These are a mix of literary and genre magazines, and they publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid works, and translations. They launched their first issue, at most, a year or so ago. Some of them have yet to publish their first issue. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now, and some of them pay writers. Since these are new magazines, some guidelines may change / get updated between one issue and the next; so please read those carefully on the magazines’ websites before submitting.
Baneberry Literary
This is a horror annual, and they’re reading for their first issue. Their tagline is ‘Unsettling stories for unquiet minds’. They want literary horror / thriller stories. “We consider fiction stories between 500 and 7000 words with horror elements. We take a broad view of the horror genre, from the conceptual and ethereal to the visceral and gory. We look for prose style and thematic complexity over commercial formula.” They pay CAD500, and the deadline is 8th July 2026. Details here.
Fear in Dust
Fear in Dust is a horror poetry zine, and they plan to release quarterly. They are reading for their inaugural issue, and the theme is Ghosts. Send one poem of up to 60 lines. They pay $5. The deadline is 30 June 2026, or when filled. Details here and here.
BlinkerLit
They want to “Build a space for emerging and underpublished writers to find inspiration, share in community, and sharpen their craft through conversation, support, and discovery.” They accept flash and short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and art; send prose up to 1,500 words. The submission deadline is 31st October 2026. US contributors get a free contributor copy. Details here.
Strange Pilgrims
This Substack-based magazine publishes fiction and nonfiction, both flash and long-form. “We’re not married to any genre, structure, or subject. We love surreal, speculative, and fabulist stories; unhinged, lyric, and fragmented essays; voice-driven experimental narratives and slow-burn realism; cultural and literary criticism; hyper-intellectual riffs and children’s stories — so long as they move. If your work is honest, well-crafted, and offers something emotionally and intellectually vivid, we want to read it.” You can read more about them, as well as their likes and influences, here. They accept up to 1,000 words for flash, up to 5,000 words for short prose. They pay $50 for flash prose, and $200 for longer works. They will open next for general fee-free submissions from July 1st to 15th 2026, and July 1st to 3rd for their Micro of the Month themed call. Details here and here.
Salt Bloom
This is a print journal and they recently closed submissions for their inaugural issue. The magazine is affiliated with Fairfield University. They publish prose, which “includes flash, hybrid works, micro fiction and memoir, short plays, and play excerpts”, as well as poetry. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
After/Thought Literary
Their first issue was published in December 2025. They want “work from the edge—the forgotten, the restless, the misfit art that lives in margins and arrives in aftershocks. We want writing that unsettles, opens old wounds, asks unanswerable questions, or refuses to ask anything at all. If your piece makes us feel something real, raw, or un-nameable—we want it.
We’re drawn to work that lingers—writing with a pulse in the sentence, an afterimage in the mind, and a point of view bold enough to risk sincerity.” They accept nonfiction (memoir, personal essay, lyric essay, things-that-defy-classification), hybrids, fiction, and poetry; send prose up to 3,500 words or up to 3 poems. Details here.
Brown Hound Press
This is an online fiction magazine, and they publish Mystery, Offbeat, Dark Humor, Southern Gothic, and Literary fiction. And, “Story length should be around 1,000 to 3,000 words (a couple hundred over is fine). Fewer than 800 words likely won’t be a fit. Flash is not really our thing.” They pay $25. They will reopen in the fall. Details here and here.
TONGUE
This literary magazine accepts translations only, of fiction or creative nonfiction, into English. Their first issue was published in April 2026, which you can read here (scroll down). “TONGUE is especially committed to championing voices from indigenous, stateless, endangered, and underrepresented languages.
Each month (or so) we release one fantastic story, in its original language and in English translation, in print and online.” They pay $50 to $200 for translated short stories, self-contained novel excerpts, creative nonfiction of 1,000 to 4,000 words. Details here.
Crooked Spine
This horror magazine will publish their first issue in July 2026. The submission deadline for their inaugural issue is 18th June 2026; they’ll open submissions for issue 2 from June 17th to 22nd and the theme is Wet Country (folk horror and water). They pay $20 for fiction of 1,500-3,500 words, and $5 for poetry. See their submission calendar here. Details here.
The Itch Lit
“The Itch is an online literary magazine devoted to the stories, poems, and essays that won’t leave us alone. We believe the best writing follows readers home, tugs at their sleeves, and demands another look.” Send fiction up to 1,000 words, nonfiction up to 1,500 words, up to 5 poems, or hybrid/experimental work. Details here.
brief + incorrect lit
This is a Substack-based magazine. They accept fiction, nonfiction, hybrids, and excerpts. “This is a small online magazine for short work that doesn’t behave.
