phoebe Journal is currently accepting submissions of up to three pieces of flash of no more than 1000 words each, up to five poems, one piece of prose of up to 5000 words, and 1-5 pieces of visual art for Issue 55.2 consideration. To request a fee waiver outside of the fee-free submissions periods, email […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Cancer Courts My Mother by LindaAnn LoSchiavo “Cancer Courts My Mother” gives voice to the creativity borne out of the experience of late-stage cancer from the perspective of a caregiver and a daughter. Written with candor, warmth, and grace, these poems explore universal themes of sorrow, […]
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Indeed “the problem of art is a problem of translations,” says Pablo Palacio in his book A Man Brought to Gallows, translated to English by Paula Riofrío (p. 30). Interpretations are what form the imagination in this first edition short story that traipses surreal metaphors to bold depictions of our fractured society. Andrés, the narrator, […]
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The Ex-Puritan is open for fee-free submissions of CNF of up to 5000 words, flash fiction of up to 1000 words, short stories of up to 10000 words, up to four poems, interviews, and reviews of CanLit books. Deadline: 12/25 Five Minutes is accepting previously unpublished 100-word, one-paragraph pieces about five minutes in your life. […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators We Are Green and Trembling by Gabriela https://www.ndbooks.com/book/we-are-green-and-trembling/Cabezón Cámara and Translated by Robin Myers Deep in the wilds of the New World, Antonio de Erauso begins to write a letter to his aunt, the prioress of the Basque convent he escaped as a young girl. Since […]
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CNF The Weight of Salt by Allison Zhang Eating As the Other, Writing As the Other by Anna Nguyen Fiction El Camino Real by N.H. Van Der Haar The Outskirts by Nick Zenzola Poetry Pomegranate Seeds by Cody Stetzel watching the news by Em Townsend
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“The Only Way Out Is Through” When I first saw Andrzej Żuławski’s “Possession” (1981), I thought I would never watch it again; not because I didn’t like it—quite the contrary—but because I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. A recent re-watch of the now cult-classic reinforced this idea once more, as I remain supremely […]
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Sundress Publications is currently looking for a remote Editorial Intern for the first half of 2026. Applications should send a resume and cover letter detailing your interest in the position to Staff Director Kanika Lawton at sundressstaffdirector@gmail.com Deadline: 11/21 The New Delta Review is currently accepting art, flash CNF pieces of up to 1000 words […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators The Light Becomes Us by Colleen S. Harris The Light Becomes Us is a collection of narrative poems exploring how the American family holds both the grace to save us and the tragedies that doom us. Poems from the perspectives of mother and daughter delve into […]
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Walid Sadek, an artist and writer who works on post-war Lebanese society, writes of the figure of the “nonposthumous survivor” as one who carries the burden of unnecessary memory, whose testimony is a challenge to post-conflict normalcy and peacebuilding. During this period of mass psychosis, those disappeared or illegally abducted, come to occupy a liminal […]
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Téa Franco’s debut short story collection, You Could Be That Kind of Girl, contains twenty-one fascinating stories that explore the ways in which Latina, primarily Borica, girls of all ages and backgrounds navigate the rough terrain of diet culture, Eurocentric beauty standards, white feminism, and American capitalism. The collection’s protagonists range from a teenage vampire […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Now Flourish Northern Cardinal: Selected Poems 2005-2025 by Darren C. Demaree A sweeping collection that spans two decades of poetry—storm and salvation, devastation and beauty, carried in lines that linger like thunder. The Light Becomes Us by Colleen S. Harris The Light Becomes Us is a […]
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Rob Macaisa Colgate, poet and playwright, recently released My Love is Water, an experimental verse drama dealing with heartbreak and hauntings. The Filipinx and bakla protagonist, Danilo, disrupts the stage and page with their schizophrenia and longing, conversing in American Taglish and meandering through a house party as they strive to get over a ghostly […]
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Neal Allen Shipley (he/him) is a behavior analyst living in Colorado with a modest collection of pets and an unhinged collection of plants. His other work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and can be found in Impostor, Creation Magazine, The Talon Review, and SCAB Magazine, among others. Despite the horrors, he loves a […]
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Art Sunshine by Karissa Ho Orange Street by Frances Jane Sleger Conformity by Teresa Song CNF Outside the Box by Sara Streeter Pain as a Mediocre Symphony Orchestra by Luscha Makortoff Fiction El Camino Real by N.H. Van Der Haar The Bachelorette Party by Madeline Kaprich Poetry Mashhad, circa 1950: an iranian girl dreams by […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Peppermint by Amber Isaac “And I was taught not to use certain words in poems / but sometimes I act undisciplined to feel better” Amber states in the opening poem of Peppermint. Through cutting matter-of-fact language, Peppermint is a reel of personal lore: a childhood on a farm in […]
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The Ex-Puritan is currently accepting previously unpublished CNF pieces of up to 5000 words, fiction between 1000-10000 words, up to four poems, and reviews of Canadian Literature between 1200-3000 words. Deadline: 9/26 Saw Palm: Florida Literature and Art is currently accepting previously unpublished flash prose of up to 1000 words, up to five poems, fiction […]
