128 Lit. What I immediately like is the "About" info on the landing page. It may not be the sexiest, but you know right away what they're striving for. More magazines should do this! Submission info is clear and not overwhelmingly picky. I'm not sure it's a fit for me overall, but I really enjoyed the poem Self Talk. Looks like a fairly new publication that's off to a great start.
Hunger Mountain. I think this mag has been around a long time, but the oldest issue they have listed is 2022. Which makes me think they were only print up until then? It feels like maybe they're still transitioning from print to online because of different fonts, etc. I can't say I love the landing page: The continuous scroll at the bottom is distracting (although it probably doesn't bug younger people) and the large type used for features gives me an all caps yelling at me feeling. That said, I enjoyed the interview with Andrew Sean Greer and the interview with Jennifer Lang on her memoir written in flash.
I really like the description of what they want in hybrid pieces: "This category is for the bold, the brave, and the slippery. It is for those who, like us, relish the in-between, the genre-less, the boundless, the blended. Feed us words that play with content and form, with a side of the ineffable made effable. Let us sip dark matter from your Klein-bottle, the uncontainable contained. We seek hybrid assemblages that obliterate, sneak beyond, slither between, ooze under—yes subvert—genre(s)..." I'm interested in further exploring this magazine.
Racoons would be good. I've written skunks. I'm thinking porcupine might be next. We've had a huge thing locally about minks lately . . . now there's an idea . . .
I got a little behind on these lessons, but will catch up. This one is so loaded with good info that it will need rereading and referred to often. A really great lesson!
Northwest Review. This one is interesting to me. The landing page is welcoming, easy to read. But they don't really say anywhere that they're a combination print and online site, with some material only available in print. In fact, I was confused by the few categories at top and it wasn't until I went to their submission page that I saw the "what we've published recently" link, which takes you to pics of their prints. Why don't they have a category at the top that says Print Only or something? It seems like it would be an easy way to avoid confusion. But I'm assuming from the list of contributors that they don't need to be any more friendly than they already are to get quality content.
Bullshit Lit. Love the name! They don't take themselves too seriously but are clear in their guidelines what and how to sub (they take a variety!). Note that subs aren't open now, but a projected date is listed for most of the categories. The layout is easy to follow and I liked the few pieces I read. I did see that the pieces are labeled under poetry and prose, and that prose is further divided into story and thing. I assume "thing" refers to prose poems/hybrid pieces. They claim to respond within 15 days! I like the vibe. I like things!
Lavender Lime Literary. This one has a pretty good layout, although the look is a little old-fashioned for me: cursive titles, the type on the page is lighter than I like to read, etc. They're a "queer-run mag that seeks to elevate marginalized voices through the expression of gender, sexuality, and identity." They only pub poetry and art, so not a good fit for me.
Rust & Moth. I like the look of this one, the layout and artwork. All the categories are easy to find. They have a category called Policies that lays out their stance on plagiarism, AI, abusive behavior, etc. I like it and wish more pubs would do it. It's a poetry journal though, so prob not a fit for me. It doesn't look at first glance like they publish prose poems, which I've worked a little with. But the poems I read here are down to earth and accessible, which is the kind of poetry I like.
The Harvard Advocate. I like the layout of this one, but... "The Harvard Advocate accepts submissions of art, fiction, and poetry of any form or length created by members of the Harvard community, as well as outside contributors at our discretion. All submissions are considered anonymously." I'd say that means a snowball's chance in hell for most of us. I couldn't find any writer bios on the site. Maybe I can Mike Ross my way into this one?
Literary Mama. A niche magazine for a big population, writing moms. Very inviting and well done: easy navigation, great layout. They do something interesting with their contributor bios, putting them at the top of pieces instead of below. Maybe to highlight their place as individuals and not "just" moms? I like the timeline you can scroll through on the About page that shows their evolution. I read a piece that really resonated for me, about the conflicting practice of writing about your kids and about the rush to turn experiences into metaphor. They've suspended publication temporarily as of this month and have a page dedicated to explaining it. Their plan is to resume soon, but no date is set. They seem like they'd be great to work with.
