These magazines are open for poetry submissions in November. Many of them also accept other genres, like fiction and nonfiction. Some of these pay writers. Also see this list for themed submission calls, including submissions of poetry, and this list of exciting new literary journals.
The Lit Quarterly
For poetry submissions their guidelines say, “We prefer to publish verse poetry of 12–40 lines, albeit we remain open-minded to submissions of fewer and greater verses. Without demanding observance to any particular brand of formalism, we solicit poems that elicit emotional response and critical reflection.” They also publish fiction and creative nonfiction. Pay is $100 (Canadian), contingent on available funds and categorical genre (i.e. fiction, nonfiction, or poetry). They read work year-round, with acceptances taking place quarterly. Details here.
The MacGuffin
They publish traditional, formal, free verse, and experimental poetry up to 400 lines. There are no subject biases; send up to five poems. The magazine also publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, and artwork. Details here.
Scarlet
Scarlet is the literary blog of Jaded Iris Press, a feminist press committed to publishing socially engaged literature with an emphasis on the voices of people of color, people with disabilities, and other historically silenced and culturally marginalized voices. Apart from poetry (send up to three poems), they also publish fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays. Pay is $80. They usually have reading periods but due to the current crisis, have decided to keep their submission period open through the year. Also see calls for their Black Voices and Latinx Voices series.
Details here.
Gigantic Sequins
This is a print publication, and they publish twice a year. Send 3-5 poems. They also publish fiction, nonfiction, and artwork. They are open till 15 January, though their guidelines say submission dates are subject to change. Details here.
Apparition Lit: Justice
This is a speculative fiction and poetry magazine and they publish four issues a year. They’re currently reading work on the ‘Justice’ theme – poems must have obvious fantasy and sci-fi elements and must meet the theme; send up to five poems. Pay is $20 per poem and $0.03/word for short fiction. The deadline is 30 November 2020. Details here.
Talking River
This magazine is run out of Lewis-Clark State College, Idaho. There are no size restrictions on poetry – send up to five poems. They also accept fiction and creative nonfiction. Details here.
microverses
This is a hub for tiny speculative narratives. In Octavos, they publish speculative poetry of up to eight lines. In Constraint 280, they publish narrative speculative work up to 280 characters long. This usually means microfiction and poetry, but things like Twitter bots that generate tweets are also welcome. Experimental and interactive forms are very much welcome. Code may exceed 280 characters if the printed output is 280 characters or under. Pay is $1/line for Octavos submissions, and a flat rate of $2.80/piece for Constraint 280 submissions. Both are open year-round. Details here.
Invisible City
This is an online publication of the MFA in Writing Program at the University of San Francisco that publishes in the fall and spring. They want work that “encourages us to see the world from new perspectives and different angles, ones that we may not have previously considered or imagined.” Send up to three poems. They also publish fiction and creative nonfiction. Their reading period is until 15 December, 2020. Details here.
Book of Matches
They publish poetry (up to three poems or six pages of poetry), as well as fiction, nonfiction, and translations. They accept work year-round. Details here.
Alba
This is a journal of short poetry. They publish poems of 12 lines or fewer. They have a preference for free verse, as opposed to established forms like haiku or tanka. The deadline is 31 December 2020. Details here.
Curiouser Magazine
This is a new Australian magazine of short fiction and poetry. Their website says the magazine “…was created out of a love for intriguing short fiction that explores – by fantastical means – what it is to be human.” Also, “We specialise in prose and poetry that can be defined roughly by the genre of magic realism. Whilst the official definition for magic realism states it is a form of literature that deals, in an accepting fashion, aspects of life usually represented as outside reality, we prefer to cast our nets a little bit wider.
We love the fantastical, the horrific, the experimental, the incantatory. We don’t like morality plays, overt spiritualism, the banal, the painfully self-aware.” Send up to three poems. They pay $25 (Australian) per poem and $50-125 for prose. The deadline is 31 December 2020. Details here.
amberflora
This is an online magazine with a focus on eco / world poetry. Send up to three poems. They aim to publish quarterly. Their website says they seek writing that “pushes at borders: national / cultural / stylistic / species / etc. we welcome ecopoetry, activist poetry, materialisms, translations, poetry that explores connections to land, origins, cultures, the nonhuman, & anything in between.” They are currently open and usually announce their submission periods on Twitter. Details here.
Split Lip Magazine
Split Lip Magazine is a voice-driven literary journal with a pop culture twist. They publish online monthly and in print annually – poetry (send one poem), flash fiction, short stories, memoir, and art. November is one of the months when they are open for general fee-free submissions. The deadline is 30 November 2020 for general fee-free submissions, but sometimes fee-free submissions close earlier than scheduled due to overwhelming response. For Black writers, submissions are fee-free till the end of the year. Pay is $50 per author for web issues, and $5/page for print. Details here (scroll down).
Brittle Star
This wonderful journal publishes poetry (send up to four poems) and short fiction. They have opened a short submission window, and the deadline is 19 November 2020. Details here.
The Iowa Review
This prestigious literary magazine accepts poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translations. Send up to 8 pages of poetry (query for longer poems). There is no fee for mailed submissions, though online submissions are charged. Pay is $1.50/line for poetry and $0.08/word for prose. The deadline is 30 November 2020. Details here.
Blackbox Manifold
They want “poems with prose, narrative, or sequences in their sights, or poems with an environmental slant.” Submit two to five poems, or an extract from a longer work. They also publish reviews and short essays. They are particularly keen to have short essays on poetic sequences. Details here.
Eye to the Telescope: Travel
This is a speculative poetry magazine and they’re reading submissions on the ‘Travel’ theme. The editor particularly enjoys genre-bending and pushing of form/function – see guidelines page for further preferences/suggestions. Send up to three poems. Payment is $0.03/word up to $25, and the deadline is 15 December 2020. Details here.
Long Poem Magazine
Their guidelines say, “The spirit of ‘long’ is probably more important than length – by which we don’t mean it doesn’t have to be long – but it also needs substance.” They publish traditional and innovative new writing. Poems must be at least 75 lines (but no book length poems). The deadline is 30 November 2020. Details here.
Timeless Tales Magazine
They have a submission window from July 2020-April 2021 for poems that fit the theme “Tales of the Arabian Nights”. They pay $30 dollars per accepted piece. To learn more visit their website here.
Modern Poetry in Translation
They only publish translations of poetry (and not original English-language poetry) and the translations must be previously unpublished. Send up to six poems. They welcome work from any age, but have a preference for contemporary work. They are currently reading for an unthemed issue (deadline 31 December 2020). They are also reading for a European Pandemic issue and invite submissions from all European countries and languages (deadline 1 January 2021 – new translations of poems from Europe that respond to the Covid19 crisis). All contributors are paid. Details here.
Author Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
