These literary magazines and outlets publish hybrid, experimental, and/or cross-genre writing.
They accept other genres also, like fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and translations. Some of the magazines pay writers. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now.
Harpy Hybrid Review
Their guidelines say, “Harpy Hybrid Review (HHR) exists to celebrate and showcase hybrid works in all their varied forms: poetry, songs, translations, multilingual/bilingual work, flash/micro fiction, creative nonfiction, videos, collaborations, erasures/found poetry, ekphrastic work and visual arts including comics and broadsides.” They also accept reprints. Details here.
Procrastinating Writers United
“Join us for our 2025 mini-digital-publication THE YELLING CONTINUES, a cacophonous collection of creativity in a small package! … Theme: NOISE. Submitted work titles will be styled in ALL CAPS. (NOISE is open to interpretation; let us know how your work fits the theme!)” They want “Artwork 300 dpi (illustration/comics/something else?!)
Poetry up to 5 formatted pages (rhyming/nonrhyming/weird format/etc.)
Prose up to 8,000 words (fiction/nonfiction/creative nonfiction/lists/almost anything!)
Other up to 5 formatted pages (in case you have something hybrid to share)”. The deadline is 30 June 2025. Details here.
Whiptail
They used to publish only single-line poetry. However, “Beginning in 2025, we will be moving to a mixed-genre format to include single-line poems, concrete poems, sequences, multi-ku, text hybrids (haibun, tanka prose, and other mixed genres), visual hybrids (haiga, shahai, vispo, etc.), and visual art.” Their next submission period is October 21st to 27th 2025. Do not send work outside the reading period. Details here.
The Cincinnati Review
Submissions for their miCRo series are usually open on an ongoing basis, with some exceptions. This is their weekly online flash feature; fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid. And, submissions for the print magazine usually open thrice yearly, for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry – in May, September, and December. Submissions open at the beginning of these months, and close when the submission cap is reached. See the editor preferences here. Rates are $25 for miCRo, and $25/page for prose and $30/page for poetry for the print magazine. Details here and here.
The Orange & Bee
This is an Australian Substack-based magazine, and they accept work related to fairy tales. They want fiction, poetry, and hybrid works “that engage in a significant way with the long history of fairy tales. We are interested in works that stretch, expand, test, subvert, and challenge the fairy-tale tradition.
We are interested in works that are entertaining, but also in works that matter: that is, in works that are both pleasurable to read and thought-provoking.
We are interested in works in which the relationship between your writing and the fairy-tale tradition is complex and thoughtful. Works that—ideally, though this is a Big Ask—open up our hearts and minds, offering us a new way to think or feel about the fairy-tale tradition as well as broader themes and issues.” They are especially interested in diverse perspectives. Send up to 1,000 words for flash fiction, up to 4,000 words for short fiction/non-fiction, up to 50 lines for poetry. They pay $80 for flash fiction, $0.08/word for short fiction, $50 for poetry. Their next reading period is 1st to 14th July 2025. Details here and here.
Bending Genres
“We like blending genres, hybrid writing, blurred lines.” They publish fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and like work in all categories that blends genres. Send up to 1,000 words for fiction, up to 1,500 words for nonfiction, or up to 3 poems. Details here.
Backwards Trajectory
The magazine publishes “bite sized artifacts.” “Send us a drawing, a photograph, a piece of flash, a poem, a receipt, a list, a matchbook, an outline for a five paragraph essay on photosynthesis, whatever you have lying around, send us your dusty masterpieces you’ve been neglecting for donkeys years.” They publish prose, poetry, visual arts, and found objects. They want works up to 200 words. Details here.
Club Plum
For hybrid submissions, they say, “Send genre-bending and language-bending works up to 3,000 words. We like strange things.” They also accept creative nonfiction (“Send flash, segmented, braided, hermit crab, hybrid and beautiful essays. Send micro-nonfiction. Send hard-to-classify short pieces.”), prose poetry, flash fiction, and art. Details here.
