Canadian literary magazines publish much of Canada’s best poetry and prose. The writers whose creative work appears in their pages range from established icons of Canadian literary arts — such as Alice Munro, Margaret Atwood and Lynn Coady, to name just a few — to new writers published for the first time.
The following list, compiled by the National Media Awards Foundation, is an A-to-Z guide to Canadian literary periodicals and their submissions guidelines. This guide focuses on magazines that currently publish short fiction, poetry, and/or creative (aka literary) non-fiction. Many of these magazines also accept submissions for essays, literary criticism, reviews, interviews, graphic narratives, and visual art. Some of the works published in these magazines have even won a National Magazine Award!
If you’d like your magazine listed, please email us. There is no charge to be added and we include a wide variety of magazines, journals, and publications from across the country in our guide.
Acta Victoriana
Published in: Ontario (Victoria University, Toronto)
Founded: 1878
Genres: Fiction, poetry, visual arts
Issues per Year: 4
Submissions Guidelines
Ampersand Review of Writing and Publishing, The
Published in: Ontario (Mississauga)
Founded: 2020
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, essays, interviews, and book reviews
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Arc Poetry Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Poetry, reviews, essays
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 6 (most recently: Cassandra Rachel Myers, Gold Medal, Poetry, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 30
Submission Guidelines
Archetype: A Literary Journal
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2022
Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, reviews, photography, art
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Artery, The
Published in: Ontario (Lakehead University)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Plays, short stories, haikus, jokes, letters, essays, limericks
Issues per Year: 1-2
Submission Guidelines
Augur Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Fiction, poetry
Issues per Year: 2
Submissions Guidelines
Blank Spaces
Published in: Ontario (West Grey)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Fiction, non-fiction, art, photo essays
Issues per Year: 4
Submissions Guidelines
Brick, A Literary Journal
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1977
Genres: Essays, reviews, interviews, belle lettres, memoir, translations
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 6
NMA Nominations: 21
Submission Guidelines
Broken Pencil
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 1995
Genres: Zines, small press books, comics, interviews, original fiction, commentary on indie arts
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submission Guidelines
Bywords.ca
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Monthly (online)
Submissions Guidelines
Canadian Literature
Published in: British Columbia (Univ. of British Columbia)
Founded: 1959
Genres: Book reviews of critical and creative works, poems, short notes, interviews, articles
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1
Submissions Guidelines
CNQ: Canadian Notes & Queries
Published in: Ontario (Windsor)
Founded: 1968
Genres: Literary and cultural criticism, essays, memoir, humour
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 2
NMA Nominations: 8
Submission Guidelines
Canadian Poetry
Published in: Ontario (Univ. of Western Ontario)
Founded: 1977
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
Canthius Journal
Published in: Canada
Founded: 2015
Genres: Poetry & prose (by writers of marginalized gender identities, including trans, Two Spirit, non-binary, agender, cis women, genderqueer, GNC, and intersex writers)
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Capilano Review, The
Published in: British Columbia (Capilano University, Vancouver)
Founded: 1972
Genres: Art, poetry, short essays, reviews, and interviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 3
NMA Nominations: 12
Submission Guidelines
Carousel
Published in: Ontario (University of Guelph)
Founded: 1983
Genres: Poetry, fiction, comics, interviews, contemporary art
Issues per Year: Online
National Magazine Awards: 1
NMA Nominations: 3
Submission Guidelines
Carte Blanche
Published in: Quebec (Quebec Writers’ Federation, Montreal)
Founded: 2004
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, photography, translation, comics, photo essays
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Cloud Lake Literary
Published in: Thunder Bay, ON
Founded: 2020
Genres: Fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and children’s literature (up to and including YA)
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Contemporary Verse 2
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 1975
Genres: Poetry and critical writing about poetry, including interviews, articles, essays, and reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Award Nominations: 3
Submission Guidelines
Cosmonauts Avenue
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, x-genre
Issues per Year: Monthly (online)
Submission Guidelines
Counterflow
Published in: British Colombia (Nanaimo)
Founded: 2007
Genres: Poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, visual art
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
Dalhousie Review, The
Published in: Nova Scotia (Dalhousie University, Halifax)
Founded: 1921
Genres: Essays, poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews
Issues per Year: 3
Submission Guidelines
DarkWinter Literary Magazine
Publishing in: Drumbo, Ontario
Founded: 2022
Genres: poetry and short fiction
Publishes: weekly
Submission Guidelines
Dreamers Creative Writing
Published in: Ontario (Hepworth)
Founded: 2017
Genres: Short stories, poetry, personal essays, excerpts
Issues per Year: 3
Submission Guidelines
Event
Published in: British Columbia (Douglas College)
Founded: 1971
Genres: Fiction, poetry, non-fiction, book reviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 13
NMA Nominations: 49
Submission Guidelines
Existere
Published in: Ontario (York University, Toronto)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
EXILE Quarterly
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 1972
Genres: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translations, drama, visual art
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 5 (Most recently: Patrick Lane, Gold Medal, Poetry, 2020)
NMA Nominations: 18
Submission Guidelines
Feathertale Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Cartoons, interviews, poetry, short fiction, sketches
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 7 (most recently: Jenn Lawrence, Kara Pyle, Kumé Pather, Elyse Martin and Pete Ryan, Silver Award, Cover Grand Prix, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 19
Submission Guidelines
Fiddlehead, The
Published in: New Brunswick (University of New Brunswick, Fredericton)
Founded: 1945
Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 3
NMA Nominations: 22
Submission Guidelines
filling station
Published in: Alberta (Calgary)
Founded: 1993
Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Visual Art
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Award Nominations: 1
Submission Guidelines
Freefall
Published in: Alberta (Lit. Society of Calgary)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, literary reviews, author interviews, and visual arts
Issues per Year: 3
Submissions Guidelines
Funicular Magazine
Published in: Edmonton, AB
Founded: 2018
Genres: Short fiction, poetry, flash fiction
Issues Per Year: 3
Submission Guidelines
Geez
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 2007
Genres: Poetry, photography creative non-fiction, reviews, journalism
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Geist
Published in: British Columbia (The Geist Foundation, Vancouver)
Founded: 1990
Genres: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, comics, reviews
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 8
NMA Nominations: 24
Submission Guidelines
Grain
Published in: Saskatchewan (Sask. Writers’ Guild, Saskatoon)
Founded: 1973
Genres: Poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, short plays, comics, visual work
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 4
NMA Nominations: 31
Submission Guidelines
Gravitas Poetry
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa region)
Founded: 2018
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 3
Submission Guidelines
GUTS: Canadian Feminist Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2013
Genres: Feminist literary essays and reviews, long-form journalism, interviews, fiction, poetry, columns, and new media
Issues per Year: Biannual, plus regular online content
Submission Guidelines
Hamilton Arts & Letters
Published in: Ontario (Hamilton)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Literary works, graphic novel excerpts, exploratory writing, poetry, literary non-fiction, and the work of visual, audio, and film
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
Hazlitt
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Art, sound, text, fiction, non-fiction, humour, criticism
Issues per Year: Online
National Magazine Awards: 19 (most recently: Winnie Truong, Gold Medal, Illustration, 2021 & Ivan Coyote, Silver Medal, One of a Kind Storytelling, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 66
Submission Guidelines
Hermine
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2020
Genres: Short fiction
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
Hexagon, Speculative Fiction Magazine
Published in: Saskatchewan (Saskatoon)
Founded: 2020
Genres: Flash fiction, poetry, and short stories
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Humber Literary Review, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submission Guidelines
Inuit Art Quarterly
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1986
Genres: Stories, artist interviews, historical analyses, personal essays
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 3 (most recently: Gold, Best Magazine: Art, Literary & Culture, 2021 and Magazine Grand Prix, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 13
Submission Guidelines
In/Words (On hiatus)
Published in: Ontario (Carleton University, Ottawa)
Founded: 2001
Genres: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, visual art
Issues per Year: 2-3
Submission Guidelines
Juniper – A Poetry Journal
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2017
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: 3 (online)
Submissions Guidelines
Literary Review of Canada, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 1991
Genres: Reviews, essays, art, poetry
Issues per Year: 10
National Magazine Awards: 1 (most recently: David Parkins, Gold Medal, Cover Grand Prix, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 11
Submission Guidelines
Maisonneuve
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2002
Genres: Non-fiction writing (reporting, essays, memoir, humour, etc.), visual art (illustration, photography, comics, etc.)
