These are new literary journals – they published their first issue roughly a year ago, or less; a few are reading for their inaugural issues now. They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, as well as other genres like cross-genre and drama, and are a mix of literary and genre magazines. Some of these magazines pay writers. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now. They are listed in no particular order.
The Mantelpiece
This is an Iceland-based journal. They have published one issue so far, which you can read here. They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations. Payment is €0.1/word for the first 1,000 words and €0.04 for every subsequent word, with a minimum payment of €40. Details here.
Heartlines Spec
This is a Canadian online and print magazine, and they have published one issue so far. Please note, they will publish at least 50 percent Canadian content in each issue. “We’re looking for short fiction and poetry focused on long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial. We don’t want the blaze of new love or the obsession of a new friend. We want pieces that show that comfort that develops when people know each other for years.
Give us deep space, dusty frontiers, or dreamy fantasy. We want stories and poetry with strong, confident relationships amid all the sci-fi/fantasy. While we are primarily looking for stories with happy endings (yeah, yeah), we also want endings that are earned. If things get a little teary or gory, that’s ok.
We are especially interested in stories featuring queer platonic relationships, ace/aro love stories, and polycules.” Send stories of 1,000-3,500 words, or up to 5 poems. Pay is CAD0.08/word for fiction and CAD60/poem. Their next submission window is 1-30 September for all writers, and they have an early submission period for equity-deserving groups, 24-31 August 2023. Details here.
annie journal
This journal “looks to celebrate the work of new and established authors alike, writing in the genres of personal essay and creative nonfiction. Poetry will also be considered, however the space dedicated to this will be limited in comparison to the other genres listed.” Send prose of up to 1,000 words, or up to 3 poems. You can read about the editors here. They are accepting submissions for their second issue until 31st July 2023. Details here.
The Maul
They want stories (100-3,000 words), comics, and art – horror and other speculative fiction for younger readers. They have detailed guidelines, including, “…even though our target audience skews younger, we’re really just looking for great writing. Our focus is on horror but we’ll take other genres. In fact, the editors prefer stories that are a mix of genres. You’re more likely to be published if you give us fantasy or sci-fi mixed with horror. We’ll also take literary work, though please realize that, given our clientele and organizational goals, it can be a hard sell.
We enjoy pulp fiction. That means we look for stories that pop. Exaggeration, melodrama, impossibly imaginative settings, and vivid imagery are encouraged. Bring us something that really jumps off the page. Be as over-the-top as you like. If you’re a more subtle writer, submit anyway.” They also accept reprints. They take submissions from writers 15 and older (see guidelines). Pay is $0.08/word for fiction. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
Centaur Lit
This is a journal dedicated to hybrid writing, and art; see their bio on Twitter. They have published one issue, so far, and will publish 4 seasonal issues a year. They want writing that is “inspired, bold, and surprising.” They pay $20 for works of up to 400 words. Details here.
Twin Bird Review
Their website says, this is “a biannual online literary publication for imaginative fiction, poetry, essays, art, and comics. We publish work that captures our imagination and offers new perspectives on the world around us. We love the metaphorical, the speculative, the fantastical, the whimsical, and the strange. We value energy, passion, and vibrancy. We care less about perfection and more about sincerity; less about looking good and more about authenticity.” They accept prose (up to 3,000 words), poetry (up to 5 poems), comics and graphic stories, and art. They are reading submissions for their second issue; see the submission call on Twitter. Their guidelines are here.
Dark Yonder
They want neo-noir stories, and they publish four times a year. “There are no setting requirements, but all stories submitted must be loosely categorized as “neo-noir.” We’re not looking for your grandfather’s noir fiction. We’re looking for new, unique voices and interpretations of dark literary fiction (crime, horror, speculative lit, etc) that fit into our rapidly evolving world. Everyone is well versed in the fiction that America is raised on; we’re looking for fiction that takes us… yonder” Their sweet spot is for fiction of 3,000-5,000 words – they do not want flash fiction. They pay $50. Details here (scroll down).
