This list focuses on a wide variety of journals that are seeking specific kinds of writers, including older writers, writers attending university, working class writers, the incarcerated, veterans and their families, women writers, and Southern writers. Some of these limitations are geographic, some are not. Some publications have stricter guidelines than others.
Not all are currently open to submissions but most are. If you know of another journal that belongs on this list send us a link, at support@authorspublish.com.
If you are a younger writer, we have a list of specialized publications here. If you are a member of an underrepresented community, our most recent monthly round-up of those opportunities is here; this list is updated and released on the third Thursday of every month.
Thin-Skin
A new literary journal that is focused on publishing work of writers that are 50 or older. They are temporarily closed to submissions as of August 15th, and plan to reopen in a few weeks.
The Awakenings Review
They are committed to publishing the works of artists, writers, and poets with mental illness. They also accept submissions from those with a family member or friend with mental illness. They publish two issues a year. I cannot link directly to their submission guidelines, but if you scroll down on the main page there is a yellow panel that says “Submit your work today” and clicking on it, will lead you to the instructions.
Tint Journal
This beautiful online journal showcases the original work of writers for whom English is a second or non-native language.
Furrow
They accept unpublished poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, and comics by undergraduate students in the United States. They reopen to submissions on Dec 1, 2024.
Immigration Diaries
This publication focuses on sharing the work of writers who are also immigrants.
Luna Station Quarterly
They only publish work by women-identified speculative fiction writers.
Mistake House
This literary journal publishes fiction and poetry by student writers actively enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs around the world. They reopen to submissions on October 15th, 2024.
The Banshee
They bill themselves as “the leading journal for women who scream”. They publish a wide variety of work by women and non-binary writers (as long as non-binary writers are comfortable with their work appearing in a women’s magazine). They are open to submissions on a rolling basis for Issue 4: WARNINGS. They are a paying market.
Passager Journal
This journal was founded in 1990 to focus on publishing writing by authors who are 50 and older. Since 2005 they’ve also published books (although they are only interested in working with authors who were previously published in the journal or poets over 70 who enter their contest). There is a fee to submit electronically, but postal submissions are free. They are currently open to submissions of poetry and prose.
Text Power Telling Magazine
They publish a wide range of work by sexual trauma survivors, those who love survivors, as well as those who support survivors.
Boomer Lit
Technically open to submissions from writers of all ages, they describe themselves as having a “home base in the Boomer generation.”
Grand Dame Literary
Publishing women writers of every age, particularly memoir, and work that could be categorized as women’s fiction/genre. They are currently closed to submissions. There is a charge to submit to some categories.
Bloom
A literary site devoted to highlighting, profiling, reviewing, and interviewing authors whose first major work was published when they were age 40 or older, and they recently started accepting poetry and fiction submissions from authors who first publish or publish in a new genre at 40 or later.
Room Magazine
This established Canadian lit magazine publishes “original fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and art by folks of marginalized genders, including but not limited to women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people”. They go on to say “We encourage writers with overlapping under-represented identities to submit, and we don’t want writers to feel restricted by gender or genre labels, so if you are unsure if your work is a fit for Room“. They are currently open to submissions of work for their themed humour issue.
Susurrus
An online literary arts magazine for artists from the American South. They are closed to submissions at the time of this update.
Nawr
A magazine supporting Welsh and Wales-based writers and artists. They specialize in art, literature, and philosophy. Submissions are currently open for their print issue on the theme: DEFFRO/AWAKEN. Submissions close 15th September 24.
Gyroscope Review
This literary journal publishes an annual “Crone Power” issue in the fall. This year they are open to submissions for it from July 1st through September 1st, or until the issue is filled.
Military Experience and the Arts
MEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans and their families to publish short stories, essays, poems, and artwork in their bi-annual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth, and others. They have recently closed for submissions.
The Wrath-Bearing Tree
Established by combat veterans and maintained by a diverse board of veterans, military spouses, and writers compelled by themes of social justice and human resilience, The Wrath-Bearing Tree accepts submissions of essays, reviews, fiction, and poetry on military, economic, and social violence written by those who have experienced military, economic, and social violence or their consequences.
Consequence Forum
A paying journal that publishes work addressing the human consequences and reality of war and geopolitical violence. They will close for submissions on 15th October. They pay.
Quartet Journal
A journal that publishes poetry by women over the age of 50.
The Other Side of Hope
This UK-based literary journal publishes creative work by refugees and immigrants only. They are currently open to submissions of poetry for their “mother tongue / other tongue” issue till the 15th of August. They will not consider submissions in English for this call.
Blue Collar Review
Their mission is to “expand and promote progressive working class vision of culture”. Submissions have to be mailed.
Workers Write
This long-running themed journal focuses on working class writers. They are putting a themed collection called Tales from the Cleaners which will contain fiction and poems from the cleaner’s point of view. Their deadline for submissions is Dec 31st, or until filled. They are a paying market.
Persimmon Tree
An online magazine of the arts by women over 60. Submissions are scheduled to open in October. You do have to sign up to be a subscriber in order to submit but it is free.
Bamboo Ridge Press
This established literary journal only publishes authors located in Hawai’i or the Pacific region or with a direct connection to that region. They are currently closed to submissions.
REMAKE
REMAKE accepts submissions from current first-year students of any work produced during their first year of undergraduate study. There is no age limits on who can be a first-year student, and they are open to submissions from students returning to school after a hiatus. They have additional details on their website. They are currently closed to submissions but reopen October 1st.
The Incarcerated Writers Initiative
The Incarcerated Writers Initiative at Columbia University serves as a resource for incarcerated writers (current and former) to submit their work for detailed critique. Each submitter receives feedback from a Writing Program student, offering a constructive response to their work and ideas on how to improve its effectiveness. They accept submissions year-round, but they are only actively reading submissions September through March. All submissions received before early December are considered for the Spring publications of Exchange and the Columbia Journal.
Emily Harstone is the author of many popular books, including The Authors Publish Guide to Manuscript Submissions, Submit, Publish, Repeat, and The 2024 Guide to Manuscript Publishers. She regularly teaches three acclaimed courses on writing and publishing at The Writer’s Workshop at Authors Publish. You can follow her on Facebook here.