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I’m thrilled to have author Erica Lee Berquist here to celebrate the release of her first novel, The Servant. I’ve followed Erica’s writing career for years, as she has published her short stories in numerous literary magazines. I recommend you follow her blog: https://ericaleeberquistauthor.wordpress.com/. It’s been fun watching Erica on her journey to publication. Here’s […]
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Erica Berquist’s The Servant is a quietly tense and fascinatingly written novel that explores the psychological intricacies of emotional suppression, perception, and personal identity. Told in the voice of Ellie, a domestic servant, the story unfolds in hushed tones, inviting readers into a private world of emotional entrapment and shifting realities. Berquist crafts a narrative […]
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Ignatian Literary Magazine is currently accepting previously unpublished submissions of art, CNF and fiction of up to 5000 words, or up to two poems. Include a third-person biography in your submission. Deadline: 8/24 Rappahannock Review is currently accepting previously unpublished art (five-twenty pieces total), one-three audio pieces no longer than fifteen minutes combined, prose (up […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators On Remembering My Friends, My First Job, and My Second-Favorite Weezer CD by Francisco Delgado When his son uncovers a Weezer CD at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cody Taitano recalls his first job at McDonald’s during his senior year of high school. Back in […]
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I will like to begin by acknowledging Christina and Michael for their individual exceptionalskills; for holding me down each page, one by one, never allowed me had my fill, as I lookedforward to the spell and magic, hidden in the coming themes and pages. I am pretty muchimpressed how the Japanese form of poetry unravel […]
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7/31: Mud Season is currently accepting 1 to 6 digital images, 3-5 poems, or one piece of prose of up to 6,000 words. Include brief author/creator bio. Must be at least 18 to submit work. 8/5: Parley Lit is currently accepting previously unpublished art (up to 5 pieces), up to 3 poems, prose of up […]
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In the final stanzas of “Sanity,” poet Lydia Rae Bush defines her body’s position on the margins via contrast with “the center, / where I cannot stay or even land.” Unlike the poem’s second-person foil, whose position is described as “effortless,” the speaker “create[s] a constellation / with my jagged ebb and flow, // orbiting […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Poetry Is Not a Luxury: Poems for All Seasons by Anonymous Inspired by writer and philosopher Audre Lorde’s famous claim: “Poetry is not a luxury,” this anthology proves the vitality of poetry as a crucial source of inspiration, comfort, and delight. In a first section, “Summer,” […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators The Blue Door by Janice Deal Is a parent responsible for a child who commits a crime? If so, how can she deal with that burden? These are the questions that haunt Flo when her daughter Teddy plans to visit after a long separation. The prospect […]
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6/30: Small Harbor Publishing is currently accepting unpublished chapbook submissions of 20-50 pages. Submissions should include a title page, table of contents, and a list of acknowledgments for previously published work. Cover letter should include your name, contact information, and a brief bio. Simultaneous submissions are permitted. Attach your manuscript as a word or pdf attachment. 7/1: ANMLY […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators The Nothing by Lauren Davis The Nothing, Lauren Davis’s debut fiction collection, exists on the whisper between reality and illusion. Think Shirley Jackson’s characters stuck in the damp Pacific Northwest or an Olympic Peninsula funhouse mirror held up to Karen Russell’s Florida. The worlds Davis creates […]
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5/31: ALOCASIA is currently accepting previously unpublished work by indigenous authors. Submit up to six works as a DOCX or PDF file to ALOCASIAmagazine@gmail.com along with a brief bio and mention tribal affiliation. Simultaneous submissions allowed 7/1: Sontag Mag is accepting up to three previously unpublished poetry and poetry translation submissions sent to submissions@sontagmag.com. 7/15: Sundress Publications […]
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Sunni Brown Wilkinson’s second full-length poetry collection “Rodeo”—selected by Patricia Smith as the winner of the 2024 Donald Justice Poetry Prize—is a book about the grief of losing a child, but even moreso, a book about the profound love that is at the root of all grieving. Wilkinson, quoting Mary Oliver, aptly defines her own […]
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(orignally published by Sage Cigarettes) jade vine’s unsent texts pile up like repressed memories–the self-proclaimed poet and gender vandalist describing absence as an overgrown plant taking root in its throat, framing desire as a horrific monster. Admitting that “i’m most afraid when no one’s touching me or thinking of touching me” (75), these one-line messages […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators When Whales Went Back to the Water by Lisa Baird Steely, tender, and sensual, Lisa Baird’s When Whales Went Back to the Water creates a reverent container for a broken world. These poems are hymns to living in wonder through loss, joy, motherhood’s sleepless nights, domestic violence, and […]
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He never really liked her, his Marytoo pure, too fuckin’ piousnot interested in frolicking in bedkamasutra-ing new positionstangling like Twisteractually a bit of a borehours spent on calloused kneesmurmuring strings of nonsenseinstead of fixing him steak and fries Glad she said god was the fatherglad she said she was a virginno #metoo gonna happen herehe […]
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Brutal Companion is Ruben Quesada’s newest, aptly titled, collection of poetry from Barrow Street Press. A true companion to the brutality of everyday existence amidst self-discovery, queerness, and loss, this collection is a dark hallway littered with small, round windows where light — and life — pour in. Brutal Companion is divided into three parts, […]
