Real, surreal, & brutally beautiful ✦ Independent, ad-free, & reader-supported

Strange Pilgrims is a literary magazine founded by two lovers & writers of prose.
We believe in narrative as pilgrimage — a journey through wild and wounded places into strangeness and transformation. We read to arrive somewhere we haven’t been before, to glimpse life through another’s eyes in an attempt to understand. The work we’re drawn to is surreal, philosophical, sincere, and unforgettable — stories and essays that get under your skin and reach the heart of the human condition.

We see writers as essential voices in the fabric of society, articulating our delights and sufferings. Each piece we publish is accompanied by a brief interview with the author, offering readers a deeper sense of their world. Together, we hope they form a map of the strange pilgrimages we take through language and life.

Some of the writers who guide our taste: Gabriel García Márquez, Susanna Clarke, Toni Morrison, Brian Doyle, Han Kang, Kelly Link, Lydia Davis, Roland Barthes, Franz Kafka, James Baldwin, Ursula K. Le Guin, Geetanjali Shree, Leo Tolstoy, Mariana Enriquez, David Foster Wallace, Lidia Yuknavitch, Chuck Palahniuk, Clarice Lispector, Ted Chiang, Ali Smith, Saadat Hasan Manto, Karen Russell, Fernando Pessoa, and many, many others.

We edit lightly and collaboratively. If we accept your piece, we may suggest small changes for clarity, flow, or line-level polish, but we only take on work that already feels complete and carefully revised.

Strange Pilgrims takes its name from Gabriel García Márquez’s lesser-known short story collection. He remains our greatest influence, and the title is a small homage to him.

Every year, we try to highlight some up-and-coming lit mags that were founded in the past year. The lit mag world is ever-changing, and the scene is always shifting to include more and more amazing, diverse publications. For 2025, these are the 20 new magazines (not that it was easy to decide!) we think everyone should keep an eye on.

20 Lit Mags Founded in 2025 That We Think Will Be the Next Big Thing

The most trending literary magazines based on tracked submissions in the last 24 hours.

Chill & Trending Lit Mags Today

Basically what it says in the title. Our top most bookmarked fee-free lit mags that nominate for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize (and Don’t Charge Fees)

Recently founded magazines gaining momentum and recognition. They want your writing and they're building strong reputations.

New Lit Mags Blowing Up Right Now

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

Journals that forward outstanding nonfiction to this respected anthology series founded in 1986. These publications identify exceptional essays that might reach the broader readership BAE provides.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best American Essays

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

Publications that nominate work for this respected anthology series founded in 2015 by Tara Masih to celebrate fiction under 1,000 words.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Small Fictions

Notable publications featuring work submitted for Australia's premier speculative fiction honors, established in 1995.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Aurealis Awards

Influential science fiction and fantasy magazines whose contents are regularly put forward for this reader-selected award established in 1953.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Hugo Awards

Professional publications featuring work that becomes eligible for this prestigious peer-selected honor. Established in 1965 by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Nebula Awards

Essential publications that nominate short fiction for the O'Henry Prize anthology, one of America's most venerable literary awards. Established in 1919.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the O'Henry Prize

A comprehensive guide to journals that regularly nominate work for the Pushcart Prize.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

Distinguished magazines featuring fiction that is regularly submitted for this juried honor, established in 1975. Often described as the Academy Awards of fantasy.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for World Fantasy Awards

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

BASS represents the most mainstream recognition for short fiction in America. These journals serve as the initial screening layer for potential inclusion in this widely-read collection.

Literary Mags That Nominate for Best American Short Stories

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 all-time most competitive speculative fiction literary magazines. These magazines are revered in the fiction world for their editorial rigor.

Most Competitive Speculative Fiction 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

Check out the all-time most popular speculative fiction literary magazines. These publications have a long-standing reputation for quality speculative fiction.

Most Popular Speculative Fiction Magazines of All Time

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

Key publications submitting outstanding speculative fiction to this definitive annual anthology edited by respected genre authorities. Launched in 1982 as The Year's Best Fantasy.

Speculative Fiction Mags That Nominate for Best SF&F

Strange Pilgrims

We’re not married to any genre, structure, or subject. We love surreal, speculative, and fabulist stories; unhinged, lyric, and fragmented essays; voice-driven experimental narratives and slow-burn realism; cultural and literary criticism; hyper-intellectual riffs and children’s stories — so long as they move. If your work is honest, well-crafted, and offers something emotionally and intellectually vivid, we want to read it.

Longform Fiction

Flash Fiction

Longform Nonfiction

Flash Nonfiction

We want to explore what makes a piece of writing stand out when the room is small. What happens when you strip a story or a fragment or a moment down to 300 words or fewer? What survives? What can’t help but be there?

The rules are simple: the piece must be 300 words or under, it must respond to the month’s theme (however loosely, however strangely), and it must be submitted within the 3-day window. We’ll reply to everyone within 2-3 weeks (before we announce and publish the winner, of course).

Micro of the Month

Reviews & Critiques

Send us your best (or strangest, wildest, craziest, purest, est-est) story or essay (or both!) — up to 10,000 words — by August 31st. Two pieces shall claim victory and be named the Strange Pilgrims Story of the Year and the Strange Pilgrims Essay of the Year.<div><br></div><div><b>BASICS</b><div><ul><li><b>Opens: </b>July 1 ⭐︎ Early Bird entries open now! ⭐︎</li><li><b>Deadline</b>: August 31</li><li><b>Reading Period </b>(to evaluate submissions): 8-12 weeks after closing</li><li><b>Results Announced: </b>November</li><li><b>Winners Published: </b>December</li></ul></div><div><i><br></i></div><div><i>* We will respond to everyone before the results are announced publicly.<br></i><div><br></div></div><div><b>AWARD</b></div><div>Story of the Year: $1500 USD</div><div>Essay of the Year: $1500 USD</div><div><br></div><div>Aaaand, we have partnered with Curtis Brown/UTA — one of the top literary agencies in the world. Both winners will also receive:</div><div><br></div><div><ul><li>A one-on-one conversation with a Curtis Brown/UTA agent about their work and writing career.</li><li>A six-week Curtis Brown Creative online writing course (worth £250) of their own choosing</li><li>Guidance on your path to literary representation and if the shoe fits, then an offer of representation from one of the Curtis Brown/UTA agents</li></ul><div><br></div></div><div><b>SUBMIT</b></div><div><ul><li>Stories &amp; essays up to 10,000 words in any genre and style</li><li>Do not include your name or identifying information in the document or the title of your submission</li><li>All submitted work is considered for publication in Strange Pilgrims</li><li>All writers who submit their work are considered for representation by Curtis Brown/UTA Agents</li><li>Simultaneous submissions are totally fine, but please let us know promptly if your piece is accepted elsewhere with the words “Withdraw” in the email somewhere.</li></ul></div></div>

Strange Pilgrims

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