These magazines publish literary fiction; most also accept other genres, like nonfiction and poetry. Many, but not all, of them are open for submissions now, or have announced their upcoming reading periods. Some of them pay. They are listed in no particular order.
West Branch
They accept fiction (up to 30 pages), creative nonfiction, poetry, and translation. Payment is $100 per submission of poetry, and $.10/word for prose up to $200. The deadline is 1 April 2024. West Branch is affiliated with Bucknell University. Details here.
Southword
This well-regarded literary journal is published by the Munster Literature Centre. They will open for fiction (up to 5,000 words) submissions on 1st February until 31st March 2024. They are open for poetry until 29th February. They pay €50 per poem and €300 per short story. Their submission portal will open for short stories on 1st February. Details here and here.
Alternative Milk Magazine
They want “your most gorgeous, nostalgic, ruthless, relatable, sardonic, lush, and bruising work.” They accept fiction (up to 4,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, and art. They pay, and are reading submissions for Issue 3 until 28th February 2024. Details here.
Hedge Apple
This is the literary magazine of Hagerstown Community College. They publish fiction (up to 2,000 words), poetry, and art. They are reading unthemed work, as well as themed submissions, on ‘Once Upon a Dream’. The deadline is 1 March 2024. Details here.
The Downtime Review
Part of their mission is to “Publish works of impressive creative expression from folks who don’t have the time to make creative work their day-to-day”, and “Subvert the ingrained belief that you must choose between creative work and a career by spotlighting the work done by those making both happen.” They also say, “If our system necessitates that we become more like our machines while our machines become more like us, could we find some camaraderie in the fact that we both need rest, we both need downtime?” You can read more about them here. They accept flash and short fiction (500-7,000 words) and creative nonfiction. They’re accepting submissions for the Spring issue until 15 February 2024. Details here.
The Ampersand Review
This magazine is affiliated with Sheridan College, and they may prioritize work by Canadian writers (see guidelines). They accept fiction (up to 4,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, and pitches for reviews. Pay is $100 for prose, and $50 per poem/page up to $100. They are reading submissions for issue 6 until 31st January 2024; see the announcement here. Details here.
Blink-Ink
This is a print journal of microfiction. They usually have themed issues; they are now reading submissions on the ‘Money’ theme. “Money. Is it the root of all evil or a reward for solving problems? If you build a better mousetrap will money beat a path to your door? Joan Rivers said, “ Money isn’t the key to happiness but I always figured that with enough money, you could have a key made.” Their general guidelines say, “Send your best stories of approximately 50 words in the body of an email … What we love most is writing that has found that preternatural detail of thought or thing that cracks the story open and allows it to matter or to reveal a truth.” They’re reading fiction on the Money theme until 30 January 2024. They are always open for visual art. Their general guidelines are here and theme details are here.
Miracle Monocle
This journal “is university-affiliated, so our publication cycles are determined by the academic calendar. We begin reading for our Fall issue in August and publish in December; we begin reading for our Spring issue in January and publish in May. We will never hold submissions for more than one semester.” They are affiliated with the University of Louisville; you can read about them here. “We pride ourselves on serving as a home for flash and micro fictions of all varieties, as well as works with genre indeterminacies, fresh collaborations, and re-invigorations of more traditional forms.” They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, hybrid/experimental works, and art. For fiction, “We accommodate traditional realism and experiment alike. Please do not submit excerpts of novels unless the piece can stand alone.” Send fiction of 1,000-10,000 words. The deadline for this cycle is 31 January 2024. Details here and here.
Bennington Review
They publish fiction (up to 30 pages), creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, cross-genre work, and translations. They are affiliated with Bennington College. All work will be considered for the print journal; some work will additionally feature on the website. “We aim to stake out a distinctive space for innovative, intelligent, and moving fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, film writing, and cross-genre work. In the spirit of poet Dean Young’s dictum that poets should be “making birds, not birdcages,” we are particularly taken with writing that is simultaneously graceful and reckless.” Pay is $120 for prose of six typeset pages and under, $250 for prose of over six typeset pages, and $25 per poem. The deadline is 8th March 2024. Details here and here.
The Wild Word
They want fiction (up to 1,000 words) and poetry submissions on the ‘Love’ theme. You can read about them here. They’re reading submissions until 31 January 2024. Submission is via a form. Details here and here.
Slippery Elm Literary Journal
This print journal publishes fiction (up to 5,000 words), poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. It is affiliated with The University of Findlay. General submissions are fee-free, and contests have a fee attached. The deadline is 1 February 2024. Details here.
The Forge
They accept a limited number of fee-free submissions of fiction and nonfiction during most months. They re-open on the 1st of next month once they hit a submission cap (see guidelines). They prefer works up to 3,000 words, but accept up to 5,000 words, and pay $100. Details here.
