Write Habit - Literary Journals

Literary Journals

The following literary journals regularly publish emerging writers and sometimes publish new writers (emerging meaning writers who have not yet published a book, and new meaning writers who have not yet published in journals). Always check the journal's website for the most up-to-date details and read submission guidelines carefully. Go to the FAQs page for more info on submitting. Visit Duotrope's Digest for more markets or to track submissions.

The Aggregated Press

Electronic journal "for unknown writers of fiction, non-fiction, flash fiction, and poetry."

Publishes: fiction, nonfiction, flash fiction, poetry, and art.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

AGNI

Print journal that "regularly features emerging writers."

Publishes: poetry, short fiction, and essays.
Submission period: Sept. 1–May 31.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Aquapolis Literary Journal

Print journal that "features a delicate cross section of contemporary poetry, prose, and short form fiction."

Publishes: poetry, prose, and short form fiction.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Ballyhoo Stories

Print journal that "focuses on craft and imagination. Each issue explores a theme."

Publishes: fiction and nonfiction.
Submission deadlines: check website for dates.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Baltimore Review

Print journal open to traditional and experimental forms.

Publishes: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Beloit Poetry Journal

Print journal that "prefer[s] no particular forms or lengths or subjects…always watching for new poets, fresh insights, quickened language."

Publishes: poetry.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Bellingham Review

Print journal open to a range of form and subject matter.

Publishes: poems, stories, and essays.
Submission period: Oct. 1–Feb. 1.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Bird Dog

Print journal that publishes "innovative writing and art: collaborations, interviews, collages, poetry, poetics, long poems, reviews, graphs, charts, short fiction, non-fiction, cross genre…"

Publishes: see above.
Submission period: check website for deadlines.

The Bitter Oleander

Print journal that publishes "deep-image driven poetry [and] short, imaginative fiction."

Publishes: poetry and fiction (2500 words max).
Submission period: Aug.–June (not July).
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Black Warrior Review

Print journal "open to all styles; most important…is quality of work."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, art, and interviews.
Sumbission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Blackbird

Electronic journal whose "sole principle is excellence."

Publishes: poems, stories, and essays (occasionally).
Submission period: Aug. 16–May 14.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Born Magazine

Electronic journal that marries literary works and interactive media.

Publishes: poems, stories, and essays.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Boulevard

Print journal that "strives to publish only the finest in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction…While we frequently publish writers with previous credits, we are very interested in publishing less experienced or unpublished writers with exceptional promise."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, and nonfiction (essays, interviews, etc.).
Submission period: November 1–April 30.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Cafe Irreal

Electronic journal that publishes "a kind of fantastic fiction infrequently published in English."

Publishes: see above.
Submission period: check website for deadlines.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Clackamas Literary Review

Print journal open to a range of work.

Publishes: poetry, fiction, and essays.
Submission period: Apr. 1–Sept. 20.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Colorado Review

Print journal that is "determinedly eclectic and…concerned by the shrinking markets for new writers…reserve a percentage of our pages for writers who have not previously published in our magazine."

Publishes: short fiction, personal essays, and poetry.
Submission period: Sept. 1–Apr. 30.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Confrontation

Print journal that "is eclectic; indeed that is its main specialization. It is open to all forms and genres except proslytizing monographs and propagandistic discourse."

Publishes: stories, poems, plays, and memoirs.
Reading period: Sept.–May.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Crab Creek Review

Print journal that publishes "an eclectic mix of energetic poems and remains more interested in powerful imagery than obscure literary allusion…with an admitted predilection for dynamic prose of distinct voice and strong images."

Publishes: poetry, short fiction, and art.
Submission period: Sept. 1–May 31.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Cranky

Print journal that publishes "an array of work from many styles and schools."

Publishes: prose, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

The Cult of Youth Reader

"Print journal that publishes new and emerging artists and writers, creative nonfiction, biographical articles, memoirs, youth issues, cultural critiques, interviews, and a wide range of experimental/collaborative publication topics."

Publishes: see above.
Submission period: Ongoing. Issues in January, May, September. Check website for details.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Diagram

Electronic journal of art and text "interested in representations. In naming. In indicating. In schematics. In the labelling and taxonomy of things. In poems that masquerade as stories; in stories that disguise themselves as indices or obituaries."

Publishes: prose, poetry, and sound.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Double Room

Electronic journal "founded in 2002 to explore the intersection of prose poetry and flash fiction."

Publishes: prose poetry and flash fiction.
Submission period: check website for deadlines.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

elimae

Electronic journal that "takes every opportunity to post work of quality and delight: length and format, as well as publishing history of the author, being irrelevant."

