These magazines/outlets publish creative non-fiction of many stripes. Some also accept other genres, like fiction and poetry. Many are open for submissions now, or have announced their opening dates; not all of them have, however. They’re listed in no particular order. – S. Kalekar
Electric Literature
They have a reading period for non-fiction in June. “Submissions must be full drafts of personal essays submitted via Submittable. While there are no restrictions on form or subject matter, submissions should center narrative and consider what it means to essay; in other words, write to interrogate, investigate, adventure, and introspect”. Length guidelines are 2,000-6,500 words, and pay is $100. The deadline is 15th June 2023, or until filled, for non-member submissions. Details here. Watch for submission periods in other genres.
(Please note, Electric Lit also accepts detailed pitches of cultural criticism on an ongoing basis, via email. Do not send direct submissions for this category.)
The Forge Literary Magazine
They accept creative non-fiction and fiction. They want work up to 3,000 words, but can accept up to 5,000. They open on the 1st of most months for fee-free submissions, and close when the cap is reached. They pay $75. Details here.
TOLKA Journal
Their website says, “Tolka is a biannual literary journal of non-fiction: publishing essays, reportage, travel writing, auto-fiction, individual stories and the writing that flows in between.
We are a journal for writers to express themselves beyond the limits of fixed genres, forms or subjects. … We encourage writers to test the creative boundaries of non-fiction.” They publish work by Irish and international writers, of 2,000-4,000 words. Pay is €500. The deadline is 11 June 2023 for Issue 6. Details here and here.
New York Times: Modern Love
Modern Love is a non-fiction column. They want “honest personal essays about contemporary relationships. We seek true stories on finding love, losing love and trying to keep love alive. We welcome essays that explore subjects such as adoption, polyamory, technology, race and friendship — anything that could reasonably fit under the heading “Modern Love.” Ideally, essays should spring from some central dilemma you have faced. It is helpful, but not essential, for the situation to reflect what is happening in the world now.” Also, “Love may be universal, but individual experiences can differ immensely and be informed by factors including race, socio-economic status, gender, disability status, nationality, sexuality, age, religion and culture.” Send essays of 1,500-1,700 words. Modern Love has two submission periods, March through June, and September through December. Writers are paid. Send submissions to modernlove (at) nytimes.com. They especially welcome work from historically underrepresented writers, and from those outside the US. Details here.
(Also see their Tiny Love Stories column; these are also personal essays similar in theme to Modern Love, but much shorter, of 100 words.)
Nashville Review
They are associated with Vanderbilt University. They publish creative non-fiction, fiction (including flash and novel excerpts), poetry, translations, and art. For non-fiction, they say, “We’re looking for creative nonfiction across the spectrum: memoir excerpts, essays, imaginative meditations” – send work up to 8,000 words. Pay is $25 for poetry, and $100 for prose. They accept submissions of art and comics year-round, and other genres are accepted in August and February. Please note, they have a submission cap, and submissions may close earlier than scheduled if the cap is reached. Details here.
Barrelhouse
They are open for non-fiction (essays of 2,000-7,000 words, flash essays of 750-850 words or shorter) for their print issue. All their essays must have pop cultural reference of some kind. They have detailed guidelines, including, “The big thing for this issue is we are specifically looking for not-personal essays. … (We) want nonfiction that is primarily looking outside the self. The author can appear in the piece, of course, but should not be the primary focus. We want this batch of essays to be about illuminating some other part of life, likely driven by research, and in general looking outward.” They pay $50. They will stay open until 7th June 2023, or until the submission cap is reached. Details here (Tweet) and here (Submittable).
Sylvia
This is a non-fiction (up to 1,500), fiction, and poetry magazine. Their website says, “Our mission is to create a literary space that pays writers for their work and revels in the beauty of nature.” During their June reading period, they will accept submissions for Autumn, Winter, and Spring themes. They pay £1.75 per line for poetry (not including titles or line breaks) and £0.25 per word for prose
Please see their note regarding payment methods. Their reading period is 5th to 19th June 2023. Details here.
Vast Chasm Magazine
They publish “bold work that explores the expansive human experience, including flash and short fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and other nonconforming work.” They publish creative non-fiction (flash, up to 1,200 words, and longer, up to 5,000 words), fiction, and poetry. They pay $50, and read submissions on an ongoing basis. Details here.
