Check out our list of what we think are pretty rad literary mags that are currently open for submissions from writers like us.  If you have a literary journal that you’d like featured here, shoot us an email and we’ll give you a peek.

5×5

Their Site: www.5x5litmag.org

What they’re about: Some of our long term goals are to encourage high school students to work on their creative writing. Encouragement comes in many different forms, from offering themes as a writing catalyst to providing scholarships for contest winners. Seeing their work in print and distributed nationwide may be the most encouraging.

What we think: Hell, inspiring the youth of this nation to spread their creative wings against all odds is pretty damn awesome. They feature fiction, poetry, comics, photography. Basically anything creative.  Because of that, we give them two thumbs up.

Their Site: http://aminorpress.com/

What they’re about: We are partial to surrealist, experimental and quirky writing. For poetry, we lean toward the lyrical, eccentric, ambivalent and wildly imaginative.

What we think: Sounds pretty minimalist. But don’t let that fool you. These guys are high octane content-wise. The art they host is psychotic. The stories, terrifying. Yet it’s done with such class and finesse, it feels like I’m watching the press-version American Psycho. Really a superlative achievement.

The Bacon Review

Their Site: http://thebaconreview.com

What they’re about: We are aware that the commercial publishing industry is facing difficult times, and consequently, it’s often the case that good writing is not published and authors not promoted. It’s our goal to make excellent work available to you for free.

What we think: Being bacon aficionados, we couldn’t help but check out this lit mag. Turns out, the stuff they publish is, well, exceptional. And they publish monthly! Very cool.

Fiddleblack

What they’re about: Each month, Fiddleblack releases a selection of fiction and narrative nonfiction. The work we publish in our digital journal comes largely from unsolicited submissions from writers like you. The characteristic spirit behind Fiddleblack is our pursuit of creative work that considers self and place with regard for spatial bounds and existentialism, respectively.We’re also quite fond of our two native ideas: “antipastoralism” and “concept horror.” Consider either a possible arena for direct configurations ofself and place.

What we think: Another monthly publisher, Fiddleblack feels, if anything, to be a highly conceptual journal. They seem to focus on the oddities and the “phantastic” elements of the world. Definitely worth a look and a submission or two. Anyone publishing underground lit like that deserves recognition.

Palooka

Their site: http://palookamag.com/home

What they’re about: We’re determined to find those writers and artists who are hungry and relevant, flying under the radar, producing great works that are going unnoticed by other magazines. We read absolutely everything sent to us, word-for-word, right down to the very last juicy sentence. This is a magazine for everyone, but we’re really into publishing the up-and-comer, the underdog in the literary battle royale. Give us your best shot.

What we think: Firstly, we just want to note that the cover to the left there for their fourth released journal is just plain AWESOME. Secondly, the journal itself feels so intimate and friendly, it reminds us of our grandma’s apple pies. They host chapbook contests, author featurettes, and a bunch of other really neat things that makes us think that Palooka is a really nice place to be.