Strip Mall Magazine

About

Strip Mall Magazine is a literary publication based out of the MFA program at California Institute of the Arts.
We're named for the infamous suburban sprawl of Southern California, home to CalArts, and perhaps the strip mall capital of the world. For a lot of people, strip malls are places of ridicule. Self-negating in their ugliness, they represent the worst of America's instinct to bulldoze, impose, and forget. But for us, strip malls are also cornerstones of community; sites of delight and discovery.
At Strip Mall Magazine, we're most interested in works that experiment with narrative and form, and fall between gaps in genre. Works that remind you that, even in the midst of ugliness, there are unseen possibilities--another street, another corner, another strip mall, in which you might find exactly what you're looking for.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2024

Publication Medium & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: Unknown publication frequency

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

17 members set this magazine as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Faster: Strip Mall Magazine's overall average response time is faster than most magazines.
More Approachable: Strip Mall Magazine's overall acceptance rate is higher than most magazines.
More Responsive: Strip Mall Magazine's overall rate of non-response is lower than most magazines.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Fiction Open

Dates:

Open to fiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Flash Fiction: Up to 1,000 words.
Short Story: 1,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Nonfiction Open

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Essay: Up to 5,000 words.
Narrative Nonfiction: Up to 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poem: No line limits known; Up to 3 pieces.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms, including: Visual poetry.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Visual Art Open

Dates:

Open to visual art submissions through 15 October 2026* (approx. 30 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Artwork: Up to 5 pieces.

Art Media:

Open to all/most Art Media, including...
Photography.

Art Styles:

Open to all/most Art Styles.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Payment:

No monetary payment No monetary payment.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Unknown.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Media: Image.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for Strip Mall Magazine

Go to publication's website

Report:
Submission/Response
Correction/Update
New Cover Art

Social:
Instagram @stripmallmagazine

For the Editor(s):
Request Interview
Duosuma Submission Manager
Link to Duotrope

Strip Mall Magazine Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

This project ranks among the 25 Most Approachable Nonfiction Publishers in our database.

Filter:

Group by submission

Include outliers

Accuracy

We have received 31 reports from 28 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

6 min | 35.3 mean avg | 38.0 median | 60 max days (14.3 std dev)

Responses

80.64 %

Acceptances:

12.90 % of submissions accepted (38.0 avg. days per acceptance) | 14.29 % of submitters accepted

Rejections:

67.74 % (38.0 avg. days per rejection) | 42.9 % personal, 47.6 % form, 9.5 % unspecified

Non-Responses

0.00 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

Withdrawals

19.35 % (24.2 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

3 responses are pending (7 min | 11.0 mean avg | 12.0 median | 14 max days waiting | 80.1 std dev) from 3 different members

Other Information

Most recent response reported was received on 11 Apr 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 14 Mar 2026.
Date compiled: 15 Sep 2026 03:10 UTC (6 hours, 37 minutes ago).

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 01 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.