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Deadline: 3/20 Eastern Iowa Review is accepting CNF of up to 3000 words, fiction of up to 1000 words, one prose poem, and up to six visual pictures for their 19th issue. Deadline: 3/29 New Delta Review is currently accepting fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid submissions written by BIPOC authors. Simultaneous submissions allowed. Deadline: 4/8 Tahoma Literary Review is currently […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Pause the Document by Mónica de la Torre As the world shuts down, Mónica de la Torre’s poems become gregarious sites of encounter—homages to connections lost and new bonds forged. Shuttling between lyrical and experimental modes, the poems in Pause the Document challenge linear notions of time by […]
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In the June 26, 1948 edition of The New Yorker Shirley Jackson’s story “The Lottery” expanded the envelope of speculative horror—and prompted hundreds of readers to cancel their subscriptions. Letters and postcards poured in with subscribers offering their complaints and reasons, nearly all of them with an undercurrent of outrage at the supernatural events being […]
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3/15: Ink & Ember is accepting up to five art, poetry, and short prose submissions. Submissions must include submitter’s desired name and note that it’s a submission for Ink & Ember in the email’s subject line. Include a short bio, desired name, and pronouns. Art files should either be JPG or IMG; written files in […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Beyond the Watershed by Nadia Alexis A hybrid collection of poetry and photography, Beyond the Watershed explores the various experiences of a Haitian American daughter and her Haitian immigrant mother. Nadia Alexis crafts a moving portrayal of generational trauma, domestic violence, survival, and reclamation using stunning […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators Do you have a lit journal issue, chapbook, book, or other work that’s about to be published? Email us at vagabondcityliterary@gmail.com to be added to our Books Available to Review list and/or featured on an upcoming Now Read This list.
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Multiple Deadlines in February: The Hooghly Review is accepting CNF, fiction, play, and visual art submissions for an upcoming issue. 2/10: Game Over Books is accepting previously unpublished essay, poetry, and visual art submissions from Queer religious school alums for an upcoming anthology called Uncommon: An Anthology of Art and Writing by Queer Religious School […]
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Cavar’s dystopian novel Failure to Comply, like all great science fiction novels, is a cautionary tale about the present cloaked in a story about the future. Despite its bleak setting of oppression and control by a corporation state, RSCH, Cavar’s novel might as well be taking place in Texas, Florida or Tennessee in the midst […]
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Bruce E. Whitacre’s latest book, Good Housekeeping, from Poets Wear Prada, explores the humanness of living inside the bedlam of urban existence. Life is full of elixirs when dealing with modern chaos, whether it be vodka, champagne, etc. But, at its core, people are the flesh, bones, and blood of beer. We seek shelter from life. We […]
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The Fiddlehead is currently accepting CNF, Fiction, Poetry, and Translation submissions from Canadian authors. Submit double-spaced prose of no more than 6,000 words or no more than 6 single-spaced poems/12 pages total. Deadline: 11/30 45th Parallel is currently accepting CNF submissions. Submit one single piece of work up to 3,000 words or two pieces of […]
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It’s dead. The horror movie stag stared into a dollar store’s heaven. I stood with crossed arms, a grave marker model, skin pressed Against the city’s street island tree until the sickly bark raised grooves of red ache Returning to a singed harmony. Pain is normal, this one’s new. Smoke billowed from the scattering sparks, […]
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the floor-to-ceiling windows matter more than the whitish print ofa something bird, perhaps crow-like magicking through the corpseas if it were the first thing to die; i refused to kiss that bird watcheronce because she ordered quail eggs at dinner in this economy in this restaurant where everyone can see her eating another’s youngin this bed […]
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The weekend night has a gash in its belly,deep and red, bleeding smokeinto the cool, darkening sky. Tomorrow,we’ll mourn in our own wayunder stale Monday morning sun,or in the pools of our noon shadows.At home, this grief drives us to mementos:bedsheets browned from barefoot walks,the bitter smoke smell from the clothes in the corner. Devon […]
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Write something about sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. Get more specific. Write something about sitting in a doctor’s waiting room as everyone else is escorted down the mouth of the sterile hallway by nurses in purple scrubs. Describe the smell of antiseptic. Write about remaining in the plastic chair long after the lights go out and the doctors go home. Write about coughing […]
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Highlighting recently released and forthcoming works by marginalized creators So Much More: Abstracts, Unfinished Sequences, and Political Prose Poems by Darren C. Demaree So Much More is a collection of interstitial wants and fears. Quilted together in a way that can amplify the abstracts, the sequences, the political prose poems, this book works with an energy […]
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It’s a rare pleasure to read a debut and know you’re seeing the author at the beginning of a long, successful career. But that’s how I felt reading Heat Death of the Universe (fifth wheel press, 2023), the debut chapbook of emerging poet Leela Raj-Sankar. In Heat Death, Raj-Sankar follows up her prolific 2022—which she […]
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VAGABOND CITY 