Whenever my own writing isn’t coming easy, I tend to turn towards submitting. A lot of journals will open their new reading periods in August and September. But some great journals are already reading submissions in July. Good luck submitting!
Juked
There are no limits on word count for prose—we like narratives and essays of all sizes, so long as the colors fit. If it’s a short story, send us one piece at a time—please wait to hear from us before sending another. If you’re working with the short short form, please send three to five selections in the same submission. Submit a maximum of five poems. We read year-round.
http://www.juked.com/info/submit.asp
Provo Canyon Review
The Provo Canyon Review is now seeking short fiction and personal essay manuscripts of up to 5,000 words. We also accept shorter poems (limit three per submission). We are drawn to work that is deeply moving without being overly sentimental; tender, in the sense of a mixture of grace and vulnerability and compassion; and displays a great deal of focused attention to the English language and how it is used. From the first sentence, the work should raise compelling questions in the readers’ minds, with complexly motivated drama balanced with introspection.
http://theprovocanyonreview.net/to-submit.html
Pembroke Magazine
Pembroke Magazine currently accepts online submissions year-round, and response time is usually within two to four months. For flash fiction and micro memoir, you may upload up to three pieces per submission. For standard-length creative nonfiction and fiction (up to 7,500 words), please upload only one essay or story per submission. Poets and artists may submit up to five pieces per submission.
https://pembrokemagazine.submittable.com/submit
HeartWood Literary Magazine
Heartwood is published in association with the Low-Res MFA at West Virginia Wesleyan College. We accept submissions year round and welcome previously unpublished poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, from both established and emerging writers. We do love Appalachian voices, but we enthusiastically encourage writers from all backgrounds to submit. Prose submissions, fiction or nonfiction, should be 3000 words or less. Poets should submit no more than 3-5 single-spaced poems at a time.
http://www.heartwoodlitmag.com/
Poet Lore
Founded in January 1889, Poet Lore is the nation’s oldest poetry journal. It has published world-famous poets and new writers side by side throughout its long history. Poet Lore accepts submissions by mail year-round. You may submit up to five poems at a time. We do not accept unsolicited reviews. However, prospective reviewers may send a query, along with a sample review.
Tupelo Press July Open Reading Period
Deadline: July 31. Throughout the month of July, Tupelo Press is holding open submissions for book-length poetry collections (48-90 pages) and chapbook-length poetry collections (28-47 pages), and for the first time in July, manuscripts of any length of English translations from any language. Submissions are accepted from anyone writing in the English language (whether in the United States or abroad). A reading fee of $28 (U.S.) must accompany each submission.
http://www.tupelopress.org/july_guidelines.php
Virginia Quarterly Review
VQR strives to publish the best writing we can find. Our current reading period ends on July 31, 2016. Send us: poetry of all types and length; short fiction from 2,000–8,000 words (we are generally not interested in genre fiction such as romance, science fiction, or fantasy); nonfiction from 3,500–9,000 words. We publish literary, art, and cultural criticism; reportage; historical and political analysis; and travel essays. We publish few author interviews or memoirs. In general, we are looking for nonfiction that looks out on the world, rather than within the self. Submissions are limited to one prose piece and four poems per reading period.
https://virginiaquarterlyreview.submittable.com/submit
Queen’s Ferry Press Open Reading Period for Full-Length Fiction
Queen’s Ferry Press specializes in literary fiction. The press currently releases 10–15 titles a year, many from debut authors, and is the publisher of Shadows of Men, the 2013 recipient of the TIL Steven Turner Award for Best Work of First Fiction. Submissions are accepted March 1st–August 31st. Although the manuscript in its entirety should be previously unpublished, individual portions that have appeared in other venues should be credited as such.
http://www.queensferrypress.com/
Post Road
Post Road publishes twice yearly and accepts unsolicited poetry, fiction, nonfiction, short plays and monologues, and visual art submissions. Our current submission period runs from now through August 31, 2016, for the summer issue. We charge a $3 submission fee.
http://www.postroadmag.com/submit.phtml
Hunger Mountain
General submissions will be open through October 1, 2016. We accept submissions in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and children’s literature. We’re not currently looking for any particular themes. We just want to see your best, most exciting work. For fiction and non-fiction, please send up to 8,000 words. For poetry, send one to five poems, all in one file.
Bat City Review
Bat City Review is published annually. We accept and read submissions from June 1 to October 1, with responses sent primarily in late autumn. We are interested in poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction that experiments with language, form, and unconventional subject matter, as well as more traditional work. Please submit three to five poems or one story per reading period. For nonfiction, we’re looking for lyrical essays, interesting memoirs and important interviews.
http://www.batcityreview.org/submit/
Jelly Bucket
Jelly Bucket accepts work during our open reading period, from July 1st through December 1st. Founded in 2009, Jelly Bucket features established and new writers. We accept works of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction from anywhere in the world. Please send us no more than five poems at a time. Each poem should begin on a new page, but be submitted in a single document. Fiction and nonfiction pieces of up to 7,500 words are welcome. For short fiction (less than 1,000 words), up to 3 pieces may be included in one submission.
Denton Loving 