Publishes: poetry, fiction, reviews, literary essays, translations, and travel essays.
Submission period: year-round.

failbetter.com

Electronic journal that "seek[s work] which is at once original and personal."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, and artwork.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Faultline

Print journal open to a range of work.

Publishes: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and art.
Submission period: Sept. 1–Feb. 15.
Simultaneous submission: yes.

Fiction

Print journal that "is always open to new writers and prides itself on publishing unsolicited manuscripts alongside the work of some of the best writers of the international world of fiction."

Publishes: fiction.
Submission period: Sept. 15–Apr. 15.
Simultaneous submission: yes.

Fugue

Print journal that publishes "different voices, written in a variety of modes."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, creative literary criticism, and "the experiment."
Submission period: Sept.1–May 1.
Simultaneous submission: yes.

Glimmer Train Stories

Print journal that "especially appreciates work that is both well written and emotionally engaging."

Publishes: fiction only.
Submission periods: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Hayden's Ferry Review

Print journal that publishes "voices of emerging and established talents in creative writing and visual art in a format that is not tied down to particular styles, schools of thought, aesthetics, or ideologies."

Publishes: poetry, prose, and visual art.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Hobart

Print and electronic journal that publishes "stories that we will love, as readers ourselves. We've said in the past that we tend to like quirky stories…but not really stories that rely too heavily on their quirkiness."

Publishes: stories.
Submission period: check website.

jubilat

Print journal that publishes "poetry and art, as well as other forms of writing on poetry, poetics or subjects that have nothing to do with poetry."

Publishes: poetry and prose (but not fiction).
Submission period: Sept. 1–May 1.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Literal Latté

Print journal that publishes "mind stimulating prose, poetry, and art…styles range from classical to experimental…98% of what we publish comes from the so-called slush pile."

Publishes: stories, short plays, poems, personal essays, and art.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

The Local Writer

Online journal that "exists to promote Seattle writers…interested in new, original literary works from local (Seattle), struggling writer types."

Publishes: fiction and poetry.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Margin: Exploring Modern Magical Realism

Electronic journal "devoted to answering the question What is literary magical realism?" Also publishes small annual zine, Periphery.

Publishes: short fiction, excerpts, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, reviews, academic writing, commentary, special themes.
Submission period: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Mid-American Review

Print journal "featuring the work of established artists…new and up-and-coming writers…[and] dedicated to introducing non-English speaking voices to our audience through our translation chapbook series."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, translations, and nonfiction.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Monkeybicycle

Print and electronic journal that "appreciate[s] diversity and will consider anything, really, whether it's the story of a talking bear with a penchant for Toaster Strudel or the story of how Dr. James Naismith invented basketball."

Publishes: stories.
Submission period: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

New Orleans Review

Print journal interested in "well-crafted, dynamic writing that demonstrates attention to the language, and a sense of the medium, writing that engages, surprises, moves us."

Publishes: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, book reviews, and interviews.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

New Plains Review

Print journal "interested in the interrelation of urban and rural, in an attempt to look at sustainable eco-systems and agriculture in a very changing world."

Publishes: poetry, shorts, and critical essays.
Submission period: check website.

Night Train

Print journal that "strongly prefer[s] [stories] with an edge: fiction that leaves us gasping for breath, stories with characters who are actors in their own lives, who experience consequences for what they do."

Publishes: flash fiction, short stories, and self-contained novel excerpts.
Submission period: varies (check website).
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Ninth Letter

Print journal that is "interested in prose and poetry that experiment with form, narrative, and nontraditional subject matter…[and] work that doesn't experiment with the aforementioned, as long as it's really good."

Publishes: fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews.
Submission period: Sept. 1–Apr. 30.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Opium

Electronic and print journal with the tagline "literary humor for the deliriously captivated."

Publishes: stories, poetry, art, interviews, reviews and writing on music, film/tv, tech, and sports.
Submission period: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Other Voices

Print journal "dedicated to publishing diverse, original fiction by authors ranging from literary bestsellers to leaders of the independent presses to cutting-edge experimentalists."

Publishes: fiction.
Submission period: Oct. 1–Apr. 1.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Phoebe

Print journal that "prides itself on supporting up-and-coming writers, whose style, form, voice, and subject matter demonstrate a vigorous appeal to the senses, intellect, and emotions of our readers."

Publishes: poetry, fiction, and art.
Submission period: Sept.1–Apr. 15.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Pindeldyboz

Electronic and print journal. Electronic publishes "stories that defy classification." Print publishes stories, essays, novellas, and poetry.