Bear Paw Arts Journal
Their website says, “Bear Paw Arts Journal seeks to publish poetry, flash fiction, and micro essays that, like the Bears Paw Mountains, surprise and delight with each new turn.” They accept poetry (both formal and experimental), flash fiction, and micro memoir. Send 3-5 poems, or up to 500 words of prose. They are reading submissions for their first issue until 1st September 2023. Details here.
Anthophile
They plan to print one issue a year. You can read about the magazine here. They will publish non-fiction (800-2,500 words), fiction (up to 4,000 words), poetry, art, and photography. Their guidelines say, “It’s a space for our contributors to explore and celebrate the plant and flower filled landscape we live in (understanding that plants and flowers are part of life’s bigger picture, a synthesis and celebration of many arts and sciences) It will publish contemporary fiction and poetry, alongside incisive and erudite essays, and features. We are open to both experimental and traditional forms of writing, anything that’s meaningful, surprising, felt. We like humour, and enjoy satire, ‘fake non-fiction, open letters and the weird and quirky. … We are open to publishing extracts from existing books and collections.” Please note, this is not a gardening magazine. Payment is agreed on prior to publication. They are open for submissions between October and March. Details here and here.
Fireworks
This is a short fiction journal. “Send us any short stories that make you feel like fireworks are going off in our hearts, brains or both! We want writing that wakes you up and makes you forget about everything else – plots that can get you attached, invested, and excited in less than 6,000 words. Aside from word count (1-6,000, though you’ll probably have trouble with only 1…surprise us!)”. You can read the stories they have published here. Details here.
The Passionfruit Review
They plan to have both themed and unthemed issues, and have published one issue so far. You can read about them here. Their guidelines say, “The theme for general submissions is love: the romantic, the familial, the platonic, the intimate, the lost, the young, the wretched. Above all, Passionfruit seeks to be a home for that which illuminates something of the human spirit – pieces that explore what love is (or isn’t, or might be), when we love, how we love, what we love, and why we love. Our focus is on poetry, but there are no particular restrictions on genre, type, or style – we will consider poetry, prose, and visual art for each issue.” Send poetry (up to 3 poems) or prose (up to 2,000 words). The deadline is 30 September 2023 for this general submissions issue. Details here.
riddlebird
Their first issue was published July 2022. They publish literary fiction and personal essays, of 650-5,000 words. “We like a memoirist’s essay that has achieved some distance and allows us to share a newfound insight.” They publish online, and in print. They pay $100. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
Figwort Literary Journal
Their website says, “Fiction, photography, short stories, long stories, paintings, articles, interviews, arguments, letters, texts… you name it, we probably want it.
Just because we haven’t published a particular style before, doesn’t mean it’s not on our radar.” They read year-round, and have published two issues so far. Details here.
Changing Skies
Changing Skies is a journal affiliated with the University of Colorado Boulder, and is a subsidiary of Hindsight, partnering with Mission Zero Fund. They want writing – prose, poetry, comics, and art – on the climate crisis. You can read the first issue here. They are also running a fee-free climate crisis-themed prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and art contest, with prizes of $500 and $200. The contest deadline is 17 September 2023; please note, they consider all work for print or online publication. Details here and the submission portal for the contests, as well as for submission to Changing Skies and Hindsight magazines, is here; please be sure to submit in the correct category.
Roses & Wildflowers
They plan to publish their first issue in February 2024. Their website says, this is the “Creative Works Imprint of Coreopsis Journal of Myth & Theatre.” They want mythopoeic fiction, poetry and art – fabulism, fantasy, science fiction, and wonder tales. The theme of their spring 2024 issue is ‘Into the Wild’ – they opened their reading period in June 2023, and will accept submissions of fiction and poetry until filled. Query for songs and artwork. They want lyric or narrative poetry on a mythopoeic theme of up to 40 lines, and fiction of 1,000-7,500 words. Pay is $5 for poems and $20 for fiction. Please note, this is a Kickstarter-based project. Details here.