Salt Hill
They publish fiction (up to 30 pages), poetry, nonfiction, translations, interviews, and art. This is a print journal, and they are affiliated with Syracuse University. Their website says, they publish work “by people at various stages in their literary and artistic careers. We publish new and emerging writers alongside those with long, illustrious careers in the literary arts.” They have two submission periods for fiction and poetry: December through January, and July through August. They accept nonfiction and art submissions year-round. Details here and here.
10 By 10 Flash Fiction
They publish flash fiction stories, of 100-500 words. They accept all genres of stories, including literary. Each issue has 10 stories. Details here.
Split Lip Magazine
Split Lip Magazine is a voice-driven literary journal with a pop culture twist. They publish online monthly and in print annually – flash fiction, short stories (up to 3,000 words), memoir, poetry, and art, as well as interviews and reviews (for interviews and reviews, query first via webform – see guidelines). Fee-free submissions for all writers are open during certain months, including January; these can close earlier by category, if their Submittable cap is reached. Fee-free submissions for Black writers are open till mid-June. Pay is $75 for web contributions, $5/page for print, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews for their web issues. Details here and here.
Literary Heist
Their tagline is, ‘Taking Back the Arts’. They publish online quarterly, and as an electronic book yearly. They publish fiction (300-2,000 words) – “any topics will considered (as long as there is character dialogue”. They also accept poetry, interviews, articles, book reviews, and art. Details here. Submission is via a form, and they close when their quota is reached.
Berkley Fiction Review
Their website says, “The Berkeley Fiction Review is a UC Berkeley undergraduate, student-run publication. We look for innovative short fiction that plays with form and content, as well as traditionally constructed stories with fresh voices and original ideas.” They accept short fiction, as well as art and comics. They pay $25 for fiction, and a copy of the print issue; they accept stories year-round. Details here and here.
The Ana
Their website says, “The Ana is a quarterly arts magazine. We are a collection and celebration of humanity.” They publish fiction (up to 5,000 words), as well as nonfiction, cross-genre work, poetry, poetry in translation, and art. The deadline for Issue 15 is 30th March 2024. Details here and here.
Toronto Journal
This journal publishes in print and sound. You can read about them here. They accept short stories (up to 7,500 words) from anywhere in the world, and nonfiction pieces about local history (Toronto, the GTA, or surrounding areas – see guidelines). They are reading now for their Summer issue. They pay $50, and the deadline is 1 April 2024. Details here.
The Amphibian
Their website says, “We welcome writers, poets and artists of all genders from all different backgrounds, we have a special love for the marginalised, the refugees, immigrants and the lost.
Our main inspirations are the thoughts and impressions of people who write in English and live in two cultures at once. There is no limit on how you experience two cultures, it can be countries, gender, language, ancestors, neuro-divergence, any way that you experience your difference and explore it using the themes of the issues.” They accept flash (up to 300 words) and short (up to 2,000 words) fiction, as well as poetry. The theme for their next issue is ‘Healing’, and the deadline is 1 February 2024. They also publish in print. Details here.
The Threepenny Review
This quarterly journal accepts fiction (up to 4,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, and submissions for their ‘Table Talk’ column. Pay is $400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece. The deadline is 15 April 2024. Details here and here.
Valparaiso Fiction Review
Their website says, “Founded in summer of 2011 as a sister publication to Valparaiso Poetry Review (VPR), Valparaiso Fiction Review (VFR) is a publication of Valparaiso University and its Department of English.” They want fiction of 1,000-9,000 words. Excerpts from novels are acceptable only if selected piece operates as a stand-alone story. Details here.
The Paris Review
They will open for prose submissions on 1st February 2024, and will accept submissions via Submittable until they hit their submission cap (which is early on during their reading periods). They will continue to accept postal submissions of prose until end-February (postmarked). Translations are welcome. They are open to prose in February, June, and October, and open to poetry in January, April, July, and October. Details here.
Flash Frontier
They are currently open to international flash fiction submissions, of up to 250 words, on the ‘Quiet | Marire’ theme. The deadline is 29 February 2024. Details here.
McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern
They publish fiction and nonfiction, and pay $400 for short stories. Watch for their next submission period. Details here and here.
(Also see the guidelines for their humor site, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.)
Zyzzyva
This award-winning journal publishes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from around the world. Watch for their next submission period. Details here.
riddlebird
accepts literary fiction and personal essay submissions. For fiction, “Our favorite writers include authors like George Saunders, Souvankham Thammavongsa, and E.C. Osondu.” They pay $100 for works of 650-5,000 words. They are scheduled to reopen on 1st February 2024, and will stay open until they hit their submission cap – their submission guidelines are here, and the submission portal is here.
