Best Literary Magazines in 2026

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

Narrative is dedicated to advancing literature in the digital age by supporting the finest writing talent and encouraging reading, as the gateway to understanding, across generations, in schools, and around the globe.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Translations,

The Massachusetts Review is one of the nation's leading literary magazines, distinctive in joining the highest level of artistic concern with pressing public issues. As The New York Times observed, "It is amazing that so much significant writing on race and culture appears in one magazine." MR was named one of the top ten literary journals in 2008 by the Boston Globe.

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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, 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, 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, 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, Short Fiction,

Hayden’s Ferry Review looks for well-crafted work that takes risks, challenges readers, and engages us emotionally and artistically. A small portion of our publication is solicited from established authors, while the majority of our contributors are chosen from the thousands of manuscripts we receive each year.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction,

Published three times a year by the Georgia State University Department of English, each issue features poetry, fiction, essays, and interviews with the most compelling writers working today.

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Print magazine for Fiction, Non-Fiction,

Smart, funny, fabulist, poltical prose featuring mostly West Coast writers. The Santa Monica Review currently features literary fiction and nonfiction, though in past years also included poetry. SMR represents Santa Monica College's commitment to the literary arts, community, and literacy.

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

Curlew Quarterly, New York’s literary and photo journal, publishes poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, which includes nearly all forms of reporting and journalism. Launched in August of 2017, our printed journal and online Daily celebrate the lives, homes, and work of poets, writers, and distinct professionals living in New York, NY.

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

A Public Space seeks work that is brave and unexpected. We are interested in writing that uncovers the extraordinary in the everyday, provides a rare glimpse, exposes an unexpected truth, or puts forth a daring hypothesis.

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

F(r)iction is a triannual publication that boasts work from both industry legends and emerging writers. Each issue is carefully curated to evaluate an important cultural topic from vastly different perspectives. We accept short fiction, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, comics, and poetry submissions all year round, and also host contests featuring guest judges and cash prizes twice a year (each spring and fall). Every piece published in F(r)iction is also accompanied by custom artwork, making our journal a visual odyssey from cover to cover!

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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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