Best Literary Magazines in 2026

Print magazine for Fiction,

Harper's Magazine, the oldest general-interest monthly in America, explores the issues that drive our national conversation, through long-form narrative journalism and essays. With its emphasis on fine writing and original thought Harper's provides readers with a unique perspective on politics, society, the environment, and culture. Non-fiction authors must query the magazine before submission.

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Print magazine for Fiction,

As the name implies, we only publish fiction; we are looking for the best new writing available, leaning toward the unconventional. Fiction has traditionally attempted to make accessible the inaccessible, to bring the experimental to a broader audience.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Short Fiction,

The Layered Onion is looking for submissions for their publication, The Shallot: Journal of Mental Health, Art, and Literature. The Shallot’s goal is to amplify the voices of artists with lived mental and emotional health experience and accepts poetry and short stories/fiction under 1,001 words. The Shallot is part of The Layered Onion, a social benefit organization dedicated to uplifting the voices of artists with mental and emotional health struggles.

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Print & Online magazine for Art, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Short Fiction,

A collectible lit object with a mischievous streak, Folly is New Zealand’s fastest-selling literary journal that scooped recognition at the 2025 New Generation Best International Indie Book Awards. Each beautifully produced annual pairs lush design with writing that startles: razor-sharp essays, lewdly lyrical fiction and some of the best collectable art. We publish emerging talents beside prize-winners and prize social commentary that captures the cultural moment (with profanity welcome). International voices encouraged; roughly half our pages go to work from outside NZ and Folly sells globally.

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Print & Online magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Witness blends the features of a literary and an issue-oriented magazine to highlight the role of the modern writer as witness to their times.

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Online magazine for Art, Fiction, Short Fiction,

A new literary and art magazine dedicated to showcasing emerging artists and writers.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

The first issue of the Orion Nature Quarterly was published in June 1982, and in its editorial George Russell, the publication's first Editor-in-Chief, boldly stated Orion's values: It is Orion's fundamental conviction that humans are morally responsible for the world in which we live, and that the individual comes to sense this responsibility as he or she develops a personal bond with nature.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

ZYZZYVA is a critically acclaimed print journal, introducing readers to new work from the best contemporary writers and artists since 1985. Based in San Francisco, we have established a vigorous tradition of finding and fostering new talent, in our backyard and beyond.

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Print & Online magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Established in September 2003, The Cincinnati Review draws together within its pages the finest creative and critical work from across the country. We provide a venue for writers of any background, at any point in their literary careers, to showcase their best writing.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Callaloo was founded in 1976 by its current editor, Charles Henry Rowell, when he was teaching at Southern University (Baton Rouge). He originally described the fledgling periodical as a "Black South Journal," whose function was to serve as a publication outlet for marginalized writers in the racially segregated US American South.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

The mission of New Letters magazine, its radio companion, New Letters on the Air, and BkMk Press, is to discover, publish and promote the best and most exciting literary writing, wherever it might be found. We publish and serve readers and writers worldwide. In recent years, New Letters has won a National Magazine Award, the industry's highest honor, plus multiple Pushcart Prizes, and is reprinted often in Best American anthologies.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Founded by the poet Tom McGrath in Los Angeles in 1960, Crazyhorse continues to be one of the finest, most influential literary journals published today. We look forward to another 50 years of the publication of McGrath's visionary foray into the world of letters, and hope you'll join us in encountering the best new writing we can publish.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Colorado Review's only commitment is to the publication of serious poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. We do not publish genre fiction nor do we subscribe to a particular literary philosophy or school of poetry or fiction. We are determinedly eclectic and intend to stay that way. Note that we read nonfiction year-round.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

The Sun is an independent, ad-free magazine that for more than forty years has used words and photographs to evoke the splendor and heartache of being human. The personal essays, short stories, interviews, poetry, and photographs that appear in The Sun's pages explore the challenges we face and the moments when we rise to meet them.

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Print & Online magazine for Art, Fiction, Poetry, Short Fiction,

On Spec adheres to a strong mandate that has served us well over the years. We discover and showcase quality works by predominantly Canadian writers and artists, in the genre we call “Fantastic” literature. We foster the growth of emerging writers in this genre, by offering support and direction through constructive criticism, education, mentoring, and manuscript development.

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