Astrolabe
They want “work about how we seek out, discover, and grasp onto connection. Into the woods. Across a line. Beneath the ocean. Along a seam. Into the branches of an alternate present or the crevasse of an alternate future. Across the rifts between one another. And then, once we find one other, the myths we make.
We’re excited to see as many interpretations of this broad theme as there are stars in the night sky. We’re open to work of all genres, with a particular fondness for anything that moves beyond realism in form or content or spirit.” And, “We’ll happily consider fiction and CNF in all prose forms—prose poetry, micro, flash, and beyond—but we’re not considering lineated poetry at the moment.” Prose can be up to 3,000 words. Payment is $50. They usually charge for submissions, and have some fee-free submission periods. The next upcoming free submission period is 21st June to 21st July 2023. Details here.
(Another magazine that will open during July is Brink. They will be reading submissions of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, cross-genre, and translations on the Relief theme during 1st to 31st July, and they pay $25-100. Details here.)
Split Lip Magazine
They publish online monthly and in print annually – memoir (up to 2,000 words), flash fiction, short stories, poetry, and art, as well as interviews and reviews (for interviews and reviews, query first via webform – see guidelines). For memoir, they say, “Give us the dirty lowdown. We love memoir that shines a new light on the human condition. There are no limitations on subject matter.” Pay is $75 for web contributions, $5/page for print, $50 for interviews/reviews, and $25 for mini-reviews for their web issues. Fee-free submissions for all writers are in August, September, and November. Fee-free submissions sometimes close earlier, if their Submittable cap is reached. Fee-free submissions for Black writers are open till 30 June 2023. Details here and here.
Aurelia
Aurelia publishes the work of marginalised genders: women, non-binary people and trans men. “Aurelia is a publication dedicated to personal thoughts, feelings and experiences. The things you think and the way you feel must be at the centre of your piece. All article submissions must be written in the first-person (“I think, I feel, I want…”)” Please send them pitches only, not unsolicited submissions. They pay £50. Details on how to pitch are here.
Anthophile
They plan to have two issues a year. You can read about the magazine here. They will publish non-fiction, fiction, poetry, art, and photography. Their guidelines say, “It’s a space for our contributors to explore and celebrate the plant and flower filled landscape we live in (understanding that plants and flowers are part of life’s bigger picture, a synthesis and celebration of many arts and sciences) It will publish contemporary fiction and poetry, alongside incisive and erudite essays, and features. We are open to both experimental and traditional forms of writing, anything that’s meaningful, surprising, felt. We like humour, and enjoy satire, ‘fake non-fiction, open letters and the weird and quirky. … We are open to publishing extracts from existing books and collections.
At the moment we are on the hunt for non-fiction long-form essays (c.2,500 words) that highlight unorthodox ends of the spectra — mad theories, eccentric gardeners, under-appreciated botanists, and fascinating horticultural tales in need of a new readership.” Send non-fiction of 800-2,500 words. Please note, this is not a gardening magazine. Payment is agreed on prior to publication. Details here and here.
Brick
Brick is a Canadian magazine. They accept submissions of non-fiction only, of 1,000-5,000 words. “Love has led Brick to publish essays of every description: on reading, the writing life, literature, art, ideas, travel, science, photography, the perfect ending, dance, sport, music, city-building, food, bathrooms, history . . . and we are always looking for new terrain. We are interested in the singular obsessions that compel you to write. We welcome humour, we welcome depth, we welcome the unclassifiable, and we welcome playfulness with the non-fiction form.” They publish twice annually and have two reading periods, during April and October. They pay $55-685. Details here (scroll down to Submissions) and here.
The Ex-Puritan
This Canadian magazine publishes non-fiction, fiction, experimental/hybrid work, interviews, reviews, and poetry. They accept a limited number of fee-free submissions every month. Pay is CAD200 per essay; CAD150 for fiction; CAD100 per interview or review; CAD35 per poem (or page, capped at CAD120); CAD50+ per experimental or hybrid work, at an increasing scale depending on the nature of the piece. The deadline is 25 June 2023, or until filled, for the next issue; they read year-round. Details here and here.
