companion journal, Perigee, publishes book reviews and author interviews.
The Dial
Subtitled "the world's little magazine," The Dial was founded in 2022 to create an international dialogue among writers and journalists on themes of social change. Editors say, "Our pieces will be topical and of-the-moment, but not pegged to the day's news. We aspire to convey the contradictions, sorrows, and comedies of the contemporary moment, to write the present in order to create a future." They publish essays, reporting, and poetry.
Action, Spectacle
Action, Spectacle is a biannual online journal publishing art, comics, commentary, fiction, interviews, memoir, music, poetry, and reportage. Editors say, "The magazine exists at the intersection of the socio-political, the cultural, and the arts. We seek both debut and established writers and thinkers creating intriguing and original work, whether relatively conventional or extremely experimental, and we don't shy away from the idea of a text that might be 'difficult.'" Submissions are accepted year-round. Authors published in the journal include Anne Carson, Brandon Taylor, Douglas Kearney, and TC Tolbert.
Spoonie Magazine
Spoonie Magazine was a weekly webzine that published creative writing and artwork by authors with physical or mental disabilities, neurodivergence, or chronic illness. There was also an annual print edition, Spoonie Journal.
Eggplant Tears
Eggplant Tears is a webzine for creative writing and artwork by the transmasculine community, broadly understood to include trans men, butches, and other gender-variant masculine folks. See guidelines page for issue themes and deadlines. They are especially open to thoughtful and nonjudgmental explorations of how queerness intersects with sexuality, sex work, and trauma.
Taco Bell Quarterly
Not affiliated with the eponymous fast-food chain, this quirky online journal founded by MM Carrigan publishes poetry, fiction, essays, artwork, and comics. Every piece must reference Taco Bell in some way. Editors say, "First and foremost, TBQ is about great writing. It’s about provoking and existing among the white noise of capitalism. We embrace the spectrum of trash to brilliance."
The BitterSweet Review
Launched in London in 2022, The BitterSweet Review is a publishing platform dedicated to the advancement of queer literature and visual culture. In addition to the biannual literary journal, which is published in print and online, they offer workshops and limited-edition artwork for sale.
Travesties: A Queer Journal of Uncanny Arts
Travesties is an online literary journal for LGBTQ authors, publishing poetry and art that is "queer in all senses of the word". Texts are paired with spooky pink illustrations for a magical and macabre vibe. Editors say, "We want pieces that are bizarre and bountiful, that have striking imagery and delicious sound." Unpublished work preferred but not required. Send 1-5 poems or up to 10 pieces of artwork.
BOMB Magazine
Launched in 1981, BOMB Magazine is a NYC-based print and online journal that curates interdisciplinary conversations among artists. On their website, they publish a quarterly list of fellowships and residencies. Sign up for their e-newsletter to be notified of their open submission periods for poetry and short fiction.
Letter Review
Letter Review is an online lit mag with contests, publishing opportunities, and articles about the craft and business of writing. They offer a reasonably priced critique service for short fiction, and an annual poetry and fiction contest with attractive prizes. An interesting feature of their publishing advice columns is that they tell you the going rates for selling work in various genres.
Pencilhouse
Pencilhouse is a writers' resource site that aims to help writers at all levels improve their craft. You can submit two poems or one short prose piece per month for a free critique (enter early because submissions are capped at 35 per month). Pencilhouse also publishes Zero Readers, a process-oriented literary journal that provides extensive feedback to accepted authors and guides them through the revision process.
just femme & dandy
Launched in 2021, just femme & dandy is a biannual literature and arts journal created for and by queers on the topic of fashion. See their website for each issue's themed submission call. Editors say, "just femme & dandy embraces all the layers of hybridity that push against the tensions that pressure us to conform. Nothing is off limits. To get an idea of what we accept, think of the following, and beyond: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, comics, illustration, drag, dance, video, film, photography, tutorials, interviews, reviews, listicles, thinkpieces, commentaries, historical investigations, and so on."
Midst
Midst is an online journal that showcases the creative process by publishing poems as an interactive time-lapse from first draft to the author's preferred final version. Editors hope to make poetry more accessible by demystifying the process of its creation.