The Offing. Full disclosure: I was published here several years ago. It was one of those "discover a great place, see a category that seems to fit your writing, submit a piece you've just finished, get an acceptance less than 3 months later" experiences. Hell froze over for a minute! I like pretty much everything about this magazine. They're clear about what they want and I don't get any feeling of it being a secret club they're not sure they want me in, which is one of my biggest pet peeves about some places! I especially love the Cross Genre section with all of its categories. I like writing to some kind of constraint, whether it's length or category or theme. It's obvious to me they take great care with their work, and even the rejections I've gotten from them have been super kind.
Broken Antler. Aha, I thought, it's about hunting! My dad showed up to the hospital when I was born with a deer strapped to the hood of our car, so I know about hunting! But I quickly discovered it's horror, which I'm not into reading or writing. BUT I like the look of the mag. I always love seeing the Submit button on the loading page, either top or bottom. If I don't see it there, I panic a little, like DOES IT EVEN EXIST? And the actual Submit page is amazing! Very clear info.
I have to agree with what others have said. While all the lessons so far have been great, this one really is super applicable! I'm making a spreadsheet as we speak!
Devastation Baby. I like to see categories so didn't love just the pictures at first. But it's a clean aesthetic and once I clicked in I read some stories that resonated. But also I still like to know what kind of story I might be reading? Even though it's good for exploring what you maybe didn't think you liked. The mission statement under the about tab was clear, but the "currently closed for subs" without an idea of when they will open was...unnerving? I worked as a technical writer back in the day and love specifics. So that I know the size and shape of the container in which I'm able to play.
100% We've actually been working on developing a course for lit mag editors. Things like clear and specific reading period guidelines. Devastation Baby is newer. I think they're off to a great start (also I love their name). But I think sometimes editors don't consider something like this because they are newer or are more interested in the editorial side of things and not always thinking about how different writers schedule submissions.
A course for lit mag editors would be amazing! They want to reach us as much as we want to reach them. We all have our specific glasses on that magnify some things while losing others. How to bridge that gap…
Thanks so much for this beautiful, concise summary! And for keeping it accessible <3
128 Lit. What I immediately like is the "About" info on the landing page. It may not be the sexiest, but you know right away what they're striving for. More magazines should do this! Submission info is clear and not overwhelmingly picky. I'm not sure it's a fit for me overall, but I really enjoyed the poem Self Talk. Looks like a fairly new publication that's off to a great start.
Hunger Mountain. I think this mag has been around a long time, but the oldest issue they have listed is 2022. Which makes me think they were only print up until then? It feels like maybe they're still transitioning from print to online because of different fonts, etc. I can't say I love the landing page: The continuous scroll at the bottom is distracting (although it probably doesn't bug younger people) and the large type used for features gives me an all caps yelling at me feeling. That said, I enjoyed the interview with Andrew Sean Greer and the interview with Jennifer Lang on her memoir written in flash.
I really like the description of what they want in hybrid pieces: "This category is for the bold, the brave, and the slippery. It is for those who, like us, relish the in-between, the genre-less, the boundless, the blended. Feed us words that play with content and form, with a side of the ineffable made effable. Let us sip dark matter from your Klein-bottle, the uncontainable contained. We seek hybrid assemblages that obliterate, sneak beyond, slither between, ooze under—yes subvert—genre(s)..." I'm interested in further exploring this magazine.
Racoons would be good. I've written skunks. I'm thinking porcupine might be next. We've had a huge thing locally about minks lately . . . now there's an idea . . .
I got a little behind on these lessons, but will catch up. This one is so loaded with good info that it will need rereading and referred to often. A really great lesson!
Northwest Review. This one is interesting to me. The landing page is welcoming, easy to read. But they don't really say anywhere that they're a combination print and online site, with some material only available in print. In fact, I was confused by the few categories at top and it wasn't until I went to their submission page that I saw the "what we've published recently" link, which takes you to pics of their prints. Why don't they have a category at the top that says Print Only or something? It seems like it would be an easy way to avoid confusion. But I'm assuming from the list of contributors that they don't need to be any more friendly than they already are to get quality content.
