Creative nonfiction can encompass many kinds of writing including memoir, personal and literary essays, and narrative writing. It deals with a vast array of topics – memory, culture, travel, literature, food, race, illness, the environment, and much more, and can incorporate a range of forms and styles.
The magazines/outlets in this list all accept creative nonfiction. Almost all of them also publish other genres, like fiction and poetry.
Most, but not all, are open for submissions now.
Blue Earth Review
This literary journal is published by Minnesota State University, Mankato. They accept nonfiction of up to 3,000 words, fiction, and poetry. “We are interested in creative nonfiction (memoir and personal essay) with contemporary themes. No literary criticism. …. We love nonfiction that works on more than just a narrative level. Surprise us with metaphor and layers of meaning.” Details here.
Mangoprism
They accept both pitches and submissions – for personal essays, cultural criticism, long-form interviews with interesting people, short fiction; album, book, movie and product reviews; original reporting; radical political screeds; and unexpected recipes. Only, “your piece must be at least as enjoyable as eating a morsel of mango, the most succulent of fruits.” Pay is at least $0.10 for work of 1,000-3,000 words. Details here.
Channel Magazine
They publish writing from an environmental perspective – “work that engages with the natural world. We have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self.” Essays (up to 6,000 words) and essay pitches are accepted year-round – including creative nonfiction, reportage, commentary, and criticism. They also publish translations. There are submission periods for fiction and poetry, which are closed now. Pay is €50 per page for prose, up to €150. Details here.
(Also see The Willowherb Review, which publishes nature writing, very broadly interpreted, by writers of color; pay is £250 for prose; deadline 30 June 2022. There’s also the UEA/Willowherb Speculative Nature Writing Call for Essay Proposals, a mentorship/publishing opportunity, in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, for three new/emerging writers of colour on nature writing; deadline 15 July 2022.)
Reckoning
They want creative writing, including translations, and art about environmental justice. “the nonfiction is more creative than journalistic … the heart of what we want is your searingly personal, visceral, idiosyncratic understanding of the world and the people in it as it has been, as it is, as it will be, as it could be, as a consequence of humanity’s relationship with the earth.” See the editors’ preferences for Issue 7. Send 3-5 poems, and up to 20,000 words of prose. Pay is $0.08/word for prose and $30/page for poetry. The annual deadline is usually Earth Day (22 September 2022). Details here.
New York Times: Modern Love and Tiny Love Stories
These are nonfiction columns. For both, they especially welcome work from historically underrepresented writers, and from those outside the US.
— Modern Love: They want “honest personal essays about contemporary relationships.
We seek true stories on finding love, losing love and trying to keep love alive. We welcome essays that explore subjects such as adoption, polyamory, technology, race and friendship — anything that could reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love.” Ideally, essays should spring from some central dilemma you have faced. It is helpful, but not essential, for the situation to reflect what is happening in the world now.” Also, “Love may be universal, but individual experiences can differ immensely and be informed by factors including race, socio-economic status, gender, disability status, nationality, sexuality, age, religion and culture.” Send essays of 1,500-1,700 words. Modern Love has two submission periods, March through June, and September through December. Writers are paid. Details here.
— Tiny Love Stories: These are also personal essays similar in theme to Modern Love, but much shorter. “What kind of love story can you share in two tweets, an Instagram caption or a Facebook post? Tell us a love story from your own life — happy or sad, capturing a moment or a lifetime — in no more than 100 words. Include a picture taken by you that complements your narrative, whether a selfie, screenshot or snapshot. We seek to publish the most funny and heart-wrenching entries we receive. We call them Tiny Love Stories. They are about as long as this paragraph. They must be true and unpublished.” Details here.
The Account
They publish creative nonfiction of up to 6,000 words, as well as fiction and poetry. All work has to be accompanied by an account. “An account of a specific work traces its arc—through texts and world—while giving voice to the artist’s approach. … We are most interested in how you are tracking the thought, influences, and choices that make up your aesthetic as it pertains to a specific work.” At the time of writing, they were reading for their Fall 2022 issue. Details here and here.
So Textual
Their website says, “So Textual is a community and online platform for bookish individuals who seek a smart conversation about literature, creative practice, and a considered lifestyle. We celebrate books alongside the contemporary reader.” Among the topics they’re always looking for, are personal essays about a single book or author that changed your life. Also see a recent Twitter thread on the kind of pitches they want – “We’re always looking for evergreen essays, lists related to reading culture, city guides, and bookstore pilgrimages. We love: overlooked writers, art making, meaning-making, in media res, epistolary, riposte, plot twists, besotted characters, offline considerations, literary props, mythmaking, associate thinking, fragments, synthesis as mastery, the classics, films for the literary”. Rates start at $200 for essays and $75 for lists. Details here (Twitter thread) and here (pitching guidelines).
