Great Editor(s) - Best Lit Mags of 2025

Best Poetry Lit Mags of 2024

Fall in love with poetry. Send us your weird, wild & wonderful poems & book reviews. As Leonard Cohen said, “Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash."

There are so many ways to delight in poetry. We are a bit obsessive — when we like a poem, we immediately want to see more of the poet’s work. 

Most literary magazines we love follow a poem-a-day model, focusing on the singular poetic spark. 

We want to create a space to invite poets to lay before us a small galaxy — show us the milky way and blackholes and supernovas and the many moons and the catastrophic solar flares of their work.

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

Out of 7,067 votes, these lit mags came out on top in 2025 as having the best lit mags editors around.

Prose poetry! Everyone loves it except those who hate it, and if that sounds like you then, hey—hey, what are you doing here? Go iambic pentameter yourself.

Lit Mags That Love Prose Poems

Pay writers. Accept simultaneous submissions and reprints. Nominate for prizes. Active on socials. Free to read. No fee. No notes.

Lit Mags That Speak Our Love Language

For those of us whose minds work in layers, footnotes, and beautiful tangents. Thoughtful publications for thoughtful writers.

Lit Mags for Beautiful Overthinkers

Magazines open to contemporary, accessible poetry styles—the kind that were "previously published" as a social media post.

Lit Mags for Instagram Poets

These magazines have a strong social presence and promote contributors. Here, your work will be amplified with high engagement rates, beautiful presentation, and growing follower counts.

Lit Mags for Social Media Exposure

Not just words. These magazines publish paintings, comics, illustrations, and other visual art alongside or instead of traditional text-based work.

Magazines That Publish Comics, Art, or Other Visual Works

Recently founded magazines with selective editorial standards and acceptance rates under 10%. These mags have a vision, and they're on the ball.

Most Competitive New Lit Mags

Are there agents that rep poets? Of course there are! While your writing matters most, certain publications are shinier than others and help widen that toe-in-the-door space—like the ones below.

Poetry Magazines That Will Make Agents Notice You

The top nonfiction lit mags in our database, ranked by how many users have bookmarked them.

The Ultimate List of Places to Submit Your Nonfiction

They told us personally or put it in their guidelines. These magazines actively want to be the first to publish you.

These Lit Mags Want to Be Your First Publication

These high-quality poetry magazines nominate for Pushcart and pay. For real!

Top-Tier Pushcart-Nominating Poetry Mags (That Pay)

Community poll results. In an internet drowning in AI and advertising, your real recommendations are everything.

Where The Cool Kids Are Submitting Their Writing: Part 1

The ultimate ranking of the world's liveliest indie literary magazines, curated by author and editor Charlie Fish. These are the passion projects; the kaleidoscopic cutting edge.

FISH List of Lively Indie Literary Magazines 2026

A curated selection of publications that regularly submit work to this prestigious annual anthology showcasing 50 poems from emerging writers.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best New Poets

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

These magazines have the fastest response times, so you won't be left hanging for months. No more endless waiting. Just, you know, regular waiting.

Literary Magazines with the Fastest Response Times

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

Most Competitive Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most competitive poetry literary magazines. These legendary publications are where only the best poetry gets through.

Most Competitive Poetry-Only 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

Discover the all-time most popular poetry literary magazines. These outlets have maintained a significant presence in the world of poetry.

Most Popular Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the all-time most submitted-to poetry literary magazines. These publications have consistently attracted a high volume of poetry submissions.

Most Submitted-To Poetry-Only Literary Magazines of All Time

Discover the most submitted-to poetry literary magazines this year. These publications have consistently attracted a high volume of poetry submissions.

Most Submitted-To Poetry-Only Literary Magazines This Year

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

ONLY POEMS

Amazing editors, great magazine for new poets. Love it!

