MFA in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University

A Damn Good Read - Best Lit Mags of 2025

Best Nonfiction Lit Mags of 2024

An online journal of literature and the arts offers visitors from around the world outstanding fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and reviews, as well as plays, visual art, new media, and video essays.

For over two decades, Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts has been one of the country's premier literary magazines, earning accolades and attracting an expansive readership for its diverse range of award-winning and emerging writers.

In 2023, Blackbird relaunched with a reimagined design and updated website. We continue to publish the best poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and art from established and emerging writers and to contribute to a robust dialogue about the importance of literary innovation, community, and inclusion. 

We publish quarterly issues featuring a diverse, curated collection of work, our own Blackbird ‘Flights.’

In 2025, we launched our own podcast, The Blackbird Literary Podcast, with the goal of expanding the possibilities of the literary podcast. Our podcast quilts readings and interviews with soundscapes and original compositions. Episodes harmonize with and build upon the journal’s literary and visual art content. Unlike traditional print or other podcasts, our project elevates text beyond the page into multi-sensorial experiences, fusing established and emerging writers with original compositions and sound design. Every piece we accept for publication in the journal is considered for inclusion in the podcast. Listen to the first episode here, or on your favorite streaming platform: https://blackbird.vcu.edu/podcast/



Out of 4,357 votes, these lit mags came out on top in 2025 as the best lit mags for exceptional reading.

Community Favorites: Our 2024 Best Lit Mag Awards winners for nonfiction, selected entirely by community vote. Over 500 magazines nominated with thousands of votes cast.

Everyone loves online mags! They make it easier to share your work, and they require less resources to get up and running, so more people can start them. They also can fold more easily :/ 
But not these mags! They've been around for years, they're consistent, they rock!

Online Lit Mags that are 15+ years Old

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals demonstrate consistent excellence in identifying digital fiction that deserves wider recognition and readership.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Story-focused publications with works chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Less than 5% of nominated fiction typically makes the anthology.

Fiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online publications putting forward exceptional short stories for Best of the Net.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

A targeted resource for short story placements with potential for Pushcart recognition.

Fiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Specialized publications that recognize exceptional brief fiction through Pushcart nominations.

Digital publications advancing very short fiction for Best of the Net consideration.

Flash Fiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Publications with verse selected for America's foremost poetry anthology. These journals consistently publish poetry representing the most significant contemporary verse across styles and approaches.

Lit Mags Featured in Best American Poetry Anthologies

Digital publications with work selected for inclusion across genres. These journals consistently publish online work of exceptional quality that stands out in the digital literary landscape.

Lit Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Publications with pieces chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. Recognition of exceptional quality across poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Journals that forward outstanding nonfiction to this respected anthology series founded in 1986. These publications identify exceptional essays that might reach the broader readership BAE provides.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best American Essays

Identifies publications that put forward outstanding online work for this respected digital anthology established in 2006.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

BASS represents the most mainstream recognition for short fiction in America. These journals serve as the initial screening layer for potential inclusion in this widely-read collection.

Literary Mags That Nominate for Best American Short Stories

All-time most competitive literary magazines. Getting published in these is a significant achievement for any writer.

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Explore the most popular literary magazines of all time. These long-established publications are a staple in the literary world for writers of all genres.

Most Popular Literary Magazines of All Time

Digital publications chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently publish digital essays and memoirs that exemplify the best of what's possible in online creative nonfiction.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Essay-focused publications with works selected for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have repeatedly identified nonfiction that resonates with Pushcart editors and readers.

Nonfiction Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Digital publications nominating outstanding essays and creative nonfiction for Best of the Net.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Highlights publications that regularly put forward essays, memoirs, and other creative nonfiction for Pushcart consideration.

Nonfiction Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Verse-centered publications with poems chosen for Pushcart Prize anthologies. These journals have consistently identified poems that stand out in this intensely competitive field.

Poetry Magazines Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Online journals that specifically champion poetry for Best of the Net consideration.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for Best of the Net

Focuses specifically on poetry journals with established histories of Pushcart nominations.

Poetry Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Digital publications with poems chosen for Best of the Net. These journals consistently identify exceptional verse that represents the highest quality of poetry published online.

Poetry Mags Featured in Best of the Net Anthologies

Blackbird

Please read the following guidelines before you submit.  Send up to six poems at a time; send at least two poems, minimum.  Set your poem as you want it to appear on the printed page.  Put all poems into one document.  Query before you send a poem exceeding 10 pages.General Guidelines  Blackbird does not accept previously published work.  Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere. To withdraw individual poems from a submission, please send a message in Submittable notifying us of the poems that are no longer available.  Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.  Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.

