When you first enter the world of literary magazines, it can feel overwhelming: big-name publications like The New Yorker, The Atlantic, or Poetry Magazine may seem far out of reach, while smaller professional publications—particularly ones that publish youth writers—may be hard to seek out. We recommend searching databases of magazines like Duotrope, Chill Subs, and Newpages, the latter two of which offer lists of litmags for writers under eighteen.

Before you submit to a magazine, we suggest perusing both their requirements for publication and a couple of their previous issues. For example, some magazines might only open for submissions up to a certain deadline while others are open for rolling submissions throughout the year. Some magazines might have themed issues while others may invite you to submit work on any topic. Reading through a magazine’s previous issues tells you what they’re looking for: you can often get a sense of what subjects or writing styles they typically lean toward. 

Without further ado, here is a list of fifteen of our favorite literary magazines that publish teens:

1. Marmalade Lit: Open to writers ages 12-22. Accepts short prose and poetry.

2. Polyphony Lit: Open to high school writers and artists ages 14-18. Accepts poetry, prose, and cover or promotional art.

3. Aster Lit: Open to writers ages 13-25. Accepts poetry, prose, and art/photography.

4. Eucalyptus Lit: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, hybrid/experimental genres, and art.

5. Eunoia Review: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry and prose. 24-hour response time. Publishes daily.

6. The Adroit Journal: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, and cover art. We also encourage submitting to the Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose, an annual competition for high school and college writers.

7. Dishsoap Quarterly: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry and prose. Publishes weekly.

8. Seafoam Literary: Open to writers of any age. Accepts writing and art.

9. Wild Willow Magazine: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, and art.

10. Sonder Literary: Open to writers of any age. Accepts writing and visual media.

11. Apotheca Art and Literary Magazine: Open to writers ages 14-22. Accepts poetry, prose, and art/photography.

12. The Kairos Review: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, and art/photography.

13. Magnolia Magazine: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, and art.

14. Rewrite the Stars Review: Open to teen writers and artists. Accepts poetry, prose, and art.

15. Tree Ring Literary: Open to writers of any age. Accepts poetry, prose, research articles, and art/photography/multimedia.

We encourage you to submit your work to a range of magazines—and to not be afraid of rejection. Some magazines are more selective than others, and a rejection doesn’t immediately mean your work is “bad.” Selectivity can be correlated with high submission volume, so be sure to try submitting to and supporting smaller litmags. At the same time, rejections can also help you better understand your own voice and find ways to keep improving your work. Keep track of your submissions, continue to read magazines you admire and explore new ones, and we wish you the best of luck!