The following is a list of 10 very new literary journals. There are many reasons to seek publication in these journals.
In my experience, the benefits can be greater than publishing in a well established journal. When a literary journal is new the editors tend to be a lot more passionate. I have gotten handwritten thank you cards from editors of new publications, something that has never happened when my work was published by a more established journal.
Editors of new journals tend to be more generous with their time, energy, and enthusiasm. Plus, they are genuinely grateful that you trusted their new and untested journal with your work. Several of the journals that published my work in their first issue have gone on to permanently feature my poems on their website as “their sample poem”, so that other submitters get a feeling for the kind of work they like to read. Other new journals have recorded podcasts about my work. My work ended up getting promoted a lot more than if it had been accepted by an older more established journal.
With a new journal that odds my work would be nominated for a literary prize went up as well. Also, after publishing in new journals for six years, some of the journals that published my work when I was a new writer are now established and several have a less than 1% acceptance rate. However, when I originally submitted they were far less competitive.
During that six year period, seven of those new journals went under, which is one of the major pitfalls to submitting to new journals. The other major pitfall is that you don’t know what you are getting into, particularly if your work is published in the first issue. You can’t look at past issues, online and in print, because they have none. In a way it is stepping into the unknown. In my experience the risk is always worth it because the reward can be much greater.
Below is a list of 10 literary journals that I very much like that have been around for less than a year. The list is in no particular order.
Not all of the journals are currently open to submissions, but most are.
1.Obra/Artifact
Obra/Artifact is the new graduate literary journal for Stetson University’s MFA of the Americas. They are seeking work that focuses on language, culture, art, and travel. Obra is the online wing; they publish prose, both fiction and nonfiction, and poetry. Artifact is the print wing, which publishes literary postcards. Artifact cards are printed twice a year. To learn more visit their website.
2. Liquid Animal Machine
This unusual publication has a great website. They publish music, spoken word of all kinds, subliminal messages, video, visual art, biological experiments, snacks, and any hybrids thereof pertaining to the theme of “Media”. You can learn more at their website.
3. Hungry Chimera
This online literary journal has yet to publish a first issue, but their website is well designed and thoughtful. They will publish fiction, poetry, and art. The editors do not seem to have a lot of previous experience, but they do seem to have a lot of energy and good taste. You can learn more at their website.
4. Territory
Territory is an electronic literary project about territories and the maps. They have a beautiful website. They publish various forms of writing and they have published two issues now so it is free and easy to get a feeling for what they are interested in. To learn more visit their website.
5. Apprehension Magazine
They only publish the writing of individuals between the ages of 14-21. So if you are a young writer, or know one, this is a good place to start out. Issue one has not yet been published but their people we like page gives you a good idea of what the editors are interested in. Learn more here.
6. The Spectacle
A wonderful electronic journal that is visually engaging, well organized, and publishes good work. Their first issue is available online so it is easy to get a feeling for what they might be interested in. They publish fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They are based out of Washington University. To learn more visit their website.
7. The Sleep Aquarium
The Sleep Aquarium is a project exploring the relationship between night-dreams and creativity, founded on a pure, wild love for its subject. It has a great website and publishes a lot of engaging work. To learn more visit their website.
8. The Rush
A new literary journal published by Mount St Mary’s University’s MFA program. They are able to pay writers and they will be a print publication. There is very little additional information about them at this time, but they seem to be off to a strong start. You can learn more at their website.
9. Angels Flight
This electronic literary journal is beautifully presented. They publish fiction, poetry, humor, and nonfiction. Learn more by visiting their website.
10. Dulcet Quarterly
This electronic feminist journal has already published a good first issue full of substantial and compelling work, particularly poetry. They publish work by authors regardless of their gender identity (yes that includes men). To learn more visit their website.