The Cosmic Background
This is a magazine of primarily slipstream flash fiction (work of up to 1,000 words has best chances of acceptance). “We want the single best piece of flash fiction you have that comes from the places in-between. We are primarily a slipstream publication — that means we like your stories that don’t make a ton of sense. We want your giant talking frogs. We want your people with unexplained, never commented-upon eyes in their fingertips. We enjoy character-focused writing, with an emphasis on voice.” They also accept reprints. Pay is $0.08/word. Watch for their next submission period. Details here and here.
Culinary Origami
Their inaugural issue was published end-March 2023, and they are reading for their second issue now. “We publish works of all themes, however Culinary Origami will favor pieces that encompass 1) food and 2) the edition’s theme.” The theme is ‘Nature As Soul Food’ for their summer issue They accept poetry (up to 5 pieces), prose (up to 3,000 words), recipes (step by step instructions on how to prepare a cultural dish), and art. Submission is via a form. The deadline is 31 July 2023. Details here. (At the time of writing, they were looking for readers – see the announcements at the end of their Masthead page.)
Showcase: Object & Idea
Showcase is a Substack-based project. They publish flash prose (fiction and nonfiction, up to 2 pages) and poetry (send 1 poem). They also accept reprints. “We explore Object & Idea. A poem and a prose piece are selected for each monthly issue, and the authors answer questions about the meaning behind their work.” Pay is $50. They have both fee-based and fee-free submissions. The deadline for fee-free submissions of prose is 12th August 2023. Details here and here.
Common Measure
“Common Measure will be an amalgam of various visual and written works, exploring the core theme of presence and print and what they mean against today’s hypercharged digital content netscape.” They have a few suggested topics to explore the theme, including: “How engaging with physical art and writing (galleries, print books) shapes our attention”, and “the rapidity of modern digital content production and pacing, contrasted with traditional forms”. Send “An article, short story, poem, creative nonfiction, or other form of writing”, or art, of up to 5 pages. The deadline is 1st August 2023 for submissions to their inaugural issue. Details here.
Broken Antler Magazine
They publish online and in print, and they are reading for their first issue. They want “ALL genres of horror, as well as sci-fi and dark fantasy. The editors are partial to a wide range of subgenres—body, cosmic, folk, gore, etc.… For poetry, creative nonfiction, and hybrid submissions, we’re looking for work that is haunting and monstrous, weird and bizarre. Extra points if your work is experimental or doing something unusual with form.” Send up to two hybrid submissions. Pay is $10-20. The deadline is 31 August 2023 (see the tweet here.) Details here. (Also see details of BAM Quarterly, their online journal, and The Marrow, Broken Antler’s blog and home of their LGBTQIA+ creator series, on their guidelines page – click on ‘Who We Are’.)
Dracula Beyond Stoker
This is the flagship journal of DBS Press. Their website says, “Our flagship journal, Dracula Beyond Stoker, will present the best new fiction based on Stoker’s characters, locations and themes, and sometimes Stoker, himself.” Their next reading period is November through December 2023, and the theme is ‘The Brides of Dracula’. They accept stories of 1,500-5,000 words. Pay is $0.05/word. Details here.
Book Worms
This is a mail order only horror zine that launched in 2023. They are reading submissions for their ‘Halloween’ issue. They pay $0.08/word for stories up to 1,500 words. The deadline is 15 September 2023; please note, submissions have to be mailed. Details here.
The Acedian Review
This is a poetry journal published by a collective of high school students; you can read their mission here. They are reading submissions for their first issue, and the theme is ‘Trace’. “What artifacts (objects, people, feelings, places, traditions, etc.) have ancestry? How do we identify the past by its roots in the present? How do things grow or erode over time? Consider the word “trace” in all its forms as you write.” Send up to 5 poems. The deadline for this issue is 1 September 2023. They plan to be always open for submissions. Details here and here.