SmokeLong Quarterly
They accept submissions for flash narratives – fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid, between fiction and nonfiction of up to 1,000 words. Please see guidelines for the kind of work they like. They also accept reviews of flash collections, essays on craft, and articles on teaching flash for their blog, though there’s no payment for these. Pay is $100 per narrative/$150 with audio. Details here and here.
(SmokeLong is also open for a special call – dark fantasy and psychological thriller stories in literary prose, and the deadline for that is mid-August).
elsewhere
They want unlineated work, less than 1,000 words. “elsewhere cares only about the line / no line. We want short prose works (flash fiction, prose poetry, nonfiction) that cross, blur, and/or mutilate genre.” They accept fee-free as well as tip-jar submissions. Details here.
Harbor Editions
The press offers fee-free submissions to BIPOC writers and previous finalists for their Harbor Editions – 2025 Hybrid Chapbook Reading Period – “We define hybrid as a collection that combines genres or defies classification. We will consider books that incorporate art. Chapbooks should be around 20-50 pages.”; the deadline for this call is 31 May; they’re also accepting fee-free submissions from BIPOC authors and previous finalists for a micro chapbook poetry contest, prize $200, and the deadline for the contest is 31 July 2025; see the relevant categories in Submittable for details. Submissions in other categories have a submission fee attached.
Pine Hills Review
They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. Hybrid and experimental works are especially encouraged. They’re currently reading submissions for a Mall-themed special feature, deadline 31 May 2025, details here; see their general guidelines here.
Brink
They are “dedicated to publishing hybrid, cross-genre work of both emerging and established creatives who often reside outside traditional artistic disciplines. … Hybrid writing often includes multiple mediums such as visual and written elements that together accomplish a result impossible to achieve alone. Text-based hybrid writing harnesses form and content in singular ways to create dynamic work primed to offer new perspectives, voices, and ideas that prioritize the combination of multiple literary and artistic elements to produce a readable, engaging piece of work.” And, “we accept a variety of creative work … But our hearts beat strongest for hybrid work. We are interested in work that presses boundaries by using more than one medium to tell a story; work that looks and feels different on the page. Additionally, we look for submissions that engage the issue’s theme and the notion of being on the brink.” They will next open in July, and will read on the Obsession theme. Their Submittable will open during the reading period. They pay $25-100. Details here and here.
Chestnut Review
They have fee-free submissions of poetry, flash, and art, and also offer fee-free submissions of longer prose to Black and Indigenous writers. Also, “If you have work that doesn’t fit neatly into the below categories, that doesn’t mean we won’t want to see it. Choose the most appropriate and include a note—we’ll figure it out.” Contributors are paid $120. They read throughout the year, with cut-off dates for issues. Deadline for the Autumn issue is 30th June 2025. Details here.
Mslexia
They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, articles, and fun stuff by women. They ask for some hybrid submissions too, including Bear necessities in the fun section – “Tell us about an object, ritual or creature that helps with your writing: e.g. teddy, terrier or tea in your lucky mug. Send a colour photo of your ‘necessity’, plus up to 50 words of explanation.” Some sections are only open to subscribers, but not all. A few calls are themed, and deadlines vary. Fees start at £30 for most pieces, and some pieces are unpaid (see here). Details here.
Taco Bell Quarterly
This magazine publishes many genres and sub-genres including hybrid autofiction, and hard-to-define pieces. “Taco Bell Quarterly seeks literary/creative essays, short stories, fiction/prose, poems, comics, art, one act plays, fever dreams, multimedia, stupid status updates, criticisms, manifestos, recipes and anything else that explore any and all elements of Taco Bell. Or not. Shoehorn a chalupa in your short story. Maybe we’ll love it. An elegy for the discontinued menu items? Fine. An experimental essay about marine biology and the XXL Grilled Stuft Burrito? Awesome. … We lean towards pieces that are queer and center their pain/joy in a Taco Bell.” They will stay open till end-July, or until their submission cap is met, whichever is earlier; their Submittable portal will remain open during the reading period. Send 500-2,500 words for prose; they pay $150. Details here and here.