(Also see their Submittable for a special Indigenous Storytelling call – they want work in all genres they usually publish, and especially want hybrid or experimental submissions; the deadline for that is 10th July 2023.)
Aniko Press
They accept submissions from Australia and around the world – non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and reviews. They also accept more experimental work. Reviews were open, but other genres were closed at the time of writing; they publish themed issues. Pay is AUD50 for reviews, and AUD125 for other genres. Details here.
Black Lipstick
Black Lipstick is a new Substack-based magazine. Their website says, “Black Lipstick is the internet boudoir of off-center beauty, literature and culture. Featuring art and writing on makeup, mental health, mortality, queerness, sex, gender, nostalgia, pop culture, parenthood, weird dreams, dark thoughts, and everything else.” They publish “Affecting personal essays/hybrid nonfictions on almost any topic. Creative, deep-divey reviews of books, beauty products, films, experiences. Interviews with artists, writers and self-made icons. Glamour-forward with a punk ethos. Edgy but not edgelord. If your piece is too literary for Allure but too frivolous for Guernica, it’s probably Black Lipstick material. … At this time, I’m not looking for fiction, poetry, or extremely journalistic nonfiction.” Pay for essays/hybrid creative non-fiction (1,500-3,500 words), it is $150; for creative reviews and interviews (1,000-2,000 words), it is $100; and for beauty product reviews, recs and roundups (<1,000 words), $50. Details here.
Existere
This is York University’s literary journal and they publish twice a year. They publish creative nonfiction (up to 3,500 words), fiction, poetry, and art. Pay is $50 per submission, up to $250. Details here and here.
Motherwell
This is a parenting magazine, and they take personal essays on parenting, as well as work on other themes and genres. For personal essays, “We are looking for evocative first-person narratives that have a unique focus, or take a novel angle, on a slice of the parenting experience. We are open to a range of styles and tones: the only requirement is that the essay works on its own terms—be it lyrical, humorous, research-oriented, etc—and conveys something fundamental about its writer. Up to 1,200 words.“ Some of the work they publish is paid, and some is unpaid (see guidelines). Details here.
Channel
Channel is “a literary magazine born out of the climate crisis, publishing poetry and prose with an environmentalist perspective.” They publish “work that engages with the natural world. We have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self.” For non-fiction, “We accept both completed essay submissions and proposals. Completed essays (including creative non-fiction, reportage, commentary, and criticism) should generally not exceed 6000 words.” They also welcome work for their blog. Pay is €50 per page for prose, up to €150. They have reading periods for fiction and poetry; these are now closed. Essays and essay pitches are accepted year-round. Details here.
(Irish-language submissions are also open until 11th June 2023 – details here.)
The American Scholar
The American Scholar is published by the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Their website says, “The American Scholar is a quarterly magazine of essays, fiction, poetry, and articles covering public affairs, literature, science, history, and culture. …the Scholar considers nonfiction by known and unknown writers, but unsolicited fiction, poetry, and book reviews are not accepted. The magazine accepts fewer than two percent of all unsolicited manuscripts. … We pay up to $500 for accepted pieces and up to $250 for pieces taken only for our website”. Send non-fiction of up to 6,000 words. Details here.
Extra Teeth
They publish Scottish and international writing. Please note, they are unable to accept stories from North America. “We accept creative fiction and nonfiction between 800 and 4,000 words.” And, “We offer a space for writers to be strange, bold and experimental, and to express their unique style however they see fit.” They pay £100. The deadline is 14 June 2023. Details here.
Matter Press: The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts
They publish fiction and creative nonfiction, as well as fiction and creative nonfiction prose poetry, as long as it is compressed in some way. Send work of up to 600 words. Payment is $50, and the deadline is 15th June 2023. Details here and here.
Mangoprism
They welcome pitches and submissions for all types of writing. They publish personal essays; cultural criticism; long-form interviews with interesting people; short fiction; album, book, movie and product reviews; original reporting; radical political screeds; and unexpected recipes. “Mangoprism pieces generally span 1,000 to 3,000 words, but we bend in either direction in particular cases. The only true standard of publication is that reading your piece must be at least as enjoyable as eating a morsel of mango, the most succulent of fruits.” Pay is at least $0.10/word. Details here.