Neon Door
Founded in 2021, Neon Door is an immersive online literary space that publishes poetry, fiction, essays, visual art, music, graphic narrative, and video clips. Sign up for their free e-newsletter for book recommendations, literary links, and thought-provoking columns from their editors.
Quartet Journal
Launched in 2021, Quartet Journal is an online poetry journal for women writers aged 50+. See their submissions page for their reading schedule.
Obscura
Obscura, the literary journal of Lehman College in the Bronx, publishes poetry, fiction, artwork, and drama that reflects their community's vibrant multicultural and Latinx influences. Open to submissions from current students and alumni.
Sunspot Literary Journal
Founded in 2019, Sunspot Literary Journal seeks to amplify diverse multinational voices. They accept unpublished poetry, short fiction, and creative and journalistic nonfiction. There is a small fee for submissions, but the issues are free to download online. Periodic contests offer prizes around $250-$500 for micro poetry and flash prose. On the other end of the spectrum, Sunspot is willing to read literary prose pieces (stories, long-form stories, novelettes and novellas, ssays, opinions, memoir, travel, reviews) that run up to 49,000 words. Poetry can be up to 1,250 lines.
The Twin Bill
Launched in 2020, The Twin Bill is a handsomely illustrated online quarterly that publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction about baseball. Editors say, "We celebrate the rich history of the game while also recognizing its vibrant present through essays, fiction, poetry, interviews, and visual art. We welcome writers of all levels and experiences."
HELD Magazine
Edited by MFA students at the University of Guelph in Ontario, HELD Magazine is an online journal of writing and visual art that explores "how all systems are interconnected, interdependent, and ever-evolving." See website for themed submission calls. Because "HELD is a platform for contributors to explore the realities and systems that have shaped them," writers and artists from marginalized populations (Black, indigenous, racialized, disabled, LGBTQ or 2-Spirit) comprise at least 70% of each issue.
ctrl + v
Named for the keyboard command for "paste", ctrl + v is a biannual online journal that publishes artistic collages of words and images. Editors say, "All forms of collage—digital, scissor-and-glue, mixed media, fabric, sound—are encouraged + adored. We are particularly interested in what happens when fragments of language move through the space of other materials."
Élan
Élan is an international print and online literary magazine that publishes original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, plays, and all kinds of art by creators aged 14-18. Their site design is very artistic.
Paper Lanterns
Based in Ireland, Paper Lanterns publishes poetry and short fiction aimed at teens and young adults, as well as book reviews and feature articles about young adult literature. Authors aged 13+ are welcome to submit. See website for submission periods and formatting guidelines. This is a paying market.
Balloons Lit. Journal
Balloons Lit. Journal is an English-language online journal based in Hong Kong that publishes creative writing and art for readers aged 12-16. BLJ particularly invites submissions from schoolteachers familiar with this age group. Editors say, "We prefer something that is surprising, explosive, unforgettable, extraordinary, mind-blowing, humorous, bold, unique, layered, witty, educational, original." Read back issues on the website to see their taste.
Magic Dragon
Published since 2005 by the nonprofit Association for Encouragement of Children's Creativity, Magic Dragon is a quarterly magazine featuring art and creative writing by children aged 12 and under.
VCU Medical Literary Messenger
VCU Medical Literary Messenger is Virginia Commonwealth University's twice-yearly online journal of creative writing about medical themes. The journal aims to promote humanism and the healing arts through prose, poetry, and photography.
Graphic Policy
Graphic Policy is an online journal featuring news and reviews for comics fans, with an emphasis on mainstream properties. The site includes TV episode recaps, movie reviews, creator interviews, podcasts, and reviews of comics in various genres (manga, indie, webcomics, action/superhero, and more).
The Comics Journal
An online publication from comics press Fantagraphics, The Comics Journal features in-depth history, creator interviews, and reviews of comics and graphic narratives.
SOLRAD
A publication of Fieldmouse Press in California, SOLRAD is a nonprofit online literary magazine dedicated to the comics arts. SOLRAD publishes comics criticism, original comics, essays, interviews, and features new, underrepresented, and otherwise marginalized creative voices, in addition to the work of well-established cartoonists, critics, journalists, and authors.
