Short fiction magazines
August 7, 2010 10:57 AM Subscribe
What are the best sources of new short stories?
I am looking mostly, though not exclusively, for print magazines and journals. I'm not very particular as to genre. I read a lot of older stories collected into books, but I'd like to find some new authors and I've realized that I don't really have any idea where good new short fiction is being published.
I would especially appreciate hearing about magazines that are published more frequently than once a quarter.
I am looking mostly, though not exclusively, for print magazines and journals. I'm not very particular as to genre. I read a lot of older stories collected into books, but I'd like to find some new authors and I've realized that I don't really have any idea where good new short fiction is being published.
I would especially appreciate hearing about magazines that are published more frequently than once a quarter.
i know you're looking for print... but I've found treasures hidden in the depths of sites like writing.com and other such sites - yeah, you have to shift through the rubble, but some of the best stories I've read are on these sites. Check them out.
posted by patheral at 11:12 AM on August 7, 2010
posted by patheral at 11:12 AM on August 7, 2010
Best answer: Zoetrope: All Story
Four times a year. More info here!
posted by 2oh1 at 11:34 AM on August 7, 2010
Four times a year. More info here!
posted by 2oh1 at 11:34 AM on August 7, 2010
Best answer: I buy Best American Short Stories every year. They're not all great hits for me, but I usually find at least some of them interesting enough to track down other work by the authors.
posted by trip and a half at 12:55 PM on August 7, 2010
posted by trip and a half at 12:55 PM on August 7, 2010
Oops. Duh, you're looking for magazines. I'll go away now.
posted by trip and a half at 12:57 PM on August 7, 2010
posted by trip and a half at 12:57 PM on August 7, 2010
I'm a big fan of One Story. I also like American Short Fiction, though I think it's a quarterly.
posted by booth at 3:16 PM on August 7, 2010
posted by booth at 3:16 PM on August 7, 2010
Paris Review is another good quarterly. Most of the titles that come to mind are, but I'm no expert.
posted by Lorin at 3:24 PM on August 7, 2010
posted by Lorin at 3:24 PM on August 7, 2010
The New Yorker has always been top tier, at least in terms of the periodical authors want to be published in, it's sort of the yellow jersey moment.
posted by stbalbach at 8:33 PM on August 7, 2010
posted by stbalbach at 8:33 PM on August 7, 2010
Best answer: In addition to the ones people have mentioned, The North American Review is the oldest literary magazine in America.
Here's a list of The Most Respected Literary Magazines. Like any "best" list, it's one person's subjective opinion, and I'd take the rankings with a grain of salt. But you won't go wrong with any of the magazines on the list.
Another approach would be to look at the winners and nominees of The National Magazine Awards in the fiction category. Most recently, that includes McSweeney's (the print quarterly, not the online version-- the online version tends towards short humor, the print quarterly seems to print more fiction); The Antioch Review; The New Yorker; and the Virginia Quarterly Review.
For science fiction stories, you could see where the Nebula Award nominees were originally published. For detective fiction, look for publications where Edgar Award winners first appeared.
Iif you look in any collection of short stories (like "Best American Short Stories," recommended by Trip And A Half, or The Pushcart Prize), you'll find a list of the magazines in which the stories originally appeared. Pick a story you particularly loved, and go read the magazine that published it.
Finally, there's a weekly online short-story magazine called Popcorn Fiction, which publishes short stories by TV and film writers.
WARNING: I may be biased, because I've had stuff published in The North American Review, Popcorn Fiction, and McSweeney's. (It was humor in the online McSweeney's, as opposed to fiction in the print McSweeney's, but it still probably makes me favorably inclined towards the McSweeney's empire.)
posted by yankeefog at 8:49 AM on August 8, 2010
Here's a list of The Most Respected Literary Magazines. Like any "best" list, it's one person's subjective opinion, and I'd take the rankings with a grain of salt. But you won't go wrong with any of the magazines on the list.
Another approach would be to look at the winners and nominees of The National Magazine Awards in the fiction category. Most recently, that includes McSweeney's (the print quarterly, not the online version-- the online version tends towards short humor, the print quarterly seems to print more fiction); The Antioch Review; The New Yorker; and the Virginia Quarterly Review.
For science fiction stories, you could see where the Nebula Award nominees were originally published. For detective fiction, look for publications where Edgar Award winners first appeared.
Iif you look in any collection of short stories (like "Best American Short Stories," recommended by Trip And A Half, or The Pushcart Prize), you'll find a list of the magazines in which the stories originally appeared. Pick a story you particularly loved, and go read the magazine that published it.
Finally, there's a weekly online short-story magazine called Popcorn Fiction, which publishes short stories by TV and film writers.
WARNING: I may be biased, because I've had stuff published in The North American Review, Popcorn Fiction, and McSweeney's. (It was humor in the online McSweeney's, as opposed to fiction in the print McSweeney's, but it still probably makes me favorably inclined towards the McSweeney's empire.)
posted by yankeefog at 8:49 AM on August 8, 2010
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posted by availablelight at 10:59 AM on August 7, 2010