Past publication history looks great in an author bio, and literary journals are a great way to get your work out there without the typical wait times of traditional book publishing. Poetry, short fiction, essays and the like are constantly and voraciously being consumed by the journals on this list.
We’ve compiled a list of literary journals in Canada to find a home for your shorter work. If you’re looking for a book agent or publisher, try our list of Literary Agencies in Canada or Book Publishers in Canada.
To be eligible for this list, the literary journal must be based in what settlers call Canada. The journal can’t be simply a website that publishes people’s work on an ongoing basis; they must have physical or digital issues. We do NOT list any predatory publishers, or ones who promote hate speech. This list is thorough, but probably not complete. If you see someone on this list that you think doesn’t belong, or if you know of a literary journal we missed, reach out to us at info@writingcommunity.ca.
A journal’s presence here should NOT be taken as an endorsement or an invitation to submit. Please do your research. If you do submit, make sure you follow each journal’s submission instructions.
NOTE: CA in place of the province code means the literary journal has more than one office in multiple provinces, or the exact location of the journal’s operations within Canada is unclear.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT #CANLITPIT! Canadian magazines and literary journals are being invited to participate in the next #canlitpit.
