Strong words for a polite nation.  Publishing provocative fiction, essays, poetry, and commentary for over 25 years.

subTerrain publishes original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, essays, and commentary three times a year. Submissions must be previously unpublished material. (Note the maximum number of submissions per issue in the General Guidelines below.) Currently, we are publishing two General issues and one Themed issue per year.

subTerrain welcomes submissions from both emerging and established authors. We are happy to consider work from all corners of the identity spectrum, including works by underrepresented writers, including but not limited to writers who are Indigenous, of colour, immigrants, women, LGBTQI+, low-income, no-income, and writers with disabilities. Submitters are welcome to state demographics such as race, age, gender, etc. in their cover letter if they so choose.

Who doesn't love getting paid? Who doesn't love Canadians? The literary magazines listed below were founded in Canada and pay for published work.

Canadian Lit Mags That Pay Writers

subTerrain

General Issue (Issue #103) — Spring 2026      
This issue will be a general issue featuring fiction, poetry, commentary, and creative nonfiction.         
All other regular submission guidelines still apply, as below.      
The following are some general guidelines (as always, we suggest READING an issue of the magazine to see what we're all about).      
Submissions must be previously unpublished and be:      
1. typed, double-spaced on 8 1/2 x 11 paper.      
2. Fiction: a maximum of 3,000 words. (Max. 3 stories per issue)      
3. Poetry: we no longer accept unsolicited poetry submissions (unless specifically related to one of our theme issues). Poetry should be single-spaced with stanza breaks. (Max. 5 poems per issue)      
4. Creative Non-Fiction: a maximum of 4,000 words. (Max. 2 articles per issue)      
5. Commentary (social or otherwise): a maximum of 4000 words. (Max. 2 articles per issue)      
6. Photography & Illustration: we only accept solicited art and photography. Please forward us a link to your work;      
7. Please do not send submissions via email; online submissions accepted through Submittable only (mailed submissions are still accepted as well.)      
8. Please allow 6 months for a response, though we shall strive as always to respond sooner.   
Payment rates for published submissions:      
Poetry: $50 per poem      
Prose: $.10 per word (to a maximum of $500.)      
Submission fees:      
Electronic submissions come with a $3.00 submission fee to help cover our Submittable account and thereby allow us to continue accepting online submissions. If you choose to submit by traditional mail, you will not be charged the submission fee. 
Mailed submissions can be sent to the address below.      
*If submitting by mail, please identify on the front of the envelope the theme issue to which you're submitting.      
subTerrain Magazine      
P.O. Box 3008, MPO      
Vancouver, BC 
V6B 3X5     
 Canada

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