The reading period for the Leonard Cohen Poetry Prize runs from September 21 to November 7 (LC’s birth anniversary to death anniversary).<div>
$1000 will be awarded to a poem that explores the intersections of love, faith &amp; sex. Ten finalists will each be awarded $250 (up from 4 finalists last year!)
➡️ Read More About the Prize &amp; Ethos
📮 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES📮

  Send us up to 3 pages of poetry.
  Each poem starts on a new page.
  In the spirit of Leonard Cohen, we ask that your poems deal in some way with the intersections of Love, Faith, &amp; Sex.
  Open to anyone writing in English, anywhere in the world (with a special encouragement to poets submitting from outside North America).
  We only accept previously unpublished work. Self-published pieces (blogs, social media, personal sites) are welcome, but poems published in journals, anthologies, or books are not eligible.
  Please withdraw your poems if they get accepted elsewhere.
  We love reading cover letters. You’re welcome to share your love for Leonard Cohen, or your publication history, if any, though these are read only after the decisions are made and do &nbsp;not influence the outcome. Please make sure that the document of your poems is stripped of any biographical information—use the cover letter field on Submittable for this.
  Submission Fee: $18
  Each submission comes with a one-month Best membership to Chill Subs and a one-month ONLY POEMS Membership. We want every poet who submits to our prizes to receive more than just a contest entry.
  If the fee is a barrier to you, please refer to out waiver policy here.

Judging process: Each submission is read by at least 3 readers. The ones that move to the next round are read by 5 more readers. Longlist is read by our full team of 35+ readers and Editors. Shortlist is discussed by the Editors. Final decisions for the winner &amp; finalists are made by the Editor-in-Chief, Karan Kapoor.
Judging criteria: In evaluating submissions, we look for originality, emotional intensity, musicality of language, and a deep engagement with the themes of Love, Faith, and Sex.
Timeline: We respond to everyone before the end of this January. Winners and Honorable Mentions are announced and published in February.
Read our statement on Transparency &amp; Fairness here.
PLEASE NOTE: The Leonard Cohen Family Trust does not endorse this award, ONLY POEMS, or the prize winners. It is due to their generosity that we are allowed to name this prize after Leonard Cohen, the Poet Laureate of the World</div>

$3500 Leonard Cohen Poetry Prize (2025)

There is NO FEE to submit to this reading period. :)

FREE SUBS: Poet of the Week

Poem of the Month

This need not be a political event, just something in the last month or so. The more recent the better. Please include a link to the news you're responding to in the same document as the poem. Selected poems will be published on ONLY POEMS DAILY, our brand new Substack and shared on our socials, where over 50K+ readers will experience your work. Submissions are free. We pay $22 per accepted poem. There's an optional $5 Tip Jar. As a fully volunteer-run publication, we’re always grateful for your support. If you’d like insight into your work, we offer editorial feedback for a fee. You may have one active submission in the “Poets Howl" category at a time. Once you’ve received a response, you’re welcome to submit again. You’re free to submit to other categories alongside this one. For example: Anna submits one poem under “Short Poem,” one under “Ekphrasis,” one under “Poets Howl,” and a packet of 10 pages under “Fast Response” — all at once. Totally fine. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted elsewhere. You'll hear back within three months. PLEASE ALSO NOTE: This category owes its inspiration to the phenomenal Poets Respond feature that Rattle does every week. Tim Green's been running that series for as long as we can remember. Needless to say we're big fans of that column.

(Prose Poetry)

Poets Howl

→ if it's longer we'll reject without reading, sorry).
Selected poems will be published on ONLY POEMS DAILY, our brand new Substack and shared on our socials, where over 50K+ readers will experience your work.
Submissions are free. We pay $22 per accepted poem.
There's an optional $5 Tip Jar. As a fully volunteer-run publication, we’re always grateful for your support.
If you’d like insight into your work, we offer editorial feedback for a fee.
You may have one active submission in the “Short Poem” category at a time. Once you’ve received a response, you’re welcome to submit again.
You’re free to submit to other categories alongside this one.
For example: Anna submits one poem under “Short Poem,” one under “Ekphrasis,” one under “Poets Howl,” and a packet of 10 pages under “Fast Response” — all at once. Totally fine.
Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted elsewhere.
You'll hear back within three months.

Short Poem

This category is ONLY for published poems appearing in online or print magazines in 2025. 
Unpublished work or poems published prior to 2025 will be rejected unread.

