Kelly Link is one of our favorites! She writes incredible magical realism stories. She just released her first novel. And she got her start publishing in literary magazines. What a gem. If you like her work and want to be able to say, "I'm published in the same magazine as Kelly Link!" here are your options.

Lit Mags Who Published Kelly Link

Chill Subs Friends & Family List

Not everyone wants an agent. Not everyone published in top-tier magazines will attract an agent. And this is not a comprehensive list of all magazines that agents read. But it's damn close.

19 Lit Mags Agents Love To Read (We Asked)

Prose poetry! Everyone loves it except those who hate it and if that sounds like you then, hey—hey, what are you doing here? Go iambic pentameter yourself. This is for prose poets. Cause they awesome.

Lit Mags Who Love Prose Poems

Who has a navel? LOOK AT IT! Gaaaze into its depths. Tell these editors what you see. They love it. All the personal essays. Let us know your favorites, we'll add them.

Lit Mags We Love Who Love Personal Essays

How do you show writers you care? Nominate their work. Pay them if you can. How to know if a lit mag is on your side? These aren't bad starting points. Know more? Shoot us an email and we'll add them.

23 Top Tier Poetry Mags Who Nominate for Pushcart (and Pay)

Who doesn't love an emerging writer? These magazines have specifically asked for them. They want to publish your first story, poem, essay. They call it out right on their website. But they are also some of the best lit mags around so your chances are rough. Just know that when these folks are reading your work, that's what it's all about. No fancy bio required for entry. Know more? Let us know.

13 Classy AF Lit Mags Who Love and Support Emerging Writers

Created by the editors of ONLY POEMS — endorsed by Chill Subs. 

7 Underrated Poetry Lit Mags We Love to Read

Looking for some fresh faces in the lit world? Hey, look no further. We've had 170+ lit mags added to our database who were founded this year. Wouldn't it be cool to have been published in the first issue of Paris Review or The Sun? Hey, here's your chance.

The Brand Spankin' New Lit Mag List (2024)

Flash fiction is the freaking best. Reality kinda sucks. So what if a magazine accepted speculative flash fiction? What if 120 magazines did? Woah. Oh golly-gosh. BTW spec-fic (yup, we're cool) is pretty broad so, think: sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, futuristic, etc, etc. Anything that isn't reality because reality, as we have firmly established, kinda sucks!

120 + Speculative Magazines Looking for Flash Fiction

Who said lit mags only publish writing? Not us. Not these friendly folks. There is no one-size-fits-all. Some will publish paintings, others love comics. But all of these magazines have expressed an interest in the world beyond words. So if you're into that sort of thing, here are some lit mags who might be into you. Damn that was too cheesy, oh well.

200+ Magazines Who Publish Comics, Art, or Other Visual Works

Who doesn't love getting paid? Who doesn't love Canadians? And just in case one of those isn't enough for you, we've got both! All of the literary magazines listed below were founded in Canada and pay their writers. Click any of them to get the specifics.

60+ Canadian Lit Mags Who Pay Their Writers

Who doesn't love a good folktale? The shorter the better.

14 Folklore Flash Fiction Publishers

Flash fiction doesn't take long to read, so what's everyone's excuse for these endless response times? Well, these lit mags make an effort to get submissions back to their writers in under a week (for better or worse). At least if it's a "no" you didn't have to wait through all of that antica.....................pation. 

Fastest Flash Fiction Magazines (1-week response times)

These are the most competitive lit mags founded after 2023. Under 10% acceptance rates! They're picky but not wildly so. They're new, so they're probably into new writers. A tough editorial standard is a good sign that these editors are trying to create something special. They have a vision, and they're on the ball. Both are good signs for longevity. Click any to be redirected to their listing page. Then, scroll down to the bottom to see their stats.

Our Most Competitive New Lit Mags

Front Porch Poetics and the lasting appeal of approachable poetry. 
Push back on negativity towards labels of “approachable” and “accessible”.
Just say no: Pseudo-experimentation, l’art pour l’art, art about nothing. 
Say yes: All poems require “stakes”. For “approachable poetry” the stakes may appear different.
You can’t compare a nature poem to a political poem, much like it’s foolish to compare a Billy Collins poem to a John Ashbery poem or an Amanda Gorman poem to a Lucille Clifton poem. 


