40+ Lit Mags Accepting Submissions in June 2026

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

June brings dozens of new opportunities for writers looking to share their work with the world. Today’s roundup is packed with literary magazines that want to pay you for your fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and more.

You’ll find literary magazines actively seeking submissions throughout June, with all the details on genres accepted, submission guidelines, and deadlines.

Every single one of these literary magazines is paying writers for accepted submissions, though rates can and do range.

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 little persistence, June could be the month your work finds its next (or first) literary home!

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.

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Lit Mags Accepting Submissions in June 2026

Chicken Soup for the Soul – Miracles, Messages & Angels
The world-famous anthology series, now seeking true first-person stories and poems about miracles, angels, messages from heaven, premonitions, and unexplainable but positive events. 1,200 words maximum; stories can be serious, humorous, or both. Publishing credits include an author biography.
Payment: $200-$250 per accepted piece.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026.

Chicken Soup for the Soul – Cat Stories
True first-person stories and poems (up to 1,200 words) celebrating the unique, endearing, and sometimes bewildering personalities of cats. Stories can be heartwarming, funny, or both. Simultaneous submissions to other Chicken Soup themes accepted.
Payment: $200-$250 per accepted piece.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026.

Eternal Haunted Summer – Summer Solstice 2026
An online ezine dedicated to original poetry and short fiction rooted in the world’s many Pagan, polytheist, and mythological traditions. This Solstice issue has a specific theme — see their submissions page for the 2026 prompt. Poetry and short fiction accepted; no previously published work online or in print.
Payment: $5 per accepted piece.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026.

Breath & Shadow
A quarterly literary publication by and for writers with disabilities — one of the longest-running of its kind. Accepts fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama on any subject; nonfiction articles and essays must relate to disability. Maximum of two submissions per issue; 3,000 words max per piece. Work does not need to be about disability for poetry and fiction.
Payment: $25 per poem or short prose; $40 per fiction or nonfiction piece.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026.

The Forge Literary Magazine
A respected online literary journal publishing one prose piece per week, selected by rotating editors reading all submissions anonymously. Accepts literary fiction and creative nonfiction; strongly prefers stories under 3,000 words though will consider up to 3,500. Free submissions open on the 1st of each month and close when the 200-submission monthly cap is reached — submit at the start of the month.
Payment: $100 per accepted piece, regardless of length.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026 (closes when cap of 200 is reached).

Okay Donkey
A beloved online literary magazine publishing one piece every Friday, alternating between flash fiction and poetry. Seeks the odd, off-kilter, and weird — funny, sad, experimental, surreal, and genre-bending. Submit one flash fiction (up to 1,200 words) or one poem (fits on one page) per submission period. Free submissions open June 1 and close when cap is reached.
Payment: $20 honorarium per published piece.
Deadline: 1 June, 2026 (closes when monthly cap is reached).