Distinguished Literary Magazines

Read sample issues of literary magazines before submitting your work. Acquaint yourself with their style and preferences. When budgets allow, subscribe to the magazines you love most. Reading periods and guidelines are subject to change. Check websites for updates.

ES = accepts electronic submissions
SS = accepts simultaneous submissions
* = highly selective market (<1% acceptance rate)

AGNI *

Seeking fresh, transformative vision; fostering a cosmopolitan perspective.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–May 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1972

Alaska Quarterly Review *

Rigorously questioning societal issues.

Genres: fiction, poetry, drama, nonfiction
ES: no
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 15–May 15
Fee: $0
Founded: 1982

The American Poetry Review

Reaching a worldwide audience with a diverse array of the best contemporary poetry and literary prose.

Genres: poetry, nonfiction (essay, review), interview
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $3
Founded: 1972

Antioch Review

Publishing promising and prominent authors.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: no
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–May 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1941

Apogee Journal

Engaging with identity politics; providing a platform for underrepresented voices.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 19–October 8
Fee: $0
Founded: 2010

Baltimore Review

Showcasing the diverse writing of Baltimore and beyond.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, video
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 1–November 30; February 1–May 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1996

Barren Magazine

Featuring hard truths, long stares, and gritty lenses.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2018

Bellevue Literary Review

Creatively exploring issues in medicine and society.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–June 30
Fee: $5
Founded: 2000

Bennington Review *

Combining playful and probing writing.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, film writing
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: November 1–May 15
Fee: $0
Founded: 1966

Black Warrior Review *

Taking a sledgehammer to expectations.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: December 1–March 1; June 1–September 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 1974

Blue Mesa

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: October 1–February 28
Fee: $0
Founded: 1989

Boston Review

Fostering dialogue in a political and literary forum.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 15–June 15
Fee: $0
Founded: 1975

Boulevard *

Presenting a variegated yet coherent ensemble of creative and critical work.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: October 1–May 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 1985

Brevity

Publishing concise literary nonfiction.

Genres: nonfiction (flash)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $3
Founded: 1997

The Carolina Quarterly

Publishing established and emergent writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $2.50
Founded: 1948

Cimarron Review

Seeking imagination and truth-telling from writers at all stages of their careers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1967

The Cincinnati Review *

Championing literature in all its forms.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–March 1
Fee: $0
Founded: 2003

Colorado Review *

Committed to publishing contemporary creative writing.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 1–April 30
Fee: $3
Founded: 1956

The Common

Deepening our individual and collective sense of place.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: March 1–June 1; September 1–December 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 2011

Conjunctions

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: no
SS: no
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 1981

Crab Fat Magazine

Publishing experimental, queer, feminist, punk, & avant-garde work by marginalized writers.

Genres: fiction (short story, flash), poetry, nonfiction (memoir, lyric essay, etc.), visual art, book review
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee:
Founded: 2014

Crazyhorse

Publishing influential and renowned writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: February 1–December 31
Fee: $3
Founded: 1960

Ecotone

Reimagining place.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 26–September 1; January 26–February 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 2009

Fourth Genre

Publishing notable, innovative work in literary nonfiction.

Genres: nonfiction (cultural, graphic, lyric, nature, personal, travel, etc.)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 30–November 30
Fee: $4
Founded: 1999

The Georgia Review *

Collaborating with writers and promoting diversity.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: August 15–May 15
Fee: $3
Founded: 1947

The Gettysburg Review *

Seeking high literary quality.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–May 31
Fee: $3
Founded: 1988

Granta *

Promoting belief in the power and urgency of the story.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 21–February 21; April 28–May 28
Fee: $4
Founded: 1979

Guernica

Exploring identity, conflict, culture, justice, science, and beyond.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, multimedia
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2004

Gulf Coast *

Publishing contributors who represent a flow of international cultures, voices, and aesthetics.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–March 1
Fee: $2.50
Founded: 1986

Hippocampus Magazine

Engaging writers and readers of creative nonfiction.

Genres: nonfiction (flash, memoir excerpt, personal essay)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $3
Founded: 2011

The Hudson Review

Dealing with the area where literature bears on diverse aspects of American culture.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: no
SS: no
Reading Period: Poetry: April 1–June 30; Fiction: September 1–November 30; Nonfiction: January 1–March 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1948

The Idaho Review

Publishing strong, evocative work that belongs to the collective, vast community of writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, chapbook, novel, novella
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 15–March 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 1997

Indiana Review *

Offering the highest quality writing within a wide aesthetic.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: February 1–March 1
Fee: $3
Founded: 1976

The Iowa Review *

Creating a worldwide conversation among those who read and write contemporary literature.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–November 30
Fee: $4
Founded: 1970

Kenyon Review *

Expanding the community of diverse readers and writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 15–November 1
Fee:
Founded: 1939

Longleaf Review

Genres: fiction (flash, short story), poetry, nonfiction (experimental, flash, etc.)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: November 11–December 1
Fee: $0
Founded: 2017

Lost Balloon

Exploring the whimsical.