Brick
This Canadian magazine only accepts literary nonfiction submissions, though they also publish some fiction and poetry. “Love has led Brick to publish essays of every description: on reading, the writing life, literature, art, ideas, travel, science, photography, the perfect ending, dance, sport, music, city-building, food, bathrooms, history . . . and we are always looking for new terrain. We are interested in the singular obsessions that compel you to write. We welcome humour, we welcome depth, we welcome the unclassifiable, and we welcome playfulness with the non-fiction form.” Their essays are usually 1,000-5,000 words. Their annual reading periods are September 1 to October 31, and from March 1 to April 30. Pay is CAD55-660. Details here.
…ongoing…
They publish writing and music based on prompts; each month, they will publish a prompt (or two); for music, writers have to respond with a prose piece of 50-1,000 words in any genre, and for written prompts, musicians have to respond with a piece of music. They have two musical prompts now, and invite writers to respond to these. The deadline for this month’s prompts is 26 June 2022, and pay is CAD30. Details here and here.
Empty House Press
Their website says, “We are looking for writing that addresses the way narrative and presence adhere to place and the way they vanish. We encourage broad interpretations of what the idea or image of an empty house might evoke. This includes but is not limited to writing about home, landscape, place, memory, and of course, the atmosphere of previously inhabited spaces.” Apart from nonfiction (up to 2,000 words), they also publish fiction, poetry, and photo series. Details here.
The Iowa Review
This well-regarded literary magazine, associated with the University of Iowa and published for 50-plus years, publishes nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and translations. There’s a fee for online submissions for non-subscribers, but postal submissions are free. For prose, length guidelines are up to 25 pages, and pay is $0.08/word. Their annual reading period is 1 September-1 November. Details here.
Good River Review
This journal is associated with Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. They publish two issues a year and feature book reviews, craft essays, and other literary news on their website. The magazine “is a home for writing that launches quickly, speaks to the universal through the particular, and is layered with meaning. We also love work that doesn’t fit neatly into genre categories. Our editors are attracted to writing that blurs boundaries, and so contributors will find their work published as prose, lyrics, or drama. In addition, we want to publish the most compelling writing for children and young adults that we can find.” Prose writers should submit one story, one longer-form essay, memoir, or immersive journalism (up to 5,000 words), or two shorter pieces. Details here.
Riddle Fence
This is a Canadian magazine of arts and culture. They publish contemporary writing, four times a year. They accept creative nonfiction (up to 3,000 words), features and reviews, poetry, fiction, and contemporary art. “For nonfiction, we’re looking for essays on the arts or on particular artists, or on aspects of culture and art as an idea or as a specific practice. We are also seeking creative non-fiction with a strong narrative drive.” Details here.
Scrawl Place
Their website says, “Scrawl Place is part visitor’s guide, part travelogue, part literary journal. It’s meant for readers who prefer Bashō to Lonely Planet.” Also, “I’m looking for submissions about “places in the places” where you live or where you’ve visited.
My only fixed criteria is that your submission be about or connected to or associated with a specific, physical place that someone could visit. … The place you write about could be a Wonder of the World, a random street corner that means something to you, or anything in between.” They accept creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and hybrid works of up to 900 words. Writers can send up to 3 pieces. Pay is $35. Details here.
Empty Mirror
They publish nonfiction – essays, reviews, articles, features, interviews, personal essays, of up to 20,000 words (see guidelines). They also publish poetry and visual art. They publish work every Friday. Details here.
The Sun Magazine
They publish personal essays, fiction, poetry, and photography. “Personal stories that touch on political and cultural issues are welcome.” Pay is $300-2,000 for prose, for print. There’s also a themed Readers Write section, which publishes only nonfiction – “Feel free to submit your writing under “Name Withheld” if it allows you to be more honest.” They have a few upcoming themes for this section, including Anniversaries, due 1 July; and The Phone, due 1 August 2022. Payment for Readers Write is magazine subscription. Details here and here.
Molecule – A Tiny Lit Mag
They publish prose – fiction and creative nonfiction, poetry, plays, interviews, reviews, and visual art twice annually. All work should be 50 words or fewer (including titles and interview questions). They also want visual art of tiny things like tea bags and toothpicks, or tiny paintings. Details here.
Toxic Workplaces Anthology
They plan to publish anthologies by women writers, starting 2023. The theme of the first creative nonfiction anthology is Toxic Workplaces. Send submissions of 1,000-5,000 words. Pay is $0.02/word for original essays; there is no cash payment for reprints. The deadline is 1 December 2022. Details here.
Dream Pop Journal
They publish work every Tuesday. They welcome submissions in experimental, non-narrative forms. Apart from poetry, reviews, visual art, and visual poetry & erasure, they publish a Speculative Diary, of up to 2,500 words – “Speculative diary is a subgenre of creative non-fiction that incorporates science fiction, fantasy, and horror elements into diary writing. Diary is anything from “Dear Diary” style writing to journaling, to sketches, vignettes, fragments, scintillae, or notes. What makes diary diary for this call is work that is concerned with chronology and kairology. For this specific call, speculative can include any sort of SF/F/Horror mythos, tropes, or archetypes. Speculative will also encompass the paranormal, supernatural, mythic, dystopian, alternate histories, retrofutures, Afrofuturism, dreampunk, Ethno/Southern Gothic, and hi-tech mystery/thriller. The point is to bring genre fiction ideas and aesthetics into one’s processing of the real world and memories.” Details here.
