Florida International University

Gulf Stream Magazine publishes fiction, poetry, CNF, hybrid works, translations, book reviews & visual art from both emerging and established writers and artists. We love a wide range of genres and styles, especially writing that is innovative in form and progressive in content.

Gulf Stream Magazine champions vibrant and eclectic literature and art. Based in Miami, Florida, we publish emerging and established writers from the US and beyond. After more than three decades of publication, we are more committed than ever to showcasing writing and artwork that is evolving and alive, work that pushes the boundaries of genre, redefines genre itself, and sometimes eschews the very idea of genre altogether. We remain dedicated to our editorial practices of celebrating the writings of people of color and other diverse authors.

More important than any theme, we welcome all submissions as long as they’re honest and authentic – what we want most of all is your best work. Work must be original, created without the use of AI, and previously unpublished (with the exception of translations – see genre guidelines).

Previous contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Kristen Arnett, Jan Beatty, Jenny Molberg, Ann Hood, Ha Jin, and Connie May Fowler.

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

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

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

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

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

Most Competitive 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

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

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

Gulf Stream Magazine

You got us wet for our last issue. Now, for Issue 38, we want you to evoke pop. Subvert our expectations. If your bubble burst, if the world ended, if everything you knew came to an end, where would you run to? Think of pop culture, pop stars, iconography, bubblegum. Think of sharp points and rough edges. Think of popsicles. Think loud, obnoxious. Take big swings. Surprise us. Send us poetry that pops out of its form to shift into something messy and new. Send us stories that take us places we never thought of going, but we’re oh so happy to be. Send us lyric essays, contrapuntals, prosimetrums. Send us work that doesn’t fit into any one bubble. Memoir that unravels in all directions until, pop, the words just splatter all over the page. Think of more sex. Think of sticky. Think about gum stuck to the bottom of your desk. Think about your fingers poking at that gum, mushing it around, digging in its center. Think of burst blood vessels and popping pimples. What makes your eyes bulge out of your head? Better yet, show us how you pop those eyes back into their sockets. Send us whatever you want - just make it POP!

More important than any theme, we welcome all submissions as long as they’re honest and authentic – what we want most of all is your best work. Work must be original, created without the use of AI, and previously unpublished (with the exception of translations – see genre guidelines). Not sure if your work is suited to our magazine? Find out what we like by reading our current issue. 

Fiction

You got us wet for our last issue. Now, for Issue 38, we want you to evoke pop. Subvert our expectations. If your bubble burst, if the world ended, if everything you knew came to an end, where would you run to? Think of pop culture, pop stars, iconography, bubblegum. Think of sharp points and rough edges. Think of popsicles. Think loud, obnoxious. Take big swings. Surprise us. Send us poetry that pops out of its form to shift into something messy and new. Send us stories that take us places we never thought of going, but we’re oh so happy to be. Send us lyric essays, contrapuntals, prosimetrums. Send us work that doesn’t fit into any one bubble. Memoir that unravels in all directions until, pop, the words just splatter all over the page. Think of more sex. Think of sticky. Think about gum stuck to the bottom of your desk. Think about your fingers poking at that gum, mushing it around, digging in its center. Think of burst blood vessels and popping pimples. What makes your eyes bulge out of your head? Better yet, show us how you pop those eyes back into their sockets. Send us whatever you want - just make it POP!

Poetry

Hybrid

Creative Nonfiction

We are searching for book reviews on books that have been published within a year. Send us reviews that contain a brief summary, and an analysis that really gives us perspective and a unique take on literature. Book reviews are expected to be within 500-750 words, have the book title, author name, and year of publishing. Reviews should focus on books published within the past year, although in certain cases, exceptions can be made.
Guidelines:

  All submissions must be in English.
  We accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us immediately if the review is accepted elsewhere and you wish to withdraw it from consideration. 
  Submit as a .doc, .docx, .rtf, or PDF file format.

Book Reviews

General submissions for visual art are now open 

Although Gulf Stream Magazine is predominately a literary journal, we also publish visual art. Our aims are to enhance our issues and provide a platform for up-and-coming artists. 

Unfortunately, we can't pay for the art we publish (yet). But our magazine does offer you a chance to get your work independently published and seen by a large audience. If we select your work, we would also publish your artist’s bio, website and social media links.

What are we looking for?

We consider original work by the artist in any medium, including painting, drawing, photography, graphic illustrations, photos of installations or sculptures. We have eclectic tastes⁠—we like the pretty and the ugly, the loud and quiet. If it is fresh and original, please send it our way. Take a look at our theme description for more guidelines!

Guidelines

Please submit no more than 5 pieces per submission. 

Give each image file the correct title as you would like it to appear in the issue, if accepted.

Upload as .jpg format, at the highest resolution possible at no more than 100K. To understand the difference between resolution and file size, and how your image will appear on our site, please see this helpful Wordpress article on Image Size and Quality. 

Fine Print

Our fee is the minimum possible to cover our submittable costs. For a fee waiver, reach out to the editors.