Genres: fiction (flash), poetry (prose), nonfiction (flash)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: first week of each month
Fee: $0
Founded: 2017

The Louisville Review *

Importing the best writing to local readers; exporting the best local writers to a national readership.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1976

The Massachusetts Review

Promoting social justice, equality, and great art.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: October 1–April 30
Fee: $3
Founded: 1959

Memorious

Genres: fiction, poetry
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2004

Michigan Quarterly Review *

Embracing creative urgency and cultural relevance.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 15–April 15; August 1–November 30
Fee: $3
Founded: 1962

Mid-American Review

Publishing works of fine literary art from a diverse body of artists.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1980

The Missouri Review *

Finding and publishing the very best writers first.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $3.50
Founded: 1978

Narrative *

Advancing literature in the digital age by supporting the finest writing talent.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $26
Founded: 2003

New England Review *

Encouraging artistic exchange and thought-provoking innovation in the literary arts.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–November 30; March 1–May 31
Fee: $2-3
Founded: 1978

The New Yorker *

Exciting and moving every reader.

Genres: fiction, poetry
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1925

Nimrod

Recognizing and rewarding contemporary writing of imagination, substance, and skill.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–November 30
Fee: $3
Founded: 1956

Ninth Letter *

Presenting original literary writing of exceptional quality, illuminated by cutting-edge graphic design.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–February 28
Fee: $0
Founded: 2004

The Normal School

Seeking quirky, boundary-challenging, energetic prose and poetry.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, multimedia (comics, graphic poetry/prose, video essay, spoken word poetry, etc.)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–December 1; January 15–April 15
Fee: $2
Founded: 2008

North American Review

Reflecting the breadth of the American experience and challenging the status quo.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $3
Founded: 1815

Occulum

Bending towards the unabashed and unorthodox.

Genres: fiction (flash, short story), poetry, nonfiction (essay, narrative, interview, review)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2017

The Offing

Actively seeking out and supporting work by and about those often marginalized in literary spaces.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction (essay, memoir), other (see website for unusual categories)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2015

Okay Donkey

Seeking the odd, the off-kilter, and the just plain weird.

Genres: fiction (flash), poetry
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2018

One Story *

Supporting the art form of the short story and the authors who write them.

Genres: fiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 15–May 31; September 3–November 14
Fee: $0
Founded: 2002

PANK Magazine *

Fostering access to innovative poetry and prose.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $5
Founded: 2006

The Paris Review *

Featuring original writing, art, and in-depth interviews with famous writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: no
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1953

Pidgeonholes

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: 1st–10th of each month
Fee: $0
Founded: 2015

Ploughshares *

Publishing exceptional work by emerging and established writers that pushes the boundaries of what is possible in art.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: June 1–January 15
Fee: $3
Founded: 1971

Post Road Magazine

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama, art
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: October 1–November 30; March 1–April 30
Fee: $0
Founded: 1999

Prairie Schooner

Publishing beginning, mid-career, and established writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: no
Reading Period: September 1–May 1
Fee: $0
Founded: 1926

The Rupture

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: March 1–July 31; October 1–January 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 2009

The Sewanee Review *

Printing and commenting on new literature.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–May 31
Fee: $3
Founded: 1892

Sonora Review *

Offering a venue for exciting new and emerging authors, as well as prominent southwestern writers and artists.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: January 18–March 15
Fee: $3-5
Founded: 1980

The Southern Review

Discovering a diverse array of engaging, relevant, and challenging literature.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–December 1
Fee: $0
Founded: 1935

Split Lip Magazine *

Seeking voice-driven work.

Genres: fiction (flash, short story), poetry, nonfiction (memoir, interview, review)
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–June 30
Fee: $0-5
Founded: 2012

Split Rock Review

Exploring place, environment, and the relationship between humans and the natural world.

Genres: poetry, nonfiction, comics, hybrid genres
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: September 1–November 30
Fee: $2
Founded: 2012

Stone of Madness Press

A space for queer, trans, and neurodiverse writers.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 2020

StoryQuarterly

Publishing emerging and established writers.

Genres: fiction, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period: November 1–December 1
Fee: $0
Founded: 1975

The Sun Magazine *

Publishing radically intimate and socially conscious writing.

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction
ES: yes
SS: no
Reading Period: January 1–December 31
Fee: $0
Founded: 1974

Third Coast *

Genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, drama
ES: yes
SS: yes
Reading Period:
Fee: $0
Founded: 1995