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 44 (most recently: Stephanie Bai, Gold Medal, Best Emerging Writer, 2021 and Emma Gilchrist, Gold Medal, Personal Journalism, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 171
Submission Guidelines
Malahat Review, The
Published in: British Columbia (University of Victoria)
Founded: 1967
Genres: Poetry, short fiction, creative non-fiction, reviews, interviews, essays
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 32 (most recently: Erin Soros, Gold, One of a Kind Storytelling, 2021 and Joshua Whitehead, Gold, Personal Journalism, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 97
Submission Guidelines
Maple Tree Literary Supplement
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama, film, visual arts, literary photography, author interviews
Issues Per Year: 3
Submission Guidelines
Maynard, The (on hiatus)
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 2008
Genres: Poetry
Issues per Year: Online
Submissions Guidelines
Minola Review
Published in: Online-only
Founded: 2016
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction
Issues per Year: 4
Submissions Guidelines
Montreal Review, The
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2009
Genres: Long-form critical essays, book reviews, commentaries, interviews, photo essays, short stories, poetry
Issues per Year: 3
Submissions Guidelines
Mystery Weekly
Published in: Ontario (Ancaster)
Founded: 2015
Genres: Crime fiction
Issues per Year: 12
Submission Guidelines
Nashwaak Review, The
Published in: New Brunswick (St. Thomas University, Fredericton)
Founded: 1994
Genres: Poetry, short fiction, travel pieces, essays, articles, reviews, photography
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
New Quarterly, The
Published in: Ontario (St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo)
Founded: 1981
Genres: Short fiction, poetry, postscripts, non-fiction
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 22 (most recently: Chyana Marie Sage, Silver Medal, Personal Journalism, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 70
Submission Guidelines
NōD
Published In: Alberta (U. of Calgary)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry, Prose, Visual Arts
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
NUNUM
Published in: Grand Barachois, New Brunswick
Founded: 2018
Genres: Flash fiction, art
Issues per Year: 4 + annual anthology
Submission Guidelines
On Spec
Published in: Alberta (Edmonton)
Founded: 1989
Genres: Fiction, poetry
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Open Minds Quarterly
Published in: Ontario (Sudbury)
Founded: 1998
Genres: Non-fiction, fiction, poetry, art, experimental pieces, letters, opinion pieces, research, etc. (on the subject of mental health)
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Parentheses
Published in: Ontario
Founded: 2017
Genres: Poetry, fiction, art, photography
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Plenitude
Published in: Canada (Online)
Founded: 2012
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, book reviews, articles, interviews (by LGBTQ2S+ writers)
Issues per Year: Online (year-round)
Submissions Guidelines
Polyglot, The
Published in: Alberta (Edmonton)
Founded: 2016
Genres: Poetry, art
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Portal Magazine
Published in: British-Columbia (Vancouver Island University)
Founded: 1991
Genres: Short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, scripts, interviews, art, photography
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
Prairie Fire
Published in: Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Founded: 1978
Genres: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 18 (most recently: Catherine Hunter, Gold Medal, Fiction, 2020)
NMA Nominations: 55
Submission Guidelines
Prairie Journal
Published in: Alberta (Calgary)
Founded: 1983
Genres: Poetry, short fiction, drama, literary criticism, reviews, bibliography, interviews, profiles, artwork
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Award Nominations: 2
Submissions Guidelines
PRISM International
Published in: British Columbia (University of British Columbia)
Founded: 1959
Genres: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, drama, translation
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 14 (most recently: Emily Riddle, Silver Medal, Poetry, 2020)