We publish flash fiction and nonfiction under 1,000 words along with hybrid pieces that don’t fit cleanly anywhere else. We also accept brief excerpts from longer works, complete enough to stand alone and unfinished enough to invite the rest. We’re interested in writing that is precise but unstable, controlled but slightly off. We’re interested in work that creates its own logic and follows it all the way through.” Details here.
3 Sisters Literary
This literary magazine is affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh’s Writing Program. Their general guidelines say, “We accept work from all genres, including but not limited to fiction, non-fiction, poetry, art, mixed media, essay, video pieces, computational work, audio offerings, objects, and more. We are especially interested in hybrid works, work that falls in between genres, and pieces that are not easily categorized. We delight in art that is structurally unconventional, fragmentary, elliptical, or otherwise weird and surprising. As an online publication we are excited to showcase works that utilize the digital format in unique ways.” They offer a modest honorarium. Their inaugural issue was published in Spring 2026. Their next submission period will be in the Fall. Details here.
Approach to the Meaning
“Still Point: Poetry & Culture is currently seeking submissions for the inaugural issue of its journal, Approach to the Meaning. We want work that has us return for repeat engagement, that compels a lingering gaze and demonstrates the structural integrity of high-level craft.” They want poetry, poetry book reviews, as well as art and photography. The deadline is 1 August 2026. Details here.
As Words Fly – The Bougainvillea Journal
This India-based journal “welcomes thoughtful, soulful, sincere writing , full of our everyday human experiences.
A home for small poems, prose, and reflections.” They publish Haiku, Senryu, Tanka, Micro poetry, as well as prose of 200-500 words – short essays, literary reflections, and book reviews. They accept work in English and Hindi. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
adventitious
“Adventitioushopes to be an intelligently mischievous literary magazine for the curious and unclassifiable. … We love speculative, surreal, and literary fiction. We admire its reach, its weirdness, and its refusal to color inside any lines. We believe in the work of the magazines and writers already making noise in that space, and we want to join in the ruckus: to publish fiction that’s as thoughtful as it is surprising, and to do it with style, respect, and a great sense of nonsense.” You can read about them here. “We want stories that offer a sense of wonder through their language, characters, plots, or all of the above. Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and all speculative/surreal will always be welcomed, but we’re also happy with stories that shock and delight right here on this plane of existence.” They’ve published two issues so far, which you can read here. They publish stories from micro to novelette length. Up to 17,000 words. They pay $0.08/word. They usually have very brief submission periods; they’ll open on 1st August and close on 5th August or when they reach a submission cap, whichever is earlier. Details here and here.
Speck Magazine
Their tagline is, ‘Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature’. They have print issues and their inaugural online issue will be available soon, see this BlueSky post. They will open for themed submissions again in the Fall. Please note, they can only publish work from writers in the US. They pay. Their submission form will be active during the reading period. Details here.
Gotham Literature
This online magazine wants “short-form creative content that can be read by most people in under 5 minutes.
We accept submissions on an ongoing basis, and are seeking flash fiction, poetry, comics, and dialogue, although we will consider submissions that don’t fit neatly into these categories.” And, they want work that “Can be read by most people in under 5 minutes” and which “contains language and themes that will resonate with an audience that is not already familiar with literary techniques / devices (we love content that makes readers go wow, but not huh?)”. They do not want non-fiction. You can read what they’ve published here. They pay up to $50 for unsolicited submissions up to 1,200 words, and more for commissioned work (see their rate schedule here). Submission is via a form on the website. Details here.
coastlines review
“coastlines review welcomes submissions of poetry and hybrid work that engage with documentary materials, archival fragments, preserved history, and the question of what gets recorded and what gets erased.” They’ve given examples of docupoetics on their website. Submissions for Issue One are now closed; watch for their next submission period. Details here.
P.I. C. Publishing: ONE
They publish one story a year. “We are looking for: Horror, which can be blended with sci-fi, fantasy, romance, comedy. We welcome diversity and look forward to reading work from people of all races, religions, sexual orientations, genders, and abilities. … We will NOT accept stories with child, women, or pet abuse, no sexual assault, no hate language (at our discretion), no gore for gore’s sake, and no fan-fic please.” They’ve published one story so far. They pay CAD0.05/word for stories of 2,000-4,000 words, and the deadline is 30th June 2026. Details here.
