Smart Search List of the Day

Smart Search List of the Day Fee-Free Literary Essays

Smart Search is one of several search options for our members. It enables you to search for publishers and agents using the most common options and provides a short list of results that's curated and updated daily. This helps you find that gold nugget in the stream with as little effort as possible. Although you aren't a member yet, we are giving you a free preview of our Smart Search List of the Day below. Check back tomorrow for a new search. Read our Guide to Smart Search for more information about this feature.

Instructions: Select at least one bolded (asterisk) option below and click Search. To include some lesser-known publishers, select "Include Wildcards."

Piece:

Clear

Poetry Form:*

Topic:*

Include Scholarly publications

Genre:*

Style:*

Medium:*

Type/Length:*

Include literary agents as well as publishers

Max. Results:

Fees:

Include Fee-Based Submissions

Pay:

Paying Projects Only

Include 'Unknown' Payscale

Refinements:

Include Wildcards

Wildcards are listings that are lesser-known and don't have enough data yet for complete statistics.

Exact Matches Only

Sort By:

Today's Smart Search List of the Day is: Fee-Free Literary Essays. Check back tomorrow for a new list.
Color Coding: Purple indicates a Wildcard, Green indicates a paying publication, and Blue is everything else.

AGNI

AGNI is a literary magazine housed at Boston University and known “among readers around the world,” as the writers group PEN put it, “for publishing important new writers early in their careers, many of them translated into English for the first time.” The print magazine appears twice yearly, in late April and late October…
Topics: Open to all/most topics.
Lengths: Interview, Review, Essay.
Payment: to Semi-pro to Professional. Free copy(ies). Details: USD $30 per printed page, up to a maximum of $300.
Avg. Response: Slower than average responder. 114.5 days.
Acceptances: Unknown. None reported yet in nonfiction.

Select

Jump to Actions

Consequence

Consequence addresses the human consequences and realities of war and geopolitical violence through literature and art. We offer intellectual and emotional access to the experiences of combatants, victims, and witnesses, while providing the public with works and voices from around the world in order to promote a clearer and more nuanced understanding of what’s at stake in choosing to wage war or engage in conflict…
Topics: Society/Culture, Other.
Lengths: Interview, Review, Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: Semi-pro. Details: USD $30-$50.
Avg. Response: Slower than average responder. 133.4 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 14.4% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

The Ex-Puritan

The Ex-Puritan began in 2007 as The Puritan Literary Magazine, an independently funded print journal dedicated to publishing fiction, essays, and interviews in Ottawa, Ontario, and was sold in bookstores across the city. In its early years, The Puritan was Ottawa’s only quarterly prose journal. After a brief hiatus, the magazine returned to publishing, now in the form of an online magazine run from Toronto…
Topics: Open to all/most topics.
Lengths: Essay.
Payment: to Semi-pro to Professional. Details: CAD $100 per interview; $200 per essay; $100 per review.
Avg. Response: Slower than average responder. 124.6 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 5.3% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

Harpur Palate Literary Journal

Harpur Palate was started in 2001 by graduate students in Creative Writing at Binghamton University. The magazine is published twice yearly, and includes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. We prefer narrative nonfiction from diverse voices, and welcome hybrid and experimental forms.
Topics: Open to all/most topics, including: Other.
Lengths: Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 24.8 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 5.0% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

In Short

In Short: A Journal of Flash Nonfiction is an independent literary magazine for flash nonfiction at every length. We publish creative nonfiction of 1,000 words or fewer, micros of 400 words or fewer, and short-shorts of 100 words or fewer. By publishing short-form creative nonfiction, we aim to provide a platform for writers who lack the time and resources typically needed for publication…
Topics: Open to all/most topics, including: Memoir.
Lengths: Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 46.0 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 3.1% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

JMWW

jmww, a journal of writing publishing the best in fiction, poetry, flash, essays, and interviews (or a close approximation). Our stories have appeared in Best American Essays, Best Small Fictions, Wigleaf Top 50, BIFFY, Best of Net, and the VERA. Pitch first for interviews
Topics: Open to all/most topics, including: Other.
Lengths: Interview, Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Average responder. 51.1 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 19.4% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts

The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts is a non-profit publisher of compressed creative arts, such as micro fiction, flash fiction, prose poetry, & visual arts, and whatever other forms compression might take. We publish weekly bursts of compression & decompression and make as many varied word-plays on matter as we can.
Topics: Open to all/most topics.
Lengths: Essay.
Payment: Professional. Details: USD $50.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 5.0 days.
Acceptances: Approachable. 12.0% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

Spectrum Literary Journal Wildcard

cover image for Spectrum Literary Journal

Spectrum is an annually printed journal of art and literature founded in 1957 by Marvin Mudrick, published by the University of California, Santa Barbara College of Creative Studies. The journal aims to publish a spectrum of voices, genres, and topics in each issue that encompass a wide range of human experiences. We are a student-run, national publication that features the work of writers and artists from all over the world.
Topics: Open to all/most topics, including: Other.
Lengths: Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: to Pays occasionally, up to Professional. Details: Three pieces per year will be awarded USD $300.

Select

Jump to Actions

Spotlyts Magazine Wildcard

By compiling the most pertinent and influential stories from around the world and backed by more than three decades of publishing experience, Spotlyts shines as a light of clarity in a digital world overflowing with information. It is your reliable resource, shedding light on the topics that really matter, whether you’re looking for the latest trends, recent news, nifty tips and tricks, reviews of read-worthy books, newest technological advancements, provocative viewpoints on current…
Topics: Open to all/most topics.
Lengths: Essay.
Payment: No monetary payment.

Select

Jump to Actions

wildscape. literary journal

wildscape. (est. 2024) is an online literary & arts magazine showcasing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, & art. Our goal is to blend whimsy with chaos, ethereal with truth, gentle with wild. We want to make you feel.
Topics: Open to all/most topics, including: Other.
Lengths: Essay, Narrative Nonfiction.
Payment: No monetary payment.
Avg. Response: Faster than average responder. 32.7 days.
Acceptances: Challenging. 5.3% of nonfiction submissions accepted.

Select

Jump to Actions

Bulk Actions: Select all | Deselect all

Jump to Top

Add selected to Favorites
Add selected to Ignore List (Ignored listings will be hidden from you across the site.)

Cookie Consent: This site uses secure first-party cookies for essential, preference-setting, and statistical purposes. We do not use any marketing, advertising, or third-party cookies. Read our full cookie policy.

Accept All Cookies

Allow Essential Cookies Only