These literary magazines and journals are open during April 2019. They are a mix of literary and genre markets, and not all of them are open for the entire month. All of these magazines pay writers.
Translunar Travelers Lounge
The editors of this speculative fiction magazine want stories that are “fun”. Their guidelines say, “A fun story, at its core, is one that works on the premise that things aren’t all bad; that ultimately, good wins out. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your story has to be silly or lighthearted (though it certainly can be). Joy can be made all the more powerful when juxtaposed against tragedy. In the end, though, there should be hope, and we want stories that are truly fun for as many different kinds of people as possible. … Swashbuckling adventure, deadly intrigue, and gleeful romance are some of the most obvious examples of what we’re looking for, but we won’t say no to more subtle or complicated topics, as long as they fit under the wider “fun” umbrella.” They are enthusiastic about characters of all genders and sexualities or lack thereof, settings in non-Western cultures, friendship, happy marriages, stories that pass the Bechdel test and/or the Mako Mori test, Afrofuturism, neurodivergent characters, and characters with disabilities.
Deadline: 15 April 2019
Length: Up to 5,000 words
Pay: $0.03/word ($20 minimum)
Details here.
The Massachusetts Review
They publish fiction, poetry, translations, and essays. The editors are looking for articles and essays of breadth and depth, and for discussions of leading writers; of art, music, and drama; analyses of trends in literature, science, philosophy, and public affairs. Translations are accepted year-round. There is no fee for mailed submissions.
Deadline: 30 April 2019
Length: Up to 8,000 words for fiction, up to 6 poems; no length guidelines for essay submissions
Pay: $50
Details here.
Split Lip Magazine
This is a voice-driven literary journal with a pop culture twist. They publish online monthly and in print annually. They accept fiction (flash and short stories), memoir, and poetry. April is one of the months when they accept fee-free submissions – sometimes the fee-free options are closed early due to overwhelming response. The next fee-free submission period is in June.
Reading period: 1-30 April 2019 (for fee-free submissions)
Length: Up to 2,500 words for fiction, up to 2,000 words for memoir, one poem
Pay: $50 for web contributions, $5/page for print (minimum $20)
Details here.
Bennington Review
They will consider all work for the print magazine (printed twice yearly). Some work will also be featured on their website. Their guidelines say, “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.” They welcome work from established and emerging authors.
Deadline: 15 May 2019
Length: Up to 30 pages of prose; 3-5 poems; 10-20 pages of film (or TV) writing
Pay: $100-200 for prose; $20/poem
Details here.
Catapult: Tiny Nightmares – An Anthology of Short Horror Fiction, and others
For this anthology, they want short stories that play with and expand the boundaries of horror fiction – think of the stretch of unlit highway between Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream, and Stephen King’s IT. They want stories of new monsters, and old ones that scare the editors in new ways; tiny, intimate horrors to make their hair stand on end; horror as cultural/political/environmental funhouse mirror; or subversions of traditional horror tropes. Also check out Catapult’s general fiction submission (ends 30 April) and narrative nonfiction submission calls.
Deadline: 1 May 2019
Length: Up to 1,200 words
Pay: $100
Details here.