The Poet Heroic
“We believe poetry can be words, photography collections, tarot decks, paintings, podcasts, secret envelopes, books hiding within books, crystal grids, drag queens, classical music, cookbooks and recipes, and quiet affirmations whispered into the dark.
Submissions are always open and previously published pieces are welcome.” They accept submissions for Seashore & Folklore Magazine, the Poet Heroic Poem of the Week, and The Poet Heroic Podcast. Details here and here.
Foglifter
They want work from LGBTQ+ writers only – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, hybrid works, drama, and art. “Foglifter welcomes daring and thoughtful work by queer and trans writers in all forms, and we are especially interested in cross-genre, intersectional, marginal, and transgressive work. We want the pieces that challenged you as a writer, what you poured yourself into and risked the most to make. But we also want your tenderest, gentlest work, what you hold closest to your heart.” They accept up to 7,500 words for prose, 3-5 poems, up to 20 pages of drama or hybrid works, as well as art and media. They pay $50. Also see their ‘Writers In Need’ funds for and by contributors, on their guidelines page. They’ll reopen for written submissions on 1st September; at the time of writing, they were open for visual art and media. Details here and here.
The Disappointed Housewife
They want “fiction, essays, and poetry – along with unclassifiable writings, photos, and drawings – that stretch genre definitions, break the rules, challenge readers, and bend their brains, all while maintaining the highest levels of style and substance. … We’re looking for stories that strike us as different, always with that idiosyncratic touch. Iconoclastic. Kind of bent. Humorous.” And, “There’s so much that can be done in terms of the way readers “read” literature now. Words on a page, sure. But you could construct a short story entirely in tweets or phone texts. Or handwrite poetry on 3 x 5 index cards and photograph them (please write legibly). A photo slide show with enigmatic captions. A facsimile of someone’s job application. The menu of a hip restaurant that’s on the forefront of insect haute cuisine. A story made up of urls that readers click on to go on a virtual journey. … writers who can think of unorthodox and offbeat ways to tell their stories will be highly appreciated here at The Disappointed Housewife.” Details here.
Mulberry Literary
They publish art, prose, poetry, and everything in-between. All works accepted for publication during their general reading period will also automatically be entered for their Fresh Voices Award, with a cash award of $20 in each category; “The award is open to submissions of art, prose, poetry, and everything in-between. … there will be one winner in each of our three categories: prose, poetry, and art. (Hybrid work, visual work, audio, and everything in-between will be considered for each category.)”. Please note, you have to fill out a form on the website as well as email the submission during the reading period for general submissions (1st June to 14th July 2025). Details here.
Diode
They welcome all types of poetry including narrative experimental, visual, found and erasure poetry. Send 3-5 poems. They also accept poetry in translation, and collaborative poems, as well as book reviews, interviews, and essays on poetics. Details here.
Exist Otherwise
This journal is interested in work about identity, gender, trauma & recovery, as well as intuition & dreams. They’re currently accepting work on the theme, Soldier Without a Name. They accept “any kind of written work: poetry, prose, essays, fiction, creative nonfiction, scripts, hybrid, experimental writing, whatever.” They pay $15 for works up to 1,000 words. The deadline is 31 May 2025 (see their editorial calendar here). Details here (general guidelines), here (theme), here (editorial calendar), here (submission form).
Lilomul
This is a new journal, and they’re reading for their first issue. Their tagline is, Art. Memory. Resistance. “We accept poetry, hybrid works, personal essays, fragments, diary entries, short fiction, experimental prose, or visual pieces (photography, digital art, scanned analogue work, collage, handwritten work).” And, they’re drawn to work that is “- Rooted in identity, memory, body, and struggle
– Voiced from the margins– emotionally, politically, structurally
– Tender and unflinching– we like soft rage, raw mourning, quiet revolution
– Non-traditional in format or feeling– format-bending, margin scribbled, unlabeled, unusual”. Send up to 3 poems or 2 short pieces (max 1,500 words each), or visual submissions. The theme for their first issue is She and I, Together We Shall; see the issue theme here. They also say in their general guidelines, “This is a rolling journal– so if we love your work but it does not fit this theme, we may hold it for a future issue.” The deadline is 1st July 2025. Their detailed general guidelines are here.
