Promising New Online Journals

bird online

It seems like just about every time I turn on my computer I receive a notice about another new online journal. Needless to say, since anyone can start an online journal—and often without expense—there's a good deal of disparity in the quality of these journals. Some are quite dreadful; others are very good. So it's important to check out the masthead to note the credentials of the editors and staff. Check out the Archives if there are past issues. Note the poets and poems that have appeared in past issues. Note the format of the journal. Is this one where you'd be proud to have your work displayed?

I've gathered a list of seven fairly new or brand new online journals that seem to be doing a great job. In order to get on my list, the journal had to meet certain criteria:

• reveals identity of the editors 

• is visually attractive and easy to read—no black background with white or colored fonts

• does not use a pdf format

• does not post poems side by side

• does not use a single page scroll-down format

• posts poems by a single poet on a single page or one poem per page

• has easy and clear navigation through the journal

• uses social media to promote the journal—ideally should provide Facebook and Twitter links for poems        

Titles are linked to the website. Number of issues per year is indicated after the title. Reading period appears on second line.

Dialogist: Quarterly Poetry & Art—4x
all year

Driftless Review—2x
all year

Four Way Review—2x
November 1 – March 1 for  spring issue; April 1 – October 1 for fall issue

Posit—3-4x
all year

Tinderbox Poetry Journal—4x
all year

Tupelo Quarterly—4x
all year but they close submissions once they fill the upcoming issue or reach 300 submissions. Check their Submittable page to confirm that submissions are open.

Waxwing Magazine—3x
all year

Appealing Online Journals

Following is the list of online journals that I've assembled from my recent search. I was already familiar with a number of these, but I also posted a query at Facebook and received some suggestions for journals I was not familiar with. I checked out each suggestion but did not include all of them. I excluded online versions of print journals, those with unattractive aesthetics, those that require a download, those that appear as pdf's, those that do not notify of rejection. I included a number that violated one or two of the items on my list of What I Look for in an Online Journal because they were strong in other areas. There are a few here that desperately need navigation buttons, Share Buttons, and breathing space between poems and sidebar information or contents. Two have cumbersome guidelines which I hope they'll trim down.

I also kept in mind that I'm imposing my own criteria. This list should not be construed as a Best Of list. It's not; nor do I have the credentials to create such a list. But I present these as the journals which I now find appealing and which others might want to consider. I should also mention that I have not included a number of fine but more innovative kinds of journals.


The Collagist—monthly
Each issue contains short fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews, and one or more excerpts from novels.

Connotation Press—monthly
Lots of good material in this journal. Most of the poems are preceded by an interview with the poet. Lots of reviews.

Devil's Lake Review—2x
Limited number of poets, some reviews and interviews.

diode—3x
Plain and simple. Gets the job done and nicely.

Goblin Fruit—4x—pays
Poetry only, "poetry of the fantastical," includes audio.

Innisfree Poetry Journal—2x
Includes reviews and a Closer Look feature in each issue.

Ithaca Lit—4x
New one, includes lovely art work in header on each and every page.
A featured poet with interview and poems, featured artist, 12 poets, non-fiction craft essay.

Mezzo Cammin—2x
Formal poetry by women. Also features one visual artist.

Memorious—2x
Beautiful cover art, poetry, prose, and art song collaborations.

Pebble Lake Review—2x
Poetry with audio, fiction, non-fiction, reviews.

Pirene's Fountain—2x
Lots of poetry, several features, reviews and interviews.

Plume—monthly
12 poems / 12 poets per issue.

Poemeleon—2x
Poems, essays and reviews.
Themed issues.

Redheaded Stepchild—2x
Exclusively poetry. Poems must first have been rejected elsewhere.

Shenandoah—2x
Still requiring snail mail subs but planning to soon switch to online subs.

Superstition Review—2x
Poetry, fiction, interviews, nonfiction, and art.
Art slides are a wonderful feature of this journal.

TriQuarterly—2x
Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, short drama, and hybrid work.
Video essays are a unique feature.

Umbrella—2x
Poetry and prose (variety of different kinds of criticism), book reviews.
No simultaneous submissions.

Valparaiso Poetry Review—2x
Poetry and reviews. Featured poet in each issue.

Verse Wisconsin—1x
Poetry, verse drama, lots of reviews, essays.
Some themed issues.
No simultaneous submissions.

Waccamaw Journal—2x
Fiction, non-fiction, poetry.

Wicked Alice—2x
Women-centered but publishes work by men.
Poetry, reviews, and criticism (current issue has only poetry).

What I Look for in an Online Journal

I'm sure you've noticed, as I have, the demise of a number of print journals or their transition to an online format. At the same time, I've also noticed the proliferation of online journals. There are several factors contributing to this proliferation—money, ease of building and maintaining, the ability to reach a wider audience, ability to respond in a timelier manner, and so on. But because anybody can create an online journal—even for free—not all of these journals are of equal quality. Because I believe that it's a good idea for a poet to have both a print and an online presence, I've been gathering a list of online journals I like.

But first I want to share with you the criteria I used in assembling my list:

1. No blogs masquerading as websites. The blog format doesn't have the feel of commitment and permanence that a real website has.

2. Absolutely no scrolling down in order to find the next poet and his / her poems. Each poet must have his / her own page. Scrolling is one problem frequently found in the blog masquerading as a journal.

3. Looks matter. Must have aesthetic appeal. Good design.

4. No black background. This is horrible. Initially, it makes a strong impact, but turns out to be really annoying to read.

5. No image behind poems. Completely distracting. Why would any editor do this? And yet some do.

6. Easy to read. No fancy font stuff going on. No weird stuff with colored fonts. Nothing that jumps up and down such as a typewriter with moving keys.

7. Don't want a bunch of messages on the front page. Don't make me jump through hoops to get to the poems.

8. Don't want a lot of busy stuff in sidebars, stuff that distracts my attention from the poems.

9. Appreciate the Contents on each page but not smashed up next to the poems. Very distracting. The poem feels squashed.

10. Ease of navigation—return link to home page, previous, next. Don't make me use my Back Button. Don't make me have to return to the Contents page to get to the next poem / poet. It's annoying to have to keep starting over.

11. All of one poet's poems together or at least with a forward button.

12. No pdf format. Some editors think this is a cool format as it sort of mimics a book, but it's more annoying than cool.

13. Bio note with poems. Prefer not to have to go somewhere else to find that information.

14. Must notify of either acceptance or rejection. Big fat zero to those editors who don't notify for rejections. Insufferably rude.

15. No complicated, idiosyncratic guidelines—I always read and heed but don't want to spend huge amounts of time figuring them out.

16. Share Buttons for each poet's page. This is a great way to expand the journal's / poet's / poem's reach. It is really foolish not to include these. Really.


In a few days check back here for the list of online journals I like. In the meantime, you might want to check out The Benefits of Publishing Online.