Bold and Weird - Best Lit Mags of 2025

Folly is an international luxury annual print only anthology. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, and finalist for the 2024 CLMP Best Literary Debut awards, Folly is found worldwide from parliamentary desks, independent bookstores and the rooms of luxury boutique hotels.



Folly is an international luxury publication, based in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a print only anthology of collectable art, commentary, short stories, non-fiction and poetry. Unbound by academic affiliations and fiercely independent, it is home to content which is beautiful, timeless - selling out within a matter of months.  

Folly can be best described as a cross between a literary journal and a Victorian gossip rag, documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, and finalist for the 2024 CLMP Best Literary Debut awards, Folly is found worldwide from parliamentary desks, independent bookstores and the rooms of luxury boutique hotels. 

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Folly Journal

General call

Folly presents Divorce Diet, a Folly-esque collection of works from divorcees for divorcees. Curated by our newly divorced Art Director Dana Turner, this special edition of Folly aims to detail the love, renewal, chaos and strife of the newly divorced through entertaining, frank and honest accounts of what it is to divorce in our current modern era. <div></div><div>All stories, all genders, all demographics are welcome to submit their tale to Folly for Divorce Diet. Works generally are not to exceed 2500 words. </div><div></div><div>Note, each submission may contain up to three poems (or one page of chaotic text messages) or one work of prose of up to 2,500 words.</div><div></div><div>For any direct queries, contact dana@follyjournal.com</div>

Divorce Diet

From the creators of New Zealand’s fastest-selling literary journal comes a new kind of publishing house.
Folly Press is a hybrid publisher for writers whose work deserves more than distribution—it deserves cultural impact. We combine editorial excellence, high-end production, and strategic visibility to transform manuscripts into cultural moments.
This is not self-publishing. And it’s not traditional publishing either. It’s a complete creative ecosystem—designed for literature that moves people, and moves through the world with purpose.
We work with a select number of authors each year, offering bespoke support from first edit to final launch. The result: books that are as daring as they are enduring.
At Folly, we believe literature is not just content—it is cultural contribution. We publish for readers, yes, but also for the thinkers, artists, curators, and communities that shape the creative life of Aotearoa and beyond.
Learn more about Folly here.

Art, Photography and Illustration submission

In 2026, Folly is looking to create novolty standalone books that remind readers why literature still matters -  and why it is fun when it’s done properly.
We’re interested in manuscripts that get read on trains, argued about over wine, and left conspicuously on coffee tables. Work that looks beautiful, feels risky and earns its provocations.
What we’re looking for

   Chapbooks: 20 - 40 pages
   Novellas: 17,500– 30,000 words
  Short story collections: Up to 30,000 words total   

We like writing that’s smart without being academic, and accessible without being sanitised. Emotional honesty over cleverness. If the work is sexy, confrontational, funny, or uncomfortable - it should provoke and enlighten. We’re not interested in shock for its own sake and encourage any work based on trauma to have been thoroughly distilled before submission. 
To submit

   Complete manuscript as a single document (.doc, .docx, or .pdf)   
   Cover letter with a brief bio and a one-paragraph synopsis   
   Table of contents (for collections)   

We respond within 90 days. Simultaneous submissions are fine — just withdraw promptly if the work is accepted elsewhere.

Novella, Chap Book or Short Story Collection

What happens when a literary journal has a torrid love affair with a Victorian gossip rag? Folly Journal happens - documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, selling out and lingering on Best Seller lists, Folly is now found worldwide.
Folly publishes around eight pieces of poetry in each issue. 
We are looking for work of no more than one page, that is accessible to a general audience of readers (people who wouldn't usually go out of their way to read poetry). We strongly recommend you read Folly before submitting your poetry.
  Submission guidelines:

   - Work must be in English 

   - Work must be in Ariel or Times New Roman, in a type size of 10 or 12pt, with 1.5 spacing.

   - Each submission must be individually submitted (Up to three poems per submission)

   - Copyright remains with the author.

Poetry

Folly is accepting submissions for nonfiction works for Issue 004, which will be published in our print only journal.

Folly is an international print only anthology of high art and literature crossed with a Victorian gossip rag. Built on the radical notion that literature needs to have more fun, our absinthe swilling editorial team have launched three sold out and best selling issues of this unique, award winning, journal into the world.

What we want: Cultural criticism and social critique that treats gossip and opinion as an art form. Folly writing is at its core entertainment, executed well. We are here to amuse, provoke thought and to make people slightly uncomfortable. We publish nonfiction that is intellectually alive and emotionally sharp — writing that understands the cultural moment and isn’t afraid to implicate the writer in it. Be sharp but sophisticated, witty but substantial, controversial but considered. 

If you are afraid to submit it, we probably want to read it (and yes, we welcome pseudonyms).

Folly treats the personal essay as a serious art form.

What we’re looking for

 Essays and cultural commentary
Journalism (pitches welcome ahead of time)
Cultural criticism with an opinion and a pulse
We don’t publish self-help, inspirational platitudes, or academic language. We do publish difficult, confrontational, or uncomfortable work — when the writing is strong enough to carry it. Note that as we are an international publication, any writing that uses another language within it should do so in a way that the meaning or intent is discernable to most English-language readers. Our reading team don't speak French either but can muddle through most Victorian novels that have a smattering of French. Do as the Victorians did. 