Ruby
They publish “short-form food narratives that strive for voice, artistry, and character.” Send creative nonfiction, fiction, or hybrid forms, of up to 1,000 words. “Like language, food is interpretable and symbolic; it serves to make meaning as narrative. When we describe what we eat—how we prepare and experience it, where we obtain it, how we nourish ourselves and others, the spaces in which we eat, and how we share food—or don’t—we reveal who we and our characters are.” Watch for their next submission period. Details here and here.
ST((O))NE[D]!
“With the Dadaist (1919) and Surrealist (1924) Manifestoes published about 100 years ago, we want to celebrate the history and art with a magazine (read: collaborative evolving manifesto) of our own. Because these once radical experimentations in literature have been folded into the curriculum of academia we wonder where is the new, subversive revolution of the mind? Where is the nonconformist art and writing? What depths of the subconscious have we yet to explore? … Please send us up to three (3) pages of writing. Up to ten (10) images of artwork/photography. Send us your strange, grotesque, avant-garde, heavily experimental. Send us your manifestoes, dirge, commentary, roasts and prophecies. Send us chattering, ramblings, your hybrid, your we-don’t-even-know-what-the-fuck-to-call-this, send us your revolution.” Details here.
Aôthen Magazine
They only accept works related to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome – fiction (up to 1,000 words), poetry, essays (opinion or otherwise), photography, art, classical translation extracts, and hybrid works. They pay $10. Columns are always open, other submissions were closed at the time of writing. Details here.
LIT Magazine
This magazine is published by The New School MFA in Creative Writing program. They publish hybrid prose (up to 10 pages). “Hybrid prose works generally experiment with non-traditional stylistic forms. This category is not just for works that defy casual interpretation, but also works that include elements generally reserved for non-prose writing. …we are interested in hybrid prose that is aware of the tension between fiction and non-fiction, and wants to exploit, reify, and expand those terms, but not be contained by them. If it’s too prose-y to be a poem, but not clearly a short story or an essay, it might belong here.” They also accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry, translations, book reviews, and art. The deadline is 22 June 2025. Details here.
Vernacular
This quarterly journal “enthusiastically welcomes submissions on anything and everything that falls under the theme of vernacular.” And, “Vernacular is anything that reveals a sense of place. Vernacular is the local and the vulgar – food, music, buildings, speech, flora, fauna, etc. Something regional that serves as a means of reaffirming or establishing identity. Familiar forms in an informal city.” They want “non-fiction, fiction, art, photography, music, poetry, comics, interviews, dream interpretation, a playlist, a menu for a nonexistent restaurant, etc. The weirder the better.” Send pieces of 1,500-2,000 words; they encourage you to send photos with written pieces. The deadline for their Summer edition is 20 July 2025. Details here.
The Gravity of the Thing
They publish genre-bending works, fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, including prose poems and multimedia works, and work for Baring the Device column (about defamiliarized writing). They will reopen for submissions in June. Details here.
Heartwood
This is a biannual publication “celebrating imagination and curiosity”. It is a new journal, and they’re reading submissions for their first issue. “It’s a collaboration between some polymaths, poets, permaculture kids, and goofy unschooled artists. Given that, this isn’t the place for graphic, mature pieces. We want to publish your one act play in which a shark, duck, and kid have to figure out the menu for their co-hosted pizza party. We want to read about your video game adventures as relayed by the jumping spider that secretly spectates your hero (or villain) arc from a spot on your bookshelf. We want your meditation on mortality inspired by trying to eat an ice cream cone while playing soccer, and your reflections on learning not to give up so quickly through several seasons of work in a neighbor’s garden. Send us your interview with your grandmother, with your baby sibling, or with the person who is always at your favorite corner deli. Share with us your essay on why mantis shrimp are fascinating. Tell us all about deciding at 5 you wanted to be an astronaut, and what happened after that.” The deadline is 31st July 2025. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