Showcase: Object & Idea
Showcase is a new Substack-based project. They publish flash nonfiction and fiction, poetry, and reprints. “We explore Object & Idea. A poem and a prose piece are selected for each monthly issue, and the authors answer questions about the meaning behind their work.” Also, “Every author can submit one poem or prose piece for three weeks before the launch of each issue, or multiple pieces for a fee during the same period. We publish monthly and generally in the 3rd full week of each month via Substack.” Please be sure to submit in the correct category, as submissions in the wrong category will be deleted unread. Send up to 2 pages of prose (see length guidelines on Submittable). They pay $50. They have a cut-off date every month; this month, it is 11 June 2023. Details here and here.
The Saltbush Review: Fracture
This is an Australian magazine and they accept submissions of creative non-fiction, literary fiction (including flash), poetry, and works that challenge genre boundaries. They are currently reading submissions on the ‘Fracture’ theme. Creative interpretations of the theme are welcome. “Submissions are open to all, but we particularly welcome work from South Australian and regional writers, emerging writers, First Nations and POC writers, the LGBTQI+ community, and writers with a disability.” Send work up to 3,000 words. They pay AUD$150 for fiction and non-fiction, and AUD$100 per poem or piece of flash fiction. The deadline is 16 June 2023. Details here.
The Drift
The Drift is a magazine of culture and politics. They want “socially engaged cultural criticism; class-sensitive analysis; pieces that point out what’s being avoided or talked around in politics, media, arts, or even academia; upbeat cynicism; un-self-serious screeds; generous takedowns; entries from the margins; fiction; poetry; 1-3 sentence book/ movie/ TV/ art reviews.” Please also see the kind of work they do not want. For non-fiction, they will only accept pitches, and not complete drafts. As for all magazines, please read it before pitching, to see if your work is a good fit. They pay $2,000 for essays, $500 – $1,000 for short stories, $150 for poems, and $25 for Mentions. Details here.
Craft Literary
This magazine publishes fiction, creative nonfiction, essays on writing craft, critical essays, and book annotations. They also accept completed interviews/hybrid interviews, or pitches. Send up to 1,000 words for flash fiction and creative non-fiction, up to 6,000 words for short fiction and creative non-fiction. Pay is $100 for flash, $200 for short fiction and creative non-fiction, and $50-100 for craft essays. Details here.
IHRAF Publishes
This is a project by the International Human Rights Festival (IHRAF). They publish essays (up to 2,500 words), fiction, and poetry, as well as translations. “We publish an ever-expanding collection of original works from lesser known and up-and-coming writers who seek to bring attention to urgent social justice issues around the world. We base our work on the values of beauty, sincerity, vulnerability, engagement and celebration of diversity.” They pay $50. Details here.
Woods Reader
They only accept submissions from writers in the US and Canada. “Woods Reader is a publication for those who love woodland areas: whether a public preserve, forest, tree farm, backyard woodlot or other patch of trees and wildlife. Our readers like to hear about others’ experiences and insights, especially those that make an impression that they think about long after they have finished the article. Submitted content should center around trees and woodlands.” And, “We buy articles in the following categories with woodland themes: Personal experience; Educational or nonfiction; The Woodland Philosopher; Fiction/fantasy; DIY article using woodland materials (accompanying photographs requested); Humor blog or cartoon; Short poetry; Destinations”. Please contact them prior to submitting book reviews. Payment ranges from $25 to $100. Details here.
The Christian Science Monitor: The Home Forum
This news organization accepts pitches from freelancers and writers, and submissions for The Home Forum, where they want “upbeat personal essays of from 600 to 800 words. … For time-sensitive material (seasonal, news-related, holiday- or event-themed), you must submit at least SIX WEEKS in advance.” Also, “These are first-person, nonfiction explorations of how you responded to a place, a person, a situation, an event, or happenings in everyday life. Tell a story with a point; share a funny true tale. Describe a self-discovery. The humor should be gentle.
We accept essays on a wide variety of subjects and encourage timely, newsy topics. However, we don’t deal with the topics of death, aging, medicine, or disease. We do not publish work that presents people in helpless or hopeless states.” They pay $250 for these essays. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She can be reached here.
