Best Literary Magazines in 2026

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

We like stories that start quickly and have a strong narrative arc. Poems that are passionate about subject, language, and image are welcome, whether they are traditional or experimental, whether in formal or free verse (closed or open form). We publish all forms of creative nonfiction, from personal narrative to lyric essay to immersive journalism; we appreciate when an essay moves beyond the personal to tell us something new about the world.

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Print magazine for Fiction,

One Story Inc. is an award-winning, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit literary publisher committed to supporting the art form of the short story and the authors who write them: through One Story, One Teen Story, education, community, and mentorship.

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

Islandia Journal is a subtropical print periodical of art and writing. We publish work by people from South Florida or by writers and artists whose work deals with our region. All contributors are paid - starting at $50 for poems and visual art and $100 for prose pieces of all kinds, scaling upwards depending on amount work or research involved.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry,

In a land of quick fixes and short view and in a time of increasingly commercial publishing, the journal has an authority that derives from its commitment to bold established writers and promising newcomers, to both challenging literary work and a range of essays and reviews that can explore the connections between academic disciplines and the broader movements in American society, thought, and culture.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry,

BOMB Magazine has been publishing conversations between artists of all disciplines since 1981. BOMB's founders decided to publish dialogues that reflected the way practitioners spoke about their work among themselves. Annually, BOMB serves 1.5 million online readers through its free and searchable archive and BOMB Daily, a virtual hub where a diverse cohort of artists and writers explore the creative process within a community of their peers and mentors.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

The Antioch Review, founded in 1941, is one of the oldest, continuously publishing literary magazines in America. We publish fiction, essays, and poetry from both emerging as well as established authors.

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

NER was founded by poets Sydney Lea and Jay Parini in New Hampshire in 1978. By publishing new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that is both challenging and inviting, New England Review encourages artistic exchange and thought-provoking innovation, providing publishing opportunities for writers at all stages in their careers.

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

Southern Humanities Review publishes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. $1,000 and publication in SHR will be awarded annually to one poem of witness by an American poet. Full guidelines on our website.

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Online magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

TriQuarterly is the literary magazine of Northwestern University and of the MA/MFA in Creative Writing program.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Founded in 1970, The Antigonish Review is the third longest-running creative-writing journal in the Maritimes and one of the oldest continuing literary magazines in Canada.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

American Chordata is a biannual magazine of bright voices in fiction, nonfiction essay, and poetry, as well as art and photography. We are founded on the belief that a good literary magazine can celebrate sophisticated design and earnest expression on the same page.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Redivider is a nationally distributed journal of new art and literature produced by and representing the graduate students in the Writing, Literature, and Publishing program at Emerson College in Boston. Published twice a year, we welcome art, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry submissions from new, emerging, and established artists and writers. And if you're wondering about the name, it's a palindrome!

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry,

Ploughshares has published quality literature since 1971. Best known for our award-winning Ploughshares literary journal, we also publish Ploughshares Solos (digital-first long stories and essays) and a lively literary blog. Since 1989, we have been based at Emerson College in downtown Boston.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Short Fiction,

The Greensboro Review is always on the lookout for new short stories and poems from writers at any stage of their career. The work you’ll find in the pages of the GR rarely conforms to any one theme, subject, or style—our editors read for those “bolts of lightning” that come with a surprising poem or story, the pleasure of spotting something new or discovering a fresh take on the familiar.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Epiphany is committed to publishing literary work, wherever it may fall on the spectrum from experimental to traditional, that is realized both in its vision and its devotion to artistry. We are especially open to writers whose explorations of new territory may not yet have found validation elsewhere.

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