Points in Case
They want creative, thematic, and entertaining literary humor. They accept many formats, including essays and lists. Pay is $10-35 for submissions up to 1,000 words. Details here.
Pithead Chapel
They want personal, memoir, lyric, flash (short-shorts), hybrid, and experimental essays, of up to 4,000 words. They also accept fiction and prose poetry. Details here.
Autofocus
Autofocus is a literary publisher of artful autobiographical writing. They have a literary journal, a podcast, and now, a press. For the journal, they want “personal essay, memoir, confessional poetry, curated journal/diary, curated letters/e-mail, hybrid explorations of the self, and any writing that makes art from your life.” Prose can be a single piece up to 2,000 words, or two shorter flash pieces. Details here.
(The Submittable page also has details of their craft anthology, ‘How to Write a Novel.’ “I’m looking for essays about brainstorming and drafting and experimenting and workshopping and revising and all the other different stages and elements of writing a novel… even though they probably won’t use those words.” Pay for the craft anthology essays is $50, and the deadline is 30 June 2022.)
Creative Nonfiction: True stories by (or about) nurses; and more
Creative Nonfiction regularly issues themed submission calls, and normally, these have a submission fee for non-subscribers. However, for their call on true stories by (or about) nurses, they’re not charging a fee, nor for pitches on creative nonfiction as a genre. See all the magazine’s calls here. For the nurses call, “We’re looking especially for pandemic-era stories, which examine the complex and essential role nurses of all kinds have played in providing care and guidance for patients and families, as well as the ways in which the pandemic has affected both individuals and the healthcare system.
We are looking for writers who can write dramatically and vividly about their work. Essays can be from 1,000 to 4,000 words and should be previously unpublished and written in a narrative form, with scenes, description, vivid characters, and a distinctive voice. … All submissions will be considered for the book and might also be considered for other CNF projects.” The deadline for this call is 27 June 2022. Details here.
(They’re also always open for pitches on writing about creative nonfiction. “We’re looking for writing about writing—smart and insightful ideas related to the art, craft, history, or philosophy of creative nonfiction.” They’re open to these kinds of stories, see guidelines for examples: then & now stories or timelines; explorations of specific subgenres, considering the work of more than one writer; arguments or research or ideas about why/how true stories matter; craft pieces, particularly related to structure, voice, or finding inspiration; pieces that explore connections between creative nonfiction and other fields/forms; in-depth interviews with prominent voices in the field; or, generally, work that engages deeply in some way with creative nonfiction as a form or practice. For upcoming issues, they are specially interested in pitches on voice in creative nonfiction, and flash nonfiction. These pieces are generally 1,000-3,000 words. Details here.)
Night Shift Radio: The Storyteller Series
Night Shift Radio podcast has The Storyteller Series and they choose two stories to publish each month. One story will be chosen for the Full Cast Audiobook treatment; that author will receive $50 for audio rights and non-exclusive print rights. A second piece will be chosen for their mid-month print only piece. The author of that piece will be offered $25. They publish fiction, nonfiction, memoir – anything that reads with tension and excitement. They have short, week-long submission windows during certain months: for 2022, they’ll read submissions during 21st to 28th of August, and of November. Please send submissions only during the reading period. Length guidelines are 7,000-10,000 words. Details here (episodes) and here (guidelines).
Pleiades
They are open for regular submissions until 30 June, of nonfiction, reviews, fiction, and poetry. “…we are particularly interested in creative nonfiction that gazes out at the world rather than into the self. This is to say nothing against memoir, only that our publishing aesthetic leans towards the exterior in order to balance what we often see as a focus on memoir and interiority in many literary journals. Essays that perform a weave of the personal with an outward gaze are very welcome. We do not only consider externally-focused creative nonfiction, but this is our taste preference. Limit creative nonfiction submissions to 6,000 words.”
And during 1-31 July 2022, they will open submissions for a special folio, ‘Silences of War: Erasure within Conflict’. They want nonfiction, poetry, fiction, and hybrid work “that engages with the untold or silenced side of “war” in all its variations—from global to national to domestic conflict. What and who is erased by violence? What sounds do these silences make, and how can they be honored and represented? How can destruction take the form of creation and utterance? Send us your writing about historical and recent conflicts, forms of resistance and persistence, and the silences upheld by oppressive systems, structures, and individuals. We especially welcome creative work from historically marginalized perspectives.” Details here.
(There’s also Consequence Forum, which accepts work, including narrative nonfiction, on the consequences of war and geopolitical violence. Pay is $20-200, and the submission period is 15 July-15 October 2022.)
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