Length: Around 1,500 - 2,500 words. However we welcome slightly longer works if the length is required for successful execution.  

Essays, Creative nonfiction and Journalism

This year Folly is considering expanding, should we receive enough quality erotica submissions to justify a special Folly Eros edition. This is an experiment. If what we receive is worthy of Mills and Boon, we shall pretend this experiment never happened. If you wish to write erotica, go full blown erotica. Read The Olympia Reader. Read Henry Miller. Read all the great smut of literary history. Then write your own and send it to us. 
All submission lengths and collections welcome.

Erotica (short stories, memoir and essays)

What happens when a literary journal has a torrid love affair with a Victorian gossip rag? Folly happens - documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as the rebel child of the lit scene, and finalist for the 2024 CLMP Best Literary Debut awards, Folly is found worldwide from parliamentary desks, independent bookstores and the rooms of luxury boutique hotels. 

Folly sells out, gets banned and lingers on Best Seller lists. For Issue 004, Folly's editors are seeking the best fiction that doesn't apologise for existing. 

We are after light literary fiction that remembers plot exists. Desire, power, class, sex, and shame make excellent raw material, and form the basis of most stories that end up in Folly. We publish the kind of fiction we want to read on long flights, late nights, and slightly hungover mornings. Surprise us.

What we’re looking for

-  Short stories: 1,000–2,000 words

- Flash fiction: under 1,000 words  

We’re not interested in Westerns, detective stories or work that couldn't be classified as 'fun and entertaining'. For Folly's fictional works, we are looking for work that will make our readers laugh, leave them in (happy) shock, or beautiful wonder at the emotional intensity of your work.

To submit

Standard format, readable font and 1.5 spacing.  

Fiction: Short stories

'A magazine of contradictions that doesn't mind ruffling a few feathers.' - Stack Magazines UK
What happens when a literary journal has a torrid love affair with a Victorian gossip rag? Folly happens - documenting our cultural moment in all its messy, magnificent glory. Touted by media as one of the best literary magazines of 2025, winner of the ChillSubs Literary Incubator and a silver medal at the 2025 Best Indie Awards, Folly is a literary magazine that does things differently.
For Issue 005 and 006, Folly's editors are seeking more light literary fiction and essays about desire, power, class, sex - and any other topic you believe fits in Folly.
What we’re looking for
-  Short stories: 1,000–2,000 words
- Nonfiction: Up to 2500 words
These are not targets, most of our published fiction works are around 900-1300 words.
We’re not interested in Westerns, detective stories or work that couldn't be classified as 'fun and entertaining'. For Folly's fictional works, we are looking for work that will make our readers laugh, leave them in (happy) shock, or beautiful wonder at the emotional intensity of your work.
To submit
Saved as Word Document (no pDF's), readable font and 1.5 spacing.
Save as: firstname_lastname_title

Prose: Short stories and nonfiction - Fiction

Prose: Short stories and nonfiction

Folly Eros launches a second volume on desire and intimacy, through the lense of the queer community.
“Purple is passionate, maybe violet becomes a little bolder and ***** pink into purple. Sweet lavender blushes and watches.” – Derek Jarman
Edited by London based George Parker, this volume is looking for writing that explores everything from tender trysts to latexed fists and queer romance-themed works.
This anthology craves bold, unapologetic writing across the queer spectrum. Show some literary leg. Serve an erotic vignette. Bend gender and genre and grind your way to queer resistance. Give us desiring dykes, playful Polari, cant cunts, subversive sluts. Show us how you fuck and love and cherish each other in spite of the cis-hetero norm.
Erotica is welcomed but George is also keen to see a variety of work focused on all aspects of the queer romantic and sensual, particularly from those living in the intersection of global majority, trans, disabled, and otherwise marginalised groups. George is especially excited for work related to the hanky code, trans joy, polyamory, ace relationships, disability, and gender non-conforming expression.
Submissions guidelines
- a clear font and size
- document must be a Word document or similar (no PDF)
- the document must be saved as firstname_lastname_titleofwork
About George
Fresh from co-editing the eff-able anthology, George Violet Parker is a Pushcart, Best of the Net, Diversity Awards, and Space Crone Prize-nominated queer disabled writer and facilitator. Publications include Not Your Orlando (Punk Dust), debut novel Twisted Roots (Reconnecting Rainbows), debut collection Gynandromorph (Written Off), and ACE-funded anthology eff-able (fourteen poems). Other publications include Mslexia, Financial Times, Arachne Press, Bi+ Lines. They were selected for an ACE-funded place on TLC’s Chapter and Verse Mentoring scheme, and in 2022 received DYCP to write their second novel. In 2025, they were shortlisted for Alien Buddha’s House of Horrors with a queer cannibalism story that you can hear on the Creepy Podcast. They live in London with their partner and two chow chows, and enjoy climbing, getting sweaty on the dancefloor, a good wander in nature, copious amounts of sushi, and reading queer books. Will read your tarot for a price.

Folly Journal

Highlights

About

Featured Call

Queer Love: A Folly Eros Issue — Fiction

Appears in collections