Carbon Chained
They are reading submissions for their first issue, and the theme is ‘Siblings’. Currently, they are only accepting poetry; send up to 3 poems. The deadline is 15th December 2023 for this issue. They have other themes too, with later reading periods. Details here.
manywor(l)ds
Their website says, “We welcome submissions by those who identify with and as any of the following descriptors: trans, two-spirit, disabled, neurodivergent, Mad, queer, crip, nonbinary, genderqueer, intersex. This is a space for the words, works, and worlds of and by those whose bodyminds defy social expectations and invite new ways of thinking and knowing. … We invite closeted and questioning people to share their work, as well as those whose experiences fall outside the confines of the language we used above. We take submissions of all/no forms and genres. Please do not label your submission by genre.” They accept text-based (up to 1,000 words) as well as image, audio, and video submissions. “We welcome submissions from creators of all ages. We particularly encourage unpublished/emerging/young creators to submit. If you know an incarcerated/institutionalized creator who would like to submit, email us for information as to where to mail the submission, or clearly indicate in your message that you are submitting on their behalf.” Submissions are open until 31st July, and they pay for published work (see their pinned tweet). Details here.
Creation Magazine
They are reading for their summer issue, and the theme is ‘Heatwave’. They want fiction, nonfiction, poetry, book reviews, literature analysis, art, interviews and hybrid works. Regarding genres, they list several, including, but not limited to, “Romance, Thriller, Horror, Adventure, Essays, Action, Political, Comedies, LGTBQ+, Narrative Poetry, Surrealism, Nautical Fiction, Satire, Personal, Epic Poetry, Eco-Feminism, Critique, Lost World, Future, … Historical Fiction, Drama, Magical Realism, Body Horror, Weird Fiction, Military, Western Poetry,”, and more. Their About page (which also lists their reading periods) says, “During our Spring Issue, we publish prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction and literary criticism that concentrates on perspectives of women’s celebrations, struggles, rage, disdain and anything in between. … Summer and Winter publications are our themed issues. Although this magazine has a focus on women’s perspectives during our Spring Issue, everyone is encouraged to submit.” Links to their past two issues are here. Details here.
White Cresset Arts Journal
Their website says, “A cresset is a metal cup or basket, containing something flammable. The White Cresset Arts Journal wants to be the fuel and receptacle for your flames, blazing bright in the never-ending dark. Send us that spark, that first flash of iridescent crimson, or send us bonfires and explosions, threatening to consume restless days and restless nights.” They accept prose (up to 5,000 words), poetry (up to 300 lines), art, and other forms – “We’d be delighted to see other creative art forms which we’ve missed!” Query for music. They are also looking for volunteer readers – see the announcement at the end of the Masthead page here. Details here and here.
The Heduan Review
Their website says, “we want to uplift the voices of every kind of writer and make literary fiction writing more approachable. We look for authentic pieces of short fiction, poetry, and prose poetry, as well as nonfiction personal essays, that examine our unique identities as they manifest and complicate our lives.” They publish short fiction and prose poems (both up to 7,500 words), creative nonfiction (up to 3,500 words), poems (up to 5), as well as book & film reviews, and artwork. They pay $0.05/word and the deadline is 31 July 2023. Details here, here, and here.
Mollusk Literary Magazine
Their website says, “Mollusk Literary Magazine is a global online literary magazine that seeks to amplify the voices of a new generation of writers and artists. … Writing and art should be healing, fun, and exciting—our goal is to reduce the stress of putting your work out there, especially for newer writers and artists.” They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, art; “If you have a piece that maybe crosses categories (e.g. prose poetry that contain art or photographs), is not listed (e.g. song, architecture), or is unusual (nail art, origami) please get in contact with us before submitting.” Submission is via a form. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