The Columbus Review
“The Columbus Review is a nonprofit literary arts magazine dedicated to publishing raw, experimental, and unconventional poetry, prose, scripts, and satire — especially the weird, urgent work that doesn’t easily fit elsewhere.” They’re reading submissions for their first issue. Details here and here.
Night Shades
They publish speculative fiction. Their first issue was published in May 2025. “Generally, any kind of speculative fiction is fine, but it must have a recognizable speculative element. Sci-fi, horror, and fantasy that’s light on magic are all good bets. I also like slice of life or less plot-driven stories that create a world or a feeling or an image. Urban fantasy is a hard sell for me. I’m not looking for comedic, and I don’t care for stories with a gimmick or ones that play a trope ironically. Your best bet is something genuine and strange, that takes big swings with language, and that takes advantage of the short form rather than strains against it.” They pay $75 for stories up to 500 words. Details here.
The Leafline Magazine
This is an India-based literary magazine. “At The Leafline, we welcome voices that are fresh, thoughtful, and original. Our magazine publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction, as well as articles and essays on diverse topics. We seek work that reflects creativity, clarity, and a genuine engagement with ideas.” They’re reading submissions till 30th June 2026 for their second issue (see their social media post). Details here.
Kirby
This is a UK-based second-world fantasy fiction magazine, and they recently closed their first (themed) reading period. The editor likes “Immersive, fully realised worlds shaped by original histories, mythologies, cultures, and internal logic. I am particularly drawn to: Strong narrative voice / Emotional consequence / Worldbuilding that feels lived-in / Stories that trust the reader”. The editor is a filmmaker. Works can also be potentially adapted and released as a podcast narration. They accept flash and short fiction, and pay £0.05/word and “Further royalties if adapted/Industry norms”. Watch for their next submission period; their submission form will be active during their next reading period. Details here.
Odd Lobster
They publish poetry (send two poems) and nonfiction (up to 1,500 words). They’ve published one issue so far. Details here.
Only Human: English Language Senryu
They want senryu, kyoka, and pictures or brief prose with poems paired with senryu or kyoka (i.e., human-centered verions of haika or haibun). “While we recognize that the line between haiku and senryu (or tanka and kyoka, haibun and prose paired with senryu) is blurred and much-debated, Only Human focuses on poetry with humanity as the focus, using traditional Japanese short-form poetry to explore some aspect of the human experience. We are willing to interpret that loosely—e.g., there doesn’t have to be a person “on the page”—but we are not interested in nature poems for this journal. … We value both traditionalism and experimentalism”. They’re reading submissions till end-June. Details here.
Hybris Press: OTHERSIDE
OTHERSIDE is a speculative fiction magazine that publishes work by 2SLGBTQIA+ authors only. They are open for nonfiction/essays year-round, and for fiction and other genres – fiction, reprints, and poetry – during specific submission windows; they’ll open July 1-7 only for trans, BIPOC, and/or disabled 2SLGBTQIA+ authors, and will open July 8-21 for general 2SLGBTQIA+ submissions. They pay $100 for essays and fiction reprints, $0.08/word for original fiction, and $50 for poetry. Details here and here.
The Phantom Pulse
This is a speculative fiction magazine “of the grey corners of humanity, dread that permeates the skin, and the bizarre. Our pages are haunted by twisted longing, inevitable darkness, and quiet obsession.
We publish traditional horror, sci-fi horror, dark fantasy, and the weird. We have diverse reading tastes and are open to experimental forms and stories.” They also accept reprints (see guidelines). They pay $0.05/word for original fiction. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
NAVIGATIONS: A Journal of Correspondence
Their About page says, “NAVIGATIONS was born of correspondence between poets and friends.” They accept poetry, experimental essays and non-fiction, epistolary writing, collaborations, responses, road poems, and writing about place. Send up to 6 pages of writing. They have published one issue so far. Details here.
The Love Letter
This is a UK-based print literary magazine. They publish poetry, short fiction, personal essays, letters, reviews, interviews, plays, metafiction, autofiction, and experimental literary work. Their first issue will be published in July 2026. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
PIN
This is a biannual journal of reviews, critical essays on poetry, and contemporary poetics; it is the sister publication of Antiphony. They are looking for “Reviews of poetry books-ideally reviews that in some way move beyond or question the confines of the traditional book review.
Essays on contemporary poetics.
Personal essays that touch on, circle around, or question what it means to write poetry in this particular cultural/historical/economic/political moment.
Translation as a particular poetic practice.
Poetry and the visual arts.” 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.