Publishes: see above.
Electronic submission period: year-round.
Print submission period: check website for deadlines.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Portland Review

Print journal that publishes a range of work.

Publishes: poetry, fiction, and art.
Submission period: Sept. 1–May 31.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Prairie Margins

Print journal that "publishes the work of currently enrolled undergraduate students from any university."

Publishes: undergraduate fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
Submission period: Sept. 1–Feb. 1.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Quattrocento

Print journal produced in North Wales, UK, that "is always keen to consider new work from little known or even unknown writers and artists, including risk-taking, provocative, or experimental work."

Publishes: short fiction, poetry, essays, and art.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Quarter After Eight

Print journal "devoted to the exploration of prose in all its permutations."

Publishes: nontraditional fiction, sudden fiction, prose poetry, creative and critical nonfiction, interviews, letters, memoirs, translations, and drama.
Submission period: Sept. 15–Apr. 15.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Quarterly West

Print journal open to a range of work.

Publishes: fiction, poetry, and essays.
Submission period: Sept. 1–May 1.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Quick Fiction

Print journal "featuring stories and narrative prose poems under 500 words."

Publishes: fiction and prose poetry between 25 and 500 words.
Submission deadlines: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

Red Mountain Review

Print journal that publishes "academics and 'real people'; sonneteers and the so-called 'Grrl-esque' poets; writers of very short nonfiction; those who write long, leisurely, expansive fiction. The list goes on…Every issue will [also] feature the winning collection from our chapbook contest."

Publishes: poems, stories, and essays.
Submission period: Oct. 1–Apr. 30.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Redivider

Print journal that publishes "a fresh and eclectic selection…by both emerging and established writers."

Publishes: fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, and visual art.
Submission deadlines: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Rivet

Print journal that "uses a theme each issue to connect ideas and capture our culture. An independent quarterly, Rivet presents new work in nonfiction, fiction, poetry, photography, and graphic art."

Publishes: nonfiction, fiction, poetry, photography, and graphic art.
Submission deadlines: check website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Sentence: a journal of prose poetics

Print journal that publishes prose poems and reviews and essays about the prose poem, prose poets, and the poetics of the prose poem.

Publishes: see above.
Reading periods: check website for dates.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Small Spiral Notebook

Print and electronic journal open to a range of work.

Publishes: stories, essays, and poems.
Reading periods: check website for dates.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

SmokeLong Quarterly

Electronic journal that "publishes flash fiction up to 1000 words…We are looking to be captured in the first few sentences of your work. Tell a story or paint a scene…Quality writing is key."

Publishes: flash fiction (1000 words max).
Reading periods: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

StoryQuarterly

Print and electronic journal that is "especially looking for work by new and emerging writers...SQ fiction is selected on the basis of originality, art, and meaningfulness. Good storytelling and a sense of humor are especially appealing. We like to see a strong narrative design from beginning to end."

Publishes: literary fiction and nonfiction, including short stories, short shorts, novel excerpts, memoirs, essays, and humor.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

StringTown

Print journal "equally interested in printing first published pieces as we are in printing work from well known writers."

Publishes: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, novel exerpts, or a form all your own.
Submission period: Sept.–Mar.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Sunspinner

Electronic journal that "welcomes submissions of fiction and poetry from writers everywhere."

Publishes: fiction and poetry.
Submission period: check website for deadlines.

Swivel

Print journal "devoted to smart, funny writing by smart, funny women."

Publishes: short fiction, essay, memoir, poetry, illustrations, photography, and comix.
Submission period: check website for deadlines.

Syntax

Electronic journal that "enjoy[s] wit, and clever pieces that play on words, while keeping focus on the storyline. "

Publishes: poetry, short fiction, visual art, essays, and editorials.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Tarpaulin Sky

Electronic journal that publishes innovative work.

Publishes: poetry, prose, and transgenre work.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Vallum: contemporary poetry

Print journal that publishes "poetry that's fresh and edgy, something that reflects contemporary experience and is also well-crafted."

Publishes: poetry and critical work related to poetics (book reviews, essays, interviews).
Submission period: Oct. 1–Jan. 31.
Simultaneous submissions: no.

VerbSap

Electronic journal that publishes "an eclectic selection of concise, Spartan prose with a strong narrative bent."

Publishes: prose under 3000 words.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Vestal Review

Electronic and print journal that publishes flash fiction: "In our definition, a flash story is no longer than 500 words and it has a plot."

Publishes: flash fiction.
Submission periods: see website.
Simultaneous submissions: yes.

Zyzzyva

Print journal that publishes West Coast writers only: AK, HI, WA, OR, or CA.

Publishes: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Submission period: year-round.
Simultaneous submissions: no.