Copyright Info

We hold first serial rights for the material we publish, with the copyright reverting back to the author upon publication.

Contact

gulfstreamlitmag@gmail.com

Visual Art

You got us wet for our last issue. Now, for Issue 38, we want you to evoke pop. Subvert our expectations. If your bubble burst, if the world ended, if everything you knew came to an end, where would you run to? Think of pop culture, pop stars, iconography, bubblegum. Think of sharp points and rough edges. Think of popsicles. Think loud, obnoxious. Take big swings. Surprise us. Send us poetry that pops out of its form to shift into something messy and new. Send us stories that take us places we never thought of going, but we’re oh so happy to be. Send us lyric essays, contrapuntals, prosimetrums. Send us work that doesn’t fit into any one bubble. Memoir that unravels in all directions until, pop, the words just splatter all over the page. Think of more sex. Think of sticky. Think about gum stuck to the bottom of your desk. Think about your fingers poking at that gum, mushing it around, digging in its center. Think of burst blood vessels and popping pimples. What makes your eyes bulge out of your head? Better yet, show us how you pop those eyes back into their sockets. Send us whatever you want - just make it POP!

Submit up to 5 poems to be judged blindly.

More important than any theme, we welcome all submissions as long as they’re honest and authentic – what we want most of all is your best work. Work must be original, created without the use of AI, and previously unpublished (with the exception of translations – see genre guidelines). Not sure if your work is suited to our magazine? Find out what we like by reading our current issue. 

Gulf Stream Poetry Contest

Sometimes, the English language is simply not enough to say what needs to be said. Certain feelings are experienced in another language and so too are the lines and stanza and scenes that come out of them. And sometimes, in the act of translating those lines and feelings from one language to another, we can come to understand them in new ways. We want to try and lean into this multivalence of expression by offering a space for translations. The works translated can be your own pieces or be written by fellow authors, so long as you receive the author's permission, which we request you make sure you have before submitting. Translations must be accompanied by the original work, a short bio of the author and translator, and a description of how the translation came to be (we are interested in the connections made not only between language but between authors and between the different iterations of the content). Additionally, we request you include the original publication history. The original piece can be previously published so long as the author has retained the publication rights, which we recommend you also check before submitting. Currently, we are only accepting Spanish-English translations as that is all our staff has the ability to work on, but we hope to expand this in coming issues. Both the original work and the translation must be created without the use of AI. Not sure if your work is suited to our magazine? Check out our theme description for more guidelines, and find out what we like by reading our current issue. 
Limits 
We accept poetry submissions with up to 3 poems total and fiction, CNF and Hybrid manuscripts up to 5,000 words. For stories of 1,000 words or less, you may send up to 3 stories in a single submission, all of which should be included in the same document and each piece should begin on a new page. Original works should be in the same document as the translations. 
How to submit 
Please submit your work through submittable.   
No submissions through email or mail unless you have an invite to do so from the editors. (For example, prisoners may request to do this.)   
Include bios of up to 50 words for the original author and the translator, a brief contextualization of the translation, and original publication history along with your cover letter.   
Guidelines 
-Reading fee of $3. (For a fee waiver, reach out to the editors).     
-International submissions welcomed, but English only this year.
-Multiple submissions welcome at $3 per submission.     
-Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us if it’s accepted elsewhere.    
 -No submissions from current FIU students.     
-Submissions accepted from FIU alumni 2 or more years after graduation.  
Copyright Info 
We hold first serial rights for the material we publish, with the copyright reverting back to the author upon publication.  
Contact 
gulfstreamlitmag@gmail.com

Translation

Send us fiction, creative nonfiction, or hybrid pieces of maximum 1,000 words. Submit no more than two pieces per submission.

You got us wet for our last issue. Now, for Issue 38, we want you to evoke pop. Subvert our expectations. If your bubble burst, if the world ended, if everything you knew came to an end, where would you run to? Think of pop culture, pop stars, iconography, bubblegum. Think of sharp points and rough edges. Think of popsicles. Think loud, obnoxious. Take big swings. Surprise us. Send us poetry that pops out of its form to shift into something messy and new. Send us stories that take us places we never thought of going, but we’re oh so happy to be. Send us lyric essays, contrapuntals, prosimetrums. Send us work that doesn’t fit into any one bubble. Memoir that unravels in all directions until, pop, the words just splatter all over the page. Think of more sex. Think of sticky. Think about gum stuck to the bottom of your desk. Think about your fingers poking at that gum, mushing it around, digging in its center. Think of burst blood vessels and popping pimples. What makes your eyes bulge out of your head? Better yet, show us how you pop those eyes back into their sockets. Send us whatever you want - just make it POP!

Gulf Stream Flash Prose Contest - Spring 2026: POP!

