Best Literary Magazines in 2026

Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

We publish a wide range of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, translations, photography, and work in emerging forms by both established and emerging writers. Work from our pages has been consistently selected to appear in the anthologies Best American Essays, Best American Short Stories, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses, and The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

From its inception in prohibition, through depression and war, in prosperity and peace, the Virginia Quarterly Review has been a haven for the best essayists, fiction writers, and poets, seeking contributors from every section of the United States and abroad. It has not limited itself to any special field. No topic has been alien: literary, public affairs, the arts, history, the economy. If it could be approached through essay or discussion, poetry or prose, VQR has covered it.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Ninth Letter is a collaborative arts and literary project produced by the Creative Writing Program and School of Art & Design at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Edited and designed by faculty and students as part of the core curricula of both programs, the journal's mission is to present original literary writing of exceptional quality, illuminated by cutting-edge graphic design.

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

The Atlantic is always interested in great nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. A general familiarity with what we have published in the past is the best guide to what we're looking for. All manuscripts should be submitted as a Word document or PDF. Succinct pitches may be submitted in the body of an email.

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Online magazine for Art, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry,

Illuminations of the Fantastic is a monthly online magazine that encompasses works of Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Adventure, Mystery, Poetry, History, Travelogue, Essay, and Review.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Granta magazine was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, a periodical of student politics, badinage and literary enterprise, named after the river that runs through the town. In this original incarnation it published the work of writers like A.A. Milne, Michael Frayn, Stevie Smith, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

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Print & Online magazine for Fiction, Non-Fiction,

Our editorial mission is to encourage writers, new and established, to take themselves as seriously as possible — to write with as much energy and daring as possible, and to connect their own deepest concerns with the broader social and political environment; that is, to write, while it happens, a history of the present day. We welcome submissions from all writers. If you are considering sending work, please start by reading an issue or two. The best submission guidelines are those implied by the magazine itself.

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

Spellbinder is a quarterly literary and art magazine which celebrates artists, dramatists and poets, as well as fiction and nonfiction writers. Inclusivity and diversity are at the core of Spellbinder’s ethos. They strongly value being able to provide a platform for an international range of voices from many different backgrounds and cultural experiences.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Confrontation Magazine began operation in 1968 with the mission of bringing new talent to light in the shadows cast by well-known authors. Open to all submissions, each issue contains original work by famous and by lesser-known writers.

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

From its earliest days in 1977 under the editorial direction of Isaac Asimov, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine has maintained the tradition of publishing the best stories, unsurpassed in modern science fiction, from award-winning authors and first-time writers alike.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

There are vanishingly few magazines left in this country which seem pitched at the general literary reader and which consistently publish such interesting, high-quality criticism, reflection, argument, fiction, and poetry. Threepenny is thankfully still out there.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Bard College's literary journal Conjunctions publishes innovative fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction by emerging voices and contemporary masters.

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Print & Online magazine for Poetry,

Poetry regularly presents new work by the most recognized poets, but its primary commitment is still to discover new voices: more than a third of the poets published in recent years have been new to the magazine. The magazine has since been in continuous publication for more than 100 years, making it the oldest monthly magazine devoted to verse in the English language.

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

Our mission is to publish a magazine of the highest quality for general readers worldwide. As we reflect on our past and look ahead to the future, the goal is to inspire new ways of connecting with the world. Simply put, we think writing should be as comprehensive and far-reaching as twenty-first–century life itself.

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

The American Scholar is a quarterly magazine of essays, fiction, poetry, and articles covering public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture. Published since 1932 for the general reader by the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Scholar considers nonfiction by known and unknown writers, as well as fiction and poetry for online publication.

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