Where to submit: Magazines with a fresh perspective

The new year is all about change, and the journals on this month’s list seek to explore the world in unusual ways. Some are fledgling presses with big dreams, some are established journals trying to change the way you see the world, and others are here to help you explore new places and realities. All are currently open for submissions, and none charge reading fees!

Note: We are a creative writing school and compile these lists for the benefit of our students. We’re happy to answer questions about our courses but please don’t send us your publishing queries or submissions :). Instead, click on the green links to go to the publication’s website and look for their submissions page. For more great places to submit as well as our best tips on getting published, check out our other lists and resources.

Atlas and Alice does for ideas what the Large Hadron Collider does for atoms–it crashes them together to see what unfolds. They’re looking for poetry, fiction and nonfiction that “resists classification” and brings together unexpected ideas and themes. Submit your flash fiction (up to 3 pieces of 750 words or less), short stories (up to 4,000 words), nonfiction (up to 2 pieces of 750 words or less or one piece of 3,000 words or less), and poetry (3-5 pieces per submission, total of 10 pages) until 10 February 2023.

Commuter Lit Magazine runs a blog-style publication with one new story every weekday. They publish short stories (fiction and narrative nonfiction, up to 4,000 words) and poetry (submit one poem at a time, no line limits) that’s short enough to read (you guessed it!) on your commute. It’s a great place for new writers who are still getting used to submitting; they aim to respond to everyone within three weeks, and if they like your writing they’ll do their best to give you some helpful feedback. Submissions are always open unless they specify otherwise.

The Lumiere Review is an up-and-coming magazine started by 2022 West Regional Youth Poet Laureate Jessica Kim, with the goal to “shine light on each and every story, idea, and experience.” They publish poetry (up to 5 pieces per submission), short fiction and narrative nonfiction (up to 3,000 words per piece, 3 pieces per submission), and visual art in a beautifully formatted online publication. The deadline for the next issue is 31 January 2023. Their second publication, JUSTICE, features a monthly collection of stories from writers of marginalized identities fighting against all forms of injustice and phobias in society. No deadline. All donations will go to the Ukrainian Crisis Relief Fund.

Archive of the Odd is a new magazine that publishes ‘found-fiction’ speculative stories. Found-fiction works mimic a format other than traditional prose, like academic papers, junk mail, recipes, social media, plant care guides… your imagination is the limit! They call themselves “A home for the strange, the uncanny, and the odd,” and are looking for flash fiction (up to 3 pieces of 1,000 words or less), short fiction (up to 3 pieces of 1,000 to 7,500 words), nonfiction (up to 1,500 words), and visual art. The current submissions window closes 1 February 2023.

The Meadowlark Review is a fledgling literary magazine from the MFA programs at the University of Wyoming. Though based in the American West, they’re seeking global perspectives as well as hybrid works that break traditional genre boundaries. They especially encourage submissions from traditionally marginalized writers. Submit your flash fiction (up to 1,000 words), short fiction, essays, and narrative nonfiction (up to 5,000 words) until 31 January 2023.

Lowestloft Chronicle wants to take you on a journey with humorous travel stories, both real and imagined. They’re cultivating a “global think tank of inquisitive, worldly scribblers” who explore new places and new realities through their stories. If this sounds like you, consider submitting! Lowestloft accepts fiction and narrative nonfiction (up to 3,000 words) as well as poetry (up to 2 pieces per submission), and their current submissions window is open until 15 February 2023.

Author: Beka Bevans