These 10 magazines accept literary fiction, and they are open for submissions now. Many of them accept other genres too, like non-fiction and poetry, and some outlets pay writers. Apart these, several premier (and paying) literary magazines that accept literary fiction are also open for submissions now. These include AGNI, Bennington Review, Grain Magazine, Ninth Letter, and The Cincinnati Review.
Upstreet
This literary magazine publishes fiction and creative nonfiction. For poetry, they accept queries only. Send prose of up to 5,000 words. They pay $50-250, and the deadline is 1 March 2021. Details here.
Sparked
This is a new literary journal for pieces ‘sparked’ or inspired by writing prompts and exercises. During December 2020, for their special ‘Sneak Peek’ first window, they will be accepting submissions that contain up to two pieces sparked by Notebooking Daily, or any of the prompts published by their prompting partners. Writers must link to the prompt or exercise which ‘sparked’ their piece and also, it must be clear that the piece came from that prompt. Details here.
(Also, Coastal Shelf magazine, run by the same editor, will open for two fee-free contests and some fee-free submissions next year).
Cōnfingō Magazine
They publish a collection of new short fiction, poetry and art from around the world in a print-only magazine, twice a year.
Stories may be in any style or genre, but they should not exceed 5,000 words in length. They are open now for submissions, and pay £20 per contributor. Details here.
Minute Magazine
They publish fiction (up to 1,500 words), creative nonfiction, poetry, and art. Their guidelines say, “Submissions should reflect the mission of Minute Magazine: to examine life under the microscope. In other words, some aspect of your submission should involve an insightful observation about a seemingly ordinary object or idea.” They accept submissions from writers anywhere and of all ages, but specially encourage young writers (ages 14-25) to submit. They read year-round; they are accepting submissions for Issue 14 until 15 December 2020. Details here.
filling Station
They publish innovative fiction (up to 10 pages), poetry, nonfiction, and art. Apart from a general submissions call, they also have a special call for Black, Indigenous, and POC artists and writers. Contributors are paid CAD25. Details here.
Litro
This is a magazine of fiction, nonfiction, and art. They have a print magazine, an online magazine, and a podcast. For the print magazine, the upcoming themes are: Friendship (deadline 11 January 2021); Black Lives Matter (deadline 18 January 2021); and Loneliness (deadline 11 February 2021). Details here.
Channel
This Ireland-based journal takes submissions of fiction (up to 6,000 words), poetry, and nonfiction from all over the world. They publish work that engages with the natural world, and have a particular interest in work which encourages reflection on human interaction with plant and animal life, landscape and the self. They also accept translations. For nonfiction, they accept both completed work and pitches. Pay is €40 per poem and €40 per page of prose up to a total maximum fee of €120. The deadline is 15 January 2021 for fiction and poetry; submissions are accepted year-round for nonfiction. Details here.
Fiction International
They are reading now on the Compassion theme. Fiction, nonfiction, and indeterminate prose texts of up to 5,500 words, as well as visuals on this topic are welcome. They will consider submissions of narrative, anti-narrative, and indeterminate texts but only accept submissions reflecting the theme. They ask contributors to read sample texts from their catalog to become familiar with their thematic focus and unique global perspective. The deadline is 1 February 2021 for this theme. Details here.
Mid-American Review
For fiction (of up to 6,000 words) they consider work that is character and/or language-oriented without sacrificing narrative. They are open to submissions from new and established authors, both traditional and experimental work, including short-shorts, but discourage genre fiction. They also publish poetry, nonfiction, reviews, and translations. They read work year-round. Details here.
The Masters Review: New Voices
For ‘New Voices’, they publish fiction (up to 7,000 words) and nonfiction in a variety of genres and styles, by new and emerging writers – those who do not have a novel-length work of fiction or narrative nonfiction published or forthcoming. Writers with published short-story collections can submit. Pay is $100 for flash fiction, and $200 for short fiction. They take submissions on an ongoing basis. Details here.
Bio: S. Kalekar is the pseudonym of a regular contributor to this magazine. She is the author of 182 Short Fiction Publishers. She can be reached here.