Poetry

Video Essay Submission Guidelines
Blackbird is actively seeking video essays at this time! 
The writer and artist M. Freeman (whose own video essays are in a recent Blackbird Flight) describes video essays as “the mixed-breed love child of poetry, creative nonfiction, arthouse indies, documentary, and experimental media art.” We dig that! The video essays we admire most employ language, image, and sound with equal craftsmanship and collective vision. John Bresland’s “On the Origin of the Video Essay” shines a light on our video essay preferences. You can watch the video essays in that feature as examples, as well as our more recent video essay publications. 
Some other video essays we admire are featured in TriQuarterly (like “Touch” by James J. Hodge) and Brink Literary. Check them out! 
Specifications:
-Submit up to 5 at a time.
-Video essays can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2 
and 8 minutes.
-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that 
passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We 
acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence 
to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any 
questions regarding this policy.
What to Submit:
-Send submissions as Vimeo or unlisted YouTube links.
- A transcript of the text (as a Word Doc)
- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how image, sound, and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.
- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.


Sound-based Literature Submission Guidelines
As Blackbird continues to develop our podcast and publish new media, like video essays, we are now seeking sound-based literary projects. 
What is Sound-based Literature? 
Writers and musicians have been pushing the boundaries between text/sound for decades. 
Sound-based literature is an original piece of writing that pairs a recorded voiceover with a musical composition or sound design score. We are seeking original, sound-based literature similar to JJJJJerome Ellis' The Clearing or Katie Moulton's Dead Dad Club: On Grief and Tom Petty. Sound-based literature submissions will be considered for publication in a future Flight and/or inclusion in an upcoming episode of the Blackbird Literary Podcast. 
Be sure to listen to our first podcast episode here to best understand the kind of work we’re seeking.
Specifications: 
-Submit up to 5 at a time.
-Submissions can be 12 minutes max, but we think the sweet spot is usually between 2 
and 8 minutes.
-We do not accept work that uses Generative AI in any form, especially work that 
passes off AI-generated visuals, audio, and/or writing as one’s original creation. We 
acknowledge that most modern video and audio software integrates artificial intelligence 
to some extent, so we encourage submitters to contact our team should they have any 
questions regarding this policy.
What to Submit:
- The sound-based literature piece (ideally as a private SoundCloud or unlisted YouTube link or a WAV/MP3)
- A transcript of the literature (as a Word Doc)
- Artist statement: A short paragraph about the project, its intentions, and how sound and text interact. This gives context for reviewers and can be brief.
- Author/artist bios: 50–100 words for publication and editorial purposes.

Video Essays OR Sound-Based Literature

Please read the following guidelines before you submit.  Double-space, please.   We primarily look for short stories, but novel excerpts are acceptable if self-contained.  Send one prose piece at a time.  Query before you send a prose piece over 8,000 words.General Guidelines  Blackbird does not accept previously published work.  Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere.  Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.  Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email us at blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.

Fiction

In a single PDF document, send up to ten images of a single body of work (or related series of works).
 
At the beginning of your PDF, please include an artist’s statement of up to 500 words that addresses this particular body of work and your general artist’s practice; an image index detailing each work’s title, medium, dimensions and date of completion; and, if the work has been exhibited, when and where. 
 
Artists selected for publication should be prepared to submit individual jpeg images of their work and will be interviewed by Blackbird’s art editor for a written feature. Featured artists may also be asked to participate in a video or audio segment to accompany their work, but participation will be at the artist’s discretion. 
  While Blackbird does not generally accept previously published artworks, we are happy to feature bodies of work that have appeared in exhibition catalogues or an artist’s/gallery’s social media/websites. It is also acceptable to submit bodies of work including individual pieces that have appeared in other publications so long as the majority of the works submitted have not been published elsewhere.

Arts

Please read the following guidelines before you submit.  Double-space, please.   We primarily look for personal essays, but memoir excerpts are acceptable if self-contained.   Unsolicited book reviews and criticism are not considered.  Send one prose piece at a time.  Query before you send a prose piece over 8,000 words.General Guidelines  Blackbird does not accept previously published work.  Simultaneous submissions are acceptable so long as they are indicated as such and we are immediately notified upon acceptance elsewhere.  Translations are welcome so long as permissions have been obtained from the author.  Please submit a cover letter, either in the box provided or as the first page of your submission; if you have previously published with Blackbird or received encouragement on a previous submission, please include that information as well.If you are a currently-enrolled student, please email us at blackbird@vcu.edu for a link to a waived-fee submission form.

Creative Nonfiction

We accept book reviews of up to 500 words or fewer. Books must have been published within a year. We only accept reviews of first or second books. 
Completed craft essays and interviews of up to 2,000 words.

Blackbird

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