Lit Mags Accepting Submissions in April 2026

Your April guide to paying markets, submission dates, and publishing opportunities.

April will bring fresh opportunities for writers looking to share their work with the world. Next month is packed with literary magazines opening their submission windows, offering diverse platforms for fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and more.

This roundup highlights literary magazines actively seeking submissions throughout April, with details on genres accepted, submission guidelines, and deadlines.

Every single one of these literary magazines is paying writers for accepted submissions.

Remember to carefully review each magazine’s submission guidelines before sending your work. Take time to read recent issues to ensure your writing aligns with their aesthetic and mission. With thoughtful submissions and a bit of persistence, April could be the month your work finds its next (or first) literary home!

The full collection with links, deadlines, and submission details is available below in full for paid subscribers.

Not looking for creative writing opportunities? You can update your FWN preferences using this link so that you only receive the opportunities you really want.

Lit Mags Accepting Submissions in April 2026

West Branch
A highly regarded print journal published three times a year by Bucknell University, accepting poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and translation. Submit up to six poems or thirty pages of prose. They print only original, unpublished work, and purchase First North American serial rights. Affiliated with the Stadler Center for Poetry & Literary Arts.
Payment: $100 per submission of poetry; $0.10/word for prose, maximum $200.
Deadline: April 1, 2026.

Ninth Letter — Web Edition (Theme: Reaction)
The award-winning literary arts journal from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seeks fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for its themed web edition. The theme “Reaction” invites work spanning the spectrum — chemical, physical, biological, psychological, and political — showing characters caught in unforeseeable moments, narrators who drop their guard, or poems that embody action’s equal and opposite reaction. Submit up to three poems or one piece of prose up to 3,500 words, including a cover letter explaining your work’s connection to the theme. Submissions without that note are not accepted.
Payment: $25 per poem; $75 per prose piece.
Deadline: April 1, 2026.

The Ex-Puritan
A Canadian literary magazine publishing fiction, essays, poetry, interviews, reviews, and experimental/hybrid work. Reads year-round with rolling deadlines tied to quarterly issues; all submissions received by March 25 are considered for the spring issue published in May. Particularly interested in work that pushes boundaries — hybrid and experimental pieces are especially welcomed. Only issues payments via e-transfer, PayPal, or Canadian cheque; writers who cannot accept these methods cannot submit. One publication per writer per year, across up to two sections.
Payment: CAD$50-$150, depending on the specific type of writing.
Deadline: April 1, 2026 (for spring issue).

The Forge Literary Magazine
An online literary journal publishing one prose piece per week, selected by a rotating cast of editors who read all submissions anonymously. Accepts literary fiction and creative nonfiction. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when the monthly cap is reached. Simultaneous submissions encouraged — withdraw immediately if accepted elsewhere. No more than one free submission per month.
Opens: April 1, 2026 (capped at 200 submissions).

Okay Donkey
An online literary magazine publishing one piece every Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry. Submit one flash fiction OR one poem per submission period (not both). Flash fiction only — no flash nonfiction. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month until the cap is reached; tip jar and expedited response submissions remain open after the cap. Standard response time is 2–3 months.
Payment: $20 honorarium per published piece.
Opens: April 1, 2026 (capped submissions).