The best poetry in the world isn’t just buried in books and drawers (I mean, sure, it’s there also, but like, not just there) – it’s also in the pages of lit mags alive and being printed right now! We want to recognize that. The only authority we purport to have is being people who love to read good poems.

Selected poems will be published on ONLY POEMS DAILY, our brand new Substack, as part of our "Best New Poems" feature.

Submissions are free. At the moment, we do not pay for reprints.

Send us ONE POEM only and indicate in the document where it was previously published and when (if possible, please provide a link to original publication). 

There's an optional $5 Tip Jar. As a fully volunteer-run publication, we’re always grateful for your support.

If you’d like insight into your work, we offer editorial feedback for a fee.

You may have one active submission in the “Best New Poems” category at a time. Once you’ve received a response, you’re welcome to submit again. 

You’re free to submit to other categories alongside this one.

Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted elsewhere.

You'll hear back within three months.

Best New Poems

Indie lit is full of award-winning poems while awards for poets are reserved mostly for their books. We want to publish poets who make a home in our hearts with their voices and never leave. That’s why this poetry award is not for the single best poem but rather for the poet whose body of work we feel is or will be full of one award-winning poem after another.

Your submission must be between 5-10 pages.


$5000 Poet of the Year Award

Ensure that you have the rights to use the artist's work for this purpose OR that the piece is in the public domain. Give credit in both cases. Please include either a link to the artwork (or upload a picture) that you're responding to in the same document as the poem. Selected poems will be published on ONLY POEMS DAILY, our brand new Substack and shared on our socials, where over 50K+ readers will experience your work. Submissions are free. We pay $22 per accepted poem. There's an optional $5 Tip Jar. As a fully volunteer-run publication, we’re always grateful for your support. If you’d like insight into your work, we offer editorial feedback for a fee. You may have one active submission in the “Ekphrasis" category at a time. Once you’ve received a response, you’re welcome to submit again. You’re free to submit to other categories alongside this one. For example: Anna submits one poem under “Short Poem,” one under “Ekphrasis,” one under “Poets Howl,” and a packet of 10 pages under “Fast Response” — all at once. Totally fine. Simultaneous submissions are welcome. Please withdraw your submission immediately if accepted elsewhere. You'll hear back within three months.

(Prose Poetry)

Ekphrasis

The Bob Hicok Poetry Fellowship is a year-long invitation to write with funding, education, mentorship and a community that cares. 

We welcome poets at any stage of their practice who are writing in English. One poet will be selected for the 2025 Fellowship. Five finalists will also be recognized.

In it’s inaugural year, this fellowship offers a $1000 cash prize, $1000 in workshop credits, a 1:1 conversation with Bob Hicok (our most favorite poet!) and a full year to develop a new portfolio of poems. You’ll also receive a lifetime membership to ONLY POEMS, along with space to share your work and process through a quarterly column, an in-depth post-fellowship interview, and a featured portfolio on our website and socials.

In addition to the fellow, five finalists will receive $200 in workshop credits, and lifetime membership to ONLY POEMS.

We’ve published debut authors and Pulitzer winners, poets who work in libraries, bakeries, NASA labs alike. We care about the work and the spirit behind the work. We can’t wait to read your poetry.

Bob Hicok Fellowship for Poets

ONLY POEMS welcomes essays that engage deeply with poetry as both craft and practice. We're looking for work that illuminates the poetic process, explores the mechanics of language, or investigates how poems create meaning.

We also love lyric essays that think through poetry, memoir that braids personal narrative with questions of craft, voice, or form. Investigative pieces that follow a poetic obsession into unexpected territory. We also welcome essays that use the poet's tools—image, fragment, associative leap, compression—to think about poetry itself.

What we're not looking for: conventional craft lectures, dry academic analysis, book reviews (submit those here), personal essays that mention poetry in passing. 

A note on AI-generated submissions: We can tell. Don't waste our time or yours. ONLY POEMS publishes writing born of human minds, with all their specificity, failure, and irreplicable weirdness. If you're using AI to generate or substantially shape your work, we're not interested.

ONLY POEMS

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