NMA Nominations: 33
Submission Guidelines
Pulp Literature
Published in: British Columbia
Founded: 2014
Genres: Visual art, short stories, novellas, poetry, comics, illustrations
Issues per Year: 4
Submissions Guidelines
Puritan, The
Published in: Ontario (Ottawa)
Founded: 2006
Genres: Fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, reviews
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Queen’s Quarterly
Published in: Ontario (Queen’s University, Kingston)
Founded: 1893
Genres: Articles, essays, short stories, poetry
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 11
NMA Nominations: 44
Submission Guidelines
Quilliad, The
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2013
Genres: Poetry, flash fiction, short stories, art, photography
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
Ricepaper
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1995
Genres: Poetry, fiction, drama, graphic novels, translation, non-fiction, literary creative writing, features, profiles/interviews, reviews, art, photography (by Asian writers)
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Riddle Fence
Published in: Newfoundland & Labrador
Founded: 2009
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, features, reviews, contemporary art
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
Room
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1975
Genres: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, art, interviews, book reviews (by people of marginalized genders)
Issues per Year: 4
National Magazine Awards: 1 (Téa Mutonji, Silver Medal, Essays, 2020)
NMA Nominations: 8
Submission Guidelines
Site Magazine, The
Published in: Edmonton, Alberta
Founded: 2015
Genres: Essays, research, design work, conceptual projects, reportage, photography, architectural drawings, art
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 3
NMA Nominations: 9
Submission Guidelines
Spadina Literary Review
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2011
Genres: Poetry, short fiction, memoir, pensées, art
Issues per Year: 6
Submissions Guidelines
sub-Terrain
Published in: British Columbia (Vancouver)
Founded: 1992
Genres: Fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, essays, commentary, book reviews
Issues per Year: 3
National Magazine Awards: 3 (most recently: Carleigh Baker, Silver Medal, Fiction, 2021)
NMA Nominations: 12
Submission Guidelines
The Mitre Literary Journal
Published in: Lennoxville, Quebec
Founded: 1893
Genres: Poetry, fiction, essays, visual arts
Issues per Year: 1
Submission Guidelines
The Temz Review
Published in: Ontario (London)
Founded: 2017
Genres: Fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry
Issues per Year: 4
Submission Guidelines
THIS Magazine
Published in: Ontario (Red Maple Foundation, Toronto)
Founded: 1966
Genres: Features, essays, columns, reported pieces, arts, news pieces
Issues per Year: 6
National Magazine Awards: 19
NMA Nominations: 93
Submission Guidelines
Touch the Donkey
Published in: Online
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry, interviews
Issues per Year: 5
Submission Guidelines
Understory Magazine
Published in: Nova Scotia (Halifax & Lunenburg)
Founded: 2013
Genres: Literary prose, poetry, visual art
Issues per Year: 2-3
Submission Guidelines
Untethered
Published in: Ontario (Toronto)
Founded: 2014
Genres: Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, art
Issues per Year: 2
Submissions Guidelines
Vallum
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2000
Genres: Poetry, reviews, essays, interviews
Issues per Year: 2
National Magazine Awards: 2
NMA Nominations: 8
Submission Guidelines
Windsor Review, The
Published in: Ontario (University of Windsor)
Founded: 1965
Genres: Poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, review essays
Issues per Year: 2
Submission Guidelines
yolk
Published in: Quebec (Montreal)
Founded: 2019
Genres: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, visual arts
Issues per Year: 2 print publications, plus new digital content every three weeks
Submission Guidelines
In addition to the above list, many of Canada’s news, general-interest, lifestyle, and arts magazines publish fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction, including but not limited to Canadian Art, Border Crossings, The Walrus, Toronto Life, Inroads, Ottawa Magazine, Alberta Views.