10 Journals that Publish Good, Lasting, Approachable Poetry (Editor picks from ONE ART: a journal of poetry) 

Dogmouth is a 750-word literary flash fiction story

Dogmouth

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Top Notch Lit Mags Who Accept Reprints

Who doesn't love a challenge? As of writing, these lit mags all have acceptance rates between 1-2%. They are competitive. They are choosy. Many writers will submit to these places 5, 10, or 20 times before finding success. Never give up, never surrender.

The 1% Club (Good Fuckin' Luck)

Pay writers. Accept sim-subs & reprints. Nominate for prizes. Active on socials. Free to read. No fee. No notes 

17 Lit Mags Who Speak Our Love Language

Lit mags who have listed or told us how much they want to publish writers 40, 50, 60 +. And we know, "older" is not a real term but it's what everyone is googling when they're trying to find magazines who don't just want work by kids fresh out of an MFA program, you know?

Literary Magazines Looking for Older Writers

140 Lit Mags that Are Vibing So Hard It’ll Make Your Teeth Hurt

You know how they say your life flashes before your eyes when you die? Well, all these lit mags want to see those flashes, glimpses, snippets, and so on. That's right. Short-short (flash) works of memoir are on the menu for these magazines. You just probably want to be more creative than us with this intro. You're doing too much!! ... anyway, here you go.

15 Lit Mags Who Want Your Short and Sweet Memoir

We love exploring international magazines. Africa has some incredible ones we've collected in this list for you to explore. And we know there are more. And we hope, as you discover them, you share them with us so we can grow this list. In the meantime, enjoy!

19 Kickass African Literary Magazines

What's dumb money? For poetry?! I mean, kinda anything, right? Folks pay so much for music, but what about poets? Music is just poetry but louder. WHAT IF WE ARE LOUDER? WILL YOU PAY US MORE NOW?! Well, these folks do. At least $200, often more. 

Lit Mags Who Pay Dumb Money for Poetry

A lot of folks publish magical realism, but we wanted to find those folks who are going above and beyond. The magazines listed below all nominate for prizes, accept simultaneous submissions, and have a <20% acceptance rate. Never a bad place to start.

Where to Publish Your Magical Realism

Printed lit mags are way cooler than you'd expect. Some are pocket-sized. Others are like actual books. Lots of writers get so much more out of seeing their work in print. Holding it. Smelling it. Using it as a reason to show their favorite English teacher while low-key checking if they're still married. We have over 1000 mags with printed issues so we cut this down to our most competitive ones in our top two vibe categories. Good Luck!

89 Reputable Lit Mags with Print Issues

What's more fun than scaring the shit out of people? Yup, getting paid to do it. 

29 Horror(ish) Mags Who'll Pay You to Scare Their Audience

Benjamin Davis (he/him) has stories and poems in several literary journals, including Wigleaf, Booth, Moon City Press, and Slippery Elm Press. His poem collection, The King of FU (Nada Blank, 2018), was such a smashing success it shocked the indie press who printed it into an early grave. He is now writing his first six novels. Find him on his website: daviscommabenjamin.com


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Benjamin Davis is a duck-loving fish eater. 

Poetry - 70 words

Fun Bio

A six-part illustrated e-zine published by Slippery Elm Press. *Finalist in the Deanna Tulley Multimedia Contest 2020

The Uninvited Guests

Monthly column for Lustery POV on how male sexuality develops over the years.

Locker Room Talk [Column]

The Babushka Society is a demented magical-realism adventure set in the heart of Saint Petersburg, where two young men stumble across a babushka conspiracy, led by Russian fairytales’ stalwart character Baba Yaga. [S.I.R. Podcast]

[Radio Play] The Babushka Society

An American writer living in Russia, explores various topics, from the pointless to the profound, through conversations with Russians.

[Column] Conversations With Russians

A newsletter of sometimes informative, often personal, always humorous essays on life, the universe, and other things.

[Newsletter] Traveling Word Salesman

Flash-365 was a collaborative project between an American writer, Benjamin Davis and a Russian Artist, Nikita Klimov. From October 2016-October 2017, they created one story and one picture every day for 365 days.

[Blog] Flash-365

Tribalism, supervisors, sheriffs, bullies, sex, suicide, dead prisoners, drugs, porn, middle school, and Jesus. Poems. 

Benjamin Davis

Badge swag

Books

Selected work (78 publications)

Links