We’re a journal of the Rust Belt, the Corn Belt, and everywhere in between. This is the poetry and prose of the basement, the garage, and the back road. This is the grit under your fingernails and the mud between your toes.

We’re a journal of the Rust Belt, the Corn Belt, and everywhere in between. This is the poetry and prose of the basement, the garage, and the back road. This is the grit under your fingernails and the mud between your toes.

We believe in the Objective Correlative. Don’t tell us you’re lonely; show us the single plate on the table. Give us the concrete, the bone, and the grease.

We want work that is blunt, unflinching, and stripped to the studs. We’ll always prefer a jagged edge to a polished surface.

And if you’re writing about the landscape, give it to us as it actually is: chemically treated, weather-beaten, and entirely indifferent to your feelings.

Poetry
Cut the fat. Leave the blood. We want relentless, tightly coiled verse that carries oppressive weight. We prefer poems with a narrative or a wicked turn.

Prose
We want narratives that idle rough and run hot. We accept flash fiction and short stories. Keep it tight, keep it grounded, and make every sentence count.

We are proudly based in Missouri, the 24th state of the Union. In honor of our roots—and to force our own editorial discipline—we limit our main run to exactly 24 pieces.

That is 24 slots for the entire year. We do not publish “filler.” If your work makes the list, it fought for its place.

Note: We occasionally publish a small “B-Sides” bonus section for work we love that didn’t fit the main sequence, but the core is locked at 24.

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

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

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.

Midwest Noir

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