The Gulf Stream Poetry Contest is back!
About Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream Literary Magazine champions vibrant and eclectic literature and art. Based in beautiful Miami, Florida, we publish emerging and established writers from the USA and beyond.
Previous contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Tony Hoagland, Jensen Beach, Kristen Arnett, Steve Almond, Jan Beatty, James Carlos Blake, Lee Martin, Robert Wrigley, Dennis Lehane, Liz Robbins, Stuart Dybek, David Kirby, Ann Hood, Ha Jin, B.H. Fairchild, Naomi Shihab Nye, F. Daniel Rzicznek, and Connie May Fowler.
The Prize
The winner will receive a cash prize of $125 plus publication in Issue #39 (online). Please read over the theme description before submitting.
Two runners-up from each category will be published in Issue #39 and reimbursed their entry fee.
The Details
Poetry submissions of up to 5 poems.
Submissions will be judged blindly. Our poetry readers will choose the top ten to fifteen poems to send to our final judge. The judge will then choose the first place winner and two runners-up.
All submissions will be considered for publication whether or not you were are chosen as a finalist. If you submit to the contest and to our general submissions, please make sure you are submitting a completely different packet.
Closes November 4, 2026
Judge
Julie Marie Wade's recent collections includeThe Mary Years (Texas Review Press, 2024), selected by Michael Martone for the 2023 Clay Reynolds Novella Prize,Quick Change Artist: Poems (Anhinga Press, 2025), selected by Octavio Quintanilla for the 2023 Anhinga Prize in Poetry,Fisk, By Analogy (CutBank Prose Chapbook Series, 2025), andThe Latest: 20 Ghazals for 2020 (Harbor Editions, 2025), co-authored with Denise Duhamel. A finalist for the National Poetry Series and a winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Memoir, Wade teaches in the creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami and makes her home with Angie Griffin and their two cats. Her newest memoir, Other People's Mothers, was published in September 2025 by University Press of Florida.
Previous Winners
Spring 2026
First Place: David Ehmcke for The Boy from Porto Alegre
Honorable Mention: Eric Lochridge for Wild Horse Island
Honorable Mention: Jacklin Farley for After Beholding the Stains On My PBR Can
Entry conditions
-Entry fee is $12
-Contest closes 11:59 PM on November 4, 2026.
-Submit via Submittable. No submissions through email or mail
-No more than 5 poems per submission
-Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished
-Do not include any identifying features on your submission, only on the cover letter
-Include a cover letter with a short bio of up to 50 words
-International submissions welcomed
-Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us if it’s accepted elsewhere
-Please direct questions or comments to gulfstreamlitmag@gmail.com
-Submissions from current FIU students not accepted. Submissions accepted from alums 2 or more years after graduation
-By submitting, you agree to receive email marketing updates about the contest & general submissions.

We're thrilled to announce a Gulf Stream Flash Prose Contest!
About Gulf Stream
Gulf Stream Literary Magazine champions vibrant and eclectic literature and art. Based in beautiful Miami, Florida, we publish emerging and established writers from the USA and beyond.
Previous contributors include Hanif Abdurraqib, Tony Hoagland, Jensen Beach, Kristen Arnett, Steve Almond, Jan Beatty, James Carlos Blake, Lee Martin, Robert Wrigley, Dennis Lehane, Liz Robbins, Stuart Dybek, David Kirby, Ann Hood, Ha Jin, B.H. Fairchild, Naomi Shihab Nye, F. Daniel Rzicznek, and Connie May Fowler.
The Prize
The winner will receive a cash prize of $125 plus publication in Issue #39 (online). Please read over the theme description before submitting.
Two runners-up from each category will be published in Issue #39 and reimbursed their entry fee.
The Details
Fiction, creative nonfiction, and hybrid submissions of up to 1,000 words max. You may submit a maximum of two flash prose pieces per submission.
Submissions will be judged blindly. Our readers will choose the top ten to fifteen pieces to send to our final judge. The judge will then choose the first place winner and two runners-up.
All submissions will be considered for publication whether or not you are chosen as a finalist.
Closes November 4, 2026
Judge
Les Standiford is the author of ten critically acclaimed novels as well as several works of nonfiction includingLast Train to Paradise, The Man Who Invented Christmas, Meet You in Hell,andWashington Burning. He has received the Frank O’Connor Award for Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He is founding director of the creative writing program at Florida International University in Miami and was appointed holder of the Peter Meinke Chair in Creative Writing at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
Previous Winners
Spring 2026
First Place: Colin Powers for There Is a New Game
Honorable Mention: Cate McGowan for Inflation
Honorable Mention: Sarah Lawrence-Sandkvist for Colony (Samsa in Antipode)
Entry conditions
-Entry fee is $12
-Contest closes 11:59 PM on November 4, 2026.
-Submit via Submittable. No submissions through email or mail
-Submissions no more than 1,000 words; no more than two pieces per submission.
-Submitted work must be original and previously unpublished
-Do not include any identifying features on your submission, only on the cover letter
-Include a cover letter with a short bio of up to 50 words
-International submissions welcomed
-Simultaneous submissions are fine as long as you notify us if it’s accepted elsewhere
-Please direct questions or comments to gulfstreamlitmag@gmail.com
-Submissions from current FIU students not accepted. Submissions accepted from alums 2 or more years after graduation
-By submitting, you agree to receive email marketing updates about the contest & general submissions.

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