Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue biannually publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists.

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue biannually publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. 

Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, writers we publish, and the presentation of each issue.

Currently, we publish one print issue each year (Summer/Fall) and one online issue (Winter/Spring), and hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers.

Gloomy, gothic, romantic, you name it. These lit mags remind us of enchanting libraries, misty gardens, and secrets hidden within dusty tomes.

Lit Mags With Dark Academia Vibes

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

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

Lit Mags Featured in Pushcart Prize Anthologies

Looking for balance between prestige and accessibility? These magazines are competitive but attainable for poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writers.

Literary Magazines in the Sweet Spot

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

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

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

Fugue

Send us your stories that move. The ones that create their own shapes and help us see fiction as a living and changing form. We especially want stories that echo after we finish reading them, so even if we cannot define what the echoed voice is saying, it haunts us with its sound, emotion, and humanity. We are especially eager to be a platform for voices that are consciously, unconsciously, and systemically underrepresented. While we love stories of all lengths, it is difficult to make space for anything over 15 pages in Fugue. Regardless of length, please attach your story as a .pdf, .doc or .docx file. Finally, we know the anxiety of submission; we are grateful for your trust and look forward to reading your stories!

General Fiction

We're here for literary nonfiction broadly conceived — from personal essays to hybrid works to criticism or theory (or some combination thereof!) — that is both grounded and imaginative. 
We want to read prose that is structurally playful or daring, work that engages with genre and tradition in new ways, and/or sees the ordinary as extraordinary. We are especially excited by works that are part of a larger conversation. In any case, we are looking for compelling narratives of inquiry and discovery and work that makes us think, see things differently, and feel more fully alive.   
Pieces longer than 15 pages are not disqualified from consideration, but they are unlikely to be accepted—so if you've got to go long, make it astonishing. 
We eagerly welcome, encourage, and crave submissions from Black, Indigenous, queer and trans folks, writers of color, and disabled writers, and we hope to include both established and new voices in our pages. We can't wait to read your work. 
Please attach your work as a .pdf, .doc, or .docx file.

General Nonfiction

We are especially interested in work that is curious about the world, the boundaries of form, and the limits of language. Show us your deep fascinations and distinct point-of-view. We aim to uplift and honor the work of poets from underrepresented socioeconomic backgrounds, abilities, gender identities, sexualities, races, and ethnicities. Please send 3-5 poems with a maximum submission length of 10 pages. Send all poems in one document. Please attach your work as a .pdf, .doc, or .docx file.

(Literary)

General Poetry

Send us your art and genre-bending work. We want your text-images, sound pieces, paintings, photographs, collages, videos, screenprints, sculptures, textiles, drawings, and writing that crosses boundaries and forms. Submit up to 5 pieces in a single document as a .pdf, .doc or .docx, .jpg, .png, .mp3, or .mp4 file. If we accept a piece for publication, we will communicate with you about how we can best showcase it. Publication is contingent on sending a high-quality/high-resolution version of the work. If you’re sending us multiple pieces, please indicate whether those stand alone or are part of a series. Please also include a brief artist statement that describes your project and contextualizes your art practice.

Visual Art & Other Hybrid Forms

General Submissions: Reviews and Interviews

2026 Prose Contest submissions should include no more than one short story or one essay per submission in a .doc, .docx (preferred), or .pdf document. Multiple submissions are considered as long as a separate fee is paid for each. We ask that submissions not exceed 7000 words. The contest winner in prose receives $1,000 and publication in Fugue’s 2027 print issue. One runner-up is also published. All submissions will be read by at least two editors, and ten finalists will go on to our judge. All submissions will be considered for general publication in Fugue.
 
This year's prose judge is Emily Mitchell. Emily Mitchell is the author of three works of fiction, most recently The Church of Divine Electricity from University of Wisconsin Press. Her short stories have appeared in The Sun, Harper's, Ploughshares, The Southern Review, The Missouri Review and elsewhere. She serves as fiction editor of New England Review and teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland. Her second novel, Far Ocean, about 18th-century botanist and explorer Jeanne Baret, won the 2025 Big Moose Prize and is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press.
 
We look forward to reading your work!

Prose Contest

2026 Poetry Contest submissions should include 1-3 poems per submission in a .doc, .docx (preferred), or .pdf document. Multiple submissions are considered as long as a separate fee is paid for each. The contest winner in poetry receives $1,000 and publication in Fugue’s 2027 print issue. One runner-up is also published. All submissions will be read by at least two editors, and ten finalists will go on to our judge. All submissions will be considered for general publication in Fugue.    



This year's poetry judge is Kimberly Johnson. Kimberly Johnson is a poet, translator, and literary critic. Her work has appeared widely in publications including The New Yorker, Slate, The Iowa Review, PMLA, and Modern Philology. Recipient of grants and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Utah Arts Council, the Amy Lowell Trust, and the Mellon Foundation, Johnson holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and a Ph.D. in Renaissance Literature from the University of California at Berkeley. Kimberly Johnson lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.




 We look forward to reading your work!

Poetry Contest

This submission period, we are officially opening our first specific call for flash prose! Right out of the gate, we are looking to publish flash that doesn’t linger, or if it does… it yearns. We are looking for maximalist prose in minimal space. Send us something arresting and gut-punching –  from the overly descriptive and sentimental to the capital G Grotesque. We are seeking stories and essays with energetic, voice-driven prose that leaves a metallic taste in the mouth. We believe flash is most successful when it speaks for itself. Sparse and impressionist vignettes are also encouraged.
Per usual flash tradition, for fiction or nonfiction, works more than 1,000 words will not be considered. Submit up to TWO flash pieces per packet, and if they differ in genre please indicate that in your cover letter. Send all work in one document as a .docx or .pdf.

Fugue

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