Bullshit Lit. Love the name! They don't take themselves too seriously but are clear in their guidelines what and how to sub (they take a variety!). Note that subs aren't open now, but a projected date is listed for most of the categories. The layout is easy to follow and I liked the few pieces I read. I did see that the pieces are labeled under poetry and prose, and that prose is further divided into story and thing. I assume "thing" refers to prose poems/hybrid pieces. They claim to respond within 15 days! I like the vibe. I like things!
Lavender Lime Literary. This one has a pretty good layout, although the look is a little old-fashioned for me: cursive titles, the type on the page is lighter than I like to read, etc. They're a "queer-run mag that seeks to elevate marginalized voices through the expression of gender, sexuality, and identity." They only pub poetry and art, so not a good fit for me.
Rust & Moth. I like the look of this one, the layout and artwork. All the categories are easy to find. They have a category called Policies that lays out their stance on plagiarism, AI, abusive behavior, etc. I like it and wish more pubs would do it. It's a poetry journal though, so prob not a fit for me. It doesn't look at first glance like they publish prose poems, which I've worked a little with. But the poems I read here are down to earth and accessible, which is the kind of poetry I like.
The Harvard Advocate. I like the layout of this one, but... "The Harvard Advocate accepts submissions of art, fiction, and poetry of any form or length created by members of the Harvard community, as well as outside contributors at our discretion. All submissions are considered anonymously." I'd say that means a snowball's chance in hell for most of us. I couldn't find any writer bios on the site. Maybe I can Mike Ross my way into this one?
Just popping in to say that I really enjoy the chattiness! It makes everything feel less daunting.
Literary Mama. A niche magazine for a big population, writing moms. Very inviting and well done: easy navigation, great layout. They do something interesting with their contributor bios, putting them at the top of pieces instead of below. Maybe to highlight their place as individuals and not "just" moms? I like the timeline you can scroll through on the About page that shows their evolution. I read a piece that really resonated for me, about the conflicting practice of writing about your kids and about the rush to turn experiences into metaphor. They've suspended publication temporarily as of this month and have a page dedicated to explaining it. Their plan is to resume soon, but no date is set. They seem like they'd be great to work with.
The Offing. Full disclosure: I was published here several years ago. It was one of those "discover a great place, see a category that seems to fit your writing, submit a piece you've just finished, get an acceptance less than 3 months later" experiences. Hell froze over for a minute! I like pretty much everything about this magazine. They're clear about what they want and I don't get any feeling of it being a secret club they're not sure they want me in, which is one of my biggest pet peeves about some places! I especially love the Cross Genre section with all of its categories. I like writing to some kind of constraint, whether it's length or category or theme. It's obvious to me they take great care with their work, and even the rejections I've gotten from them have been super kind.
Broken Antler. Aha, I thought, it's about hunting! My dad showed up to the hospital when I was born with a deer strapped to the hood of our car, so I know about hunting! But I quickly discovered it's horror, which I'm not into reading or writing. BUT I like the look of the mag. I always love seeing the Submit button on the loading page, either top or bottom. If I don't see it there, I panic a little, like DOES IT EVEN EXIST? And the actual Submit page is amazing! Very clear info.
I have to agree with what others have said. While all the lessons so far have been great, this one really is super applicable! I'm making a spreadsheet as we speak!
Devastation Baby. I like to see categories so didn't love just the pictures at first. But it's a clean aesthetic and once I clicked in I read some stories that resonated. But also I still like to know what kind of story I might be reading? Even though it's good for exploring what you maybe didn't think you liked. The mission statement under the about tab was clear, but the "currently closed for subs" without an idea of when they will open was...unnerving? I worked as a technical writer back in the day and love specifics. So that I know the size and shape of the container in which I'm able to play.
100% We've actually been working on developing a course for lit mag editors. Things like clear and specific reading period guidelines. Devastation Baby is newer. I think they're off to a great start (also I love their name). But I think sometimes editors don't consider something like this because they are newer or are more interested in the editorial side of things and not always thinking about how different writers schedule submissions.
A course for lit mag editors would be amazing! They want to reach us as much as we want to reach them. We all have our specific glasses on that magnify some things while losing others. How to bridge that gap…