It’s not a far drive, so let’s head on down to Southern California. A couple weeks ago we rounded up some great literary magazines in the northern part of the state. Now, let’s dig into who’s publishing what in the south:
The Golden State of the West Coast, California, is the most populated state of the country. This is probably why the state is divided into two regions: Northern and Southern California. There are differences in weather, topology, and much more. SoCal is home of Los Angeles, sunny weather, and beautiful beaches. You’re probably likely to run into someone famous! These literary magazines, both older and newer journals, certainly deserve celebrity status:
pioneertown
This online literary journal gets its name from an old Western movie town. While they accept the usual genres (poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction), they also promote hybrid forms. They want new and exciting work, and experimentation is welcome! The rolling submission period allows for work that “ignites and excites” those over at pioneertown. While there’s a submission fee (that helps pay writers and can be waived if there are issues), they hope that the smaller, close-knit feel will attract writers daring to be inventive.
Santa Ana River Review
Established in 2015, Santa Ana River Review is a biannual journal. Their home base is the University of California, Riverside where graduate students of the Creative Writing program run the publication. Submissions are currently closed, as their most recent issue Summer/Fall 2020 dropped in late December. When the reading period reopens, they accept art, nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama, a genre not seen as often (yet, since SoCal is home to dreamers wanting to work in film, this addition makes sense).
The Los Angeles Review
Known as the “voice of Los Angeles,” The Los Angeles Review is a print and online journal that began in 2003. General submissions of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, book reviews, and translation are accepted online year-round for only a small fee. Both published and emerging writers can submit to the journal. The Los Angeles Review’s mission is the hope that something in their journal will speak to everyone.
7×7
7×7 began in 2015 to encourage a new kind of collaboration. The journal pairs one writer and one visual artist to create a story that allows imagination to flourish. Think of this journal as a variation of the game exquisite corpse. Once the writer or artist is chosen to start the game, they have two weeks to create their original piece. The collaboration period should be a fun, “yes and” type conversation. To submit, or play, there’s an online submission form to fill out.
Westwind
Everyone has probably heard of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), but only writers and artists have probably heard of their literary magazine, Westwind. The journal has been publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, and more for over fifty years from creators at UCLA and beyond. Westwind encourages submissions that challenges tradition and plays with form. The submission period for the Winter 2021 journal is open until March 12, so make sure to send your submissions emails before then! If you miss this deadline, they publish (online and print-on-demand) every Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Faultline
Founded in 1992 at UC Irvine, Faultline publishes emerging and established writers who live in our country and abroad. Every spring, the new issue features poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translations, and art. Although the submission period is closed, keep an eye out around October of 2021 for the new reading period. In the meantime, they encourage prospective submitters to check out their archives.
Exposition Review
When the Southern California Review stopped publishing, the University of Southern California created Exposition Review. This multi-genre journal accepts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, experimental, visual art, and comics. In addition to the vast majority of genres, they host contests and other events to allow artists and writers to let their voices shine. The submission period for the yearly issue and the Flash 405 contest are currently closed, but they will reopen in September.
Lunch Ticket
Lunch Ticket’s mission is to provide a platform for marginalized, underrepresented, and diverse voices. The Antioch University-based journal looks for work with themes of social, environmental, and economic justice. All submissions require no identifying information, meaning anything for their biannual issues have a blind reading. The journal accepts fiction, nonfiction, flash proses, young adult literature, art, and translation. Although the submission period for the June 2021 issue is closed, Amuse Bouche, a weekly contest, is accepting submissions throughout February.
by Rebecca Williamson