Literary magazines are a great resource for writers because they’re essentially created by and for writers. If you aren’t familiar with them, they’re publications that publish short stories, poetry and essays for the most part.
They’re a great step forward for more established writers—many well-known authors began with works published in literary magazines—and they’re an excellent resource for newer writers looking for examples of strong writing. Plus, reading them is a great way to help you work on your writing skills.
Here are 5 Literary Magazines for you to explore, study and possibly even submit your writing to. (Note: a lot of these are Canadian, because I’m a Canuck!)
Room
This one is created for women only—a space where women can speak, connect and create. They accept fiction, nonfiction, poetry and visual art all year round (there’s no set submission time). Good to note: they also have several writing contests to check out. roommagazine.com
Narratively
Narratively is an online publication focusing on ordinary people with extraordinary stories. They accept a range of mediums, from longform and shortform writing to short documentary films, photo essays, audio, and comics. Good to note: They accept both pitches for story ideas and completed submissions. narrative.ly
Blank Spaces
The mission at Blank Spaces is to celebrate and champion the work of Canadian creatives. The nice thing is that they say this specifically on their site: “We want to champion your art, whatever it may be, and share it with a literary world that is often dismissive of newcomers.” Being ‘newbie-friendly’ is always appealing. Read more about their submissions: blankspaces.alannarusnak.com
Hazlitt
This online literary magazine features personal essays, fiction, reported features, humour, criticism, interviews, and comics. Good to note: They tell you specifically what to avoid when submitting, including “A diary entry. Even if you’re pitching a personal essay or relying heavily on personal elements, have an answer to this question: what does my experience mean/say in a wider cultural context? Always strive to widen the scope.” Great advice. hazlitt.net
Event
Event is one of Western Canada’s longest running literary magazines, and they welcome submissions from around the world. They accept fiction, poetry, non-fiction and book reviews, and feature both emerging and established writers. Good to note: Event is home one of the longest-running annual non-fiction contests in Canada. eventmagazine.ca/submit/