The Stinging Fly
This respected Irish print journal publishes short fiction, novel extracts, nonfiction, and poetry. They pay €45 per magazine page, but with a minimum/maximum payment of €300/€1200 for fiction and nonfiction, €150 for flash Fiction/shorter essays (1 – 2 pages), and €40-60/poem. Their next submission period is May 15th-May 29th for the Winter 2024 issue. Their submission portal will open during the reading period. Details here.
One Story
This magazine publishes one literary fiction story per issue, of 3,000- 8,000 words. They also accept reprints, if the story has appeared in print only, outside North America. They pay $500 and 25 contributor copies. They will reopen in Spring 2024. Details here.
Epoch
This magazine is affiliated with Cornell University. They accept prose, poetry, and comics. Postal submissions are free, and are open till 15 April 2024. Electronic submissions follow a different cycle, are charged, and offer one fee-free weekend during each cycle. They pay $100-500. Details here.
A Public Space
They have occasional reading periods for fiction, essays, translations, poetry, as well as graphic and hybrid work. (A Public Space also accepts readership, internship, and fellowship applications periodically – and currently, they are open for their Editorial Fellowship, a paid position for those who can live in New York for the duration of the fellowship.) Details here and here.
Kennings Literary Journal
This journal is affiliated with Hanover College. They accept fiction (500-3,000 words), poetry, creative nonfiction, art, photography, and other media. The deadline is 14 February 2024. Submission is via a form. Payment is a contributor copy. Details here.
Fusion Fragment
This Canadian magazine publishes science fiction or SF-tinged literary fiction. They also publish one reprint story per issue. Length guidelines are 2,000-15,000 words, and pay is CAD0.04/word, up to CAD400. They will open for submissions on 29th January 2024; usually, they have a brief submission period. Details here.
The Fiddlehead
This Canadian literary magazine is accepting for general submissions of fiction (up to 6,000 words) and nonfiction via Submittable; poetry is currently open for Canadian writers only (see guidelines). Postal submissions are accepted year-round. They have some submission periods for Canadian writers only. Pay is CAD65/page. The deadline is 31 March 2024. Details here and here.
The Argyle
This online magazine publishes short fiction (up to 3,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, articles, interviews and reviews, art, and some themed work. They also publish an online micro-chapbook – “Every issue will include an online, vanishing micro-chapbook of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction that will last only one issue (after which, it will disappear into the vastness of nothingness). We will also consider hybrid manuscripts.” Published micro-chaps will include fiction (1,000-3,000 words), poetry, nonfiction, and hybrid works. Details here.
Fahmidan
Their website says, “Fahmidan comes out four times a year online. Send us your thought-provoking existentialism, your phobias, your darkest moments. Entrance us with your whimsical fantasy. Move us to tears with your truth in a world of suffering. Captivate and intrigue us with your hopes and dreams. A broad range of styles, forms and voices make any journal truly representative in the 21st century and we are no different!” They accept fiction (flash up to 800 words, short fiction of 1,000-2,500 words), nonfiction, and poetry. They are open for submissions year-round. Details here.
Embark
This is a literary journal for novelists. They want the opening of your (unpublished) novel, of 2,500-4,000 words. They also want an author’s statement (250-500 words); “You can interpret this however you like, discussing the book’s plot, themes, aims, inspiration, etc. Whatever your focus, though, the statement should give the reader a good sense of what the novel is all about and why you chose to write it.” Submissions received until 1st March 2024 will be considered for the 20th issue. Details here.
Collateral
They publish work concerned with the impact of violent conflict and military service beyond the combat zone. Their website says, “we provide a creative platform to highlight the stories of those existing in spaces surrounding combat, including the military family, veteran, service member, close friend, protestor, refugee, teacher, and advocate. These voices sometimes go unheard, and we’d like to capture the “collateral” impact of military service.” They encourage submissions from artists of historically silenced backgrounds. They accept fiction (up to 5,000 words), nonfiction, poetry, art, and reviews. They read year-round, and the deadline for their Spring issue is 1 March 2024. Details here and here.
(And Consequence Forum publishes work around the themes of war and geopolitical violence, including fiction. They pay $20-50 for writing, and $40-150 for art. They’re open till 15 April 2024. Details here and here.)
Liars’ League
Stories for Liars’ League are performed by actors, and also published in anthologies and broadcast on YouTube and their podcast; you can read about them here. They want themed fiction, of 800-2,000 words. Two of their upcoming themes are: ‘Dreams & Reality’ (ambitions & imaginings, VR & AI), deadline 3rd March; and ‘Sports & Leisure’ (Paris Olympics & all that …), deadline 5th May. Their general submission guidelines are here; story theme and deadline, as well as future event details are here.
Salamander Magazine
This respected magazine is affiliated with Suffolk University. They publish fiction (including flash), nonfiction, poetry. They pay. Details here; you can submit by post, or via their online manager here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
