Bi-monthly lit mag. No particular theme or aesthetic. Just great writing! Accepts poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art.

New bi-monthly lit mag. No theme. No particular aesthetic. Just great writing! Accepts poetry, fiction, CNF, and digital art. EIC David Estringel. 


We asked, you guys answered. This time we switched it up a little bit, so we're bringing you the community's top picks for the strange, bold, and experimental.

Want to check out our previous crowdsourced themed lists? We've un-paywalled them for you guys, so get them before they're gone.
Part 1: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/cool_kids_3
Part 2: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/Cool_kids_2
Part 3: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/cool_kids_pt3
Part 4: https://www.chillsubs.com/lists/cool_kids_4

Where Our Favorite Weirdos Are Sending Their Writing

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

Best Microfiction, edited by Meg Pokrass and Gary Fincke, celebrates the art of the extremely brief narrative. These publications have editorial teams with particular sensitivity to the craft.

Literary Magazines That Nominate for Best Microfiction

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

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

Literary Magazines That Nominate for the Pushcart Prize

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

The Argyle Literary Magazine

General Submissions

 Issue No. 8 is “Bright Lights, Dark City,” so we would we will be accepting submissions of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and digital art that center around urban life with all its glamors and all its pitfalls. 

We want front row seats for the “rat race.” Accounts from casualties of urban sprawl. Mainly, though, we want glimpses of life underground that are strange enough to be true, which could inlcude (but are not limited to) existential crises in art galleries, the plight of sex dungeons during a nationwide bleach shortage, street vendors with questionably sourced ingredients, street prophets that can actually predict the future, socialites who run illegal cockfights in their poolhouses, and desperate writers that sell their souls to the devil for a spot in the Paris Review. 

Give us the real. Give us the absurd. Give us a dazzling—but sobering—look at the dirty underbelly of city life. Above all, your submissions should reflect the humanity beneath it all. The triumphs. The failings. The ongoing struggle for more ____________ (fill in the blank).  

Submissions for “Bright Lights, Dark City” must be original pieces (no reprints) and must follow submission guidelines. Subs open 3/15 at midnight and close on May 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM CST or until all slots are filled. 

Have fun with it!

 

Submission Guidelines:

Short fiction, CNF, & Essays – up to 3 pieces (approximately 3,000 words each). We can be a little flexible for longer pieces).
Poetry – up to 6 poems (no limitations, but rhyme at your own risk).
Digital Art - up to 5 submissions. Color and black & white accepted. Work that is strongly poetic and/or narrative works nicely. This includes multi-modal prose/verse submissions.

Bright Lights, Dark City

Every online issue will include at least one vanishing (mirco)chap of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction that will last only one issue (after which, it will disappear into the vastness of nothingness). We will also consider hybrid manuscripts. Published micro chaps will include:
*Regular-length chapbooks will be larger in size (content will vary).
Successful submissions generally will follow a common theme (or vibe) and—more importantly—work as a collection. Individual pieces must uniquely shine on their own but also resonate with each other to create a singular, cohesive experience overall.
To submit a chapbook manuscript for consideration, please include:
Submissions may include previously published material; HOWEVER, no more than 10% of the submission’s content may be previously published. Authors must also hold the right to reprint said piece(s) and include the name(s) of the publishers in their submissions.
No submissions created with AI (either partially or totally) may be submitted for consideration!

The Argyle Literary Magazine

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