I have been compiling a list of literary journals and magazines who specialize in gay-themed fiction. I mean “gay male” when I say “gay-themed.” I’m looking for venues for my own work, so a lesbian-only magazine (for example) won’t work. They don’t want to bother with me, and I don’t want to bother with them.
Anyway, it occurs to me that you guys a). might find this list interesting, either because you’re writers, or because you’re readers looking for gay-themed fiction to read, or b). might be able to help me add more venues to my list, since you are many, and I am only one, and your collective knowledge of the field is probably vaster than mine.
I have tried to weed out magazines, websites, or journals who haven’t published a new issue in a long time (holy shit there’s a lot of those), or whose focus seems to be erotica or pornography (not because I have anything against those genres, just not what I’m writing).
As you’ll see below, it’s kind of difficult to tell which of these projects are still active, and which aren’t. Generally, if more than two years has gone since any kind of update to their website or publication schedule, I’m counting them as inactive. Others are on the cusp. Some of these journals publish fairly infrequently (even the ones that are supposed to be quarterly don’t always hit that schedule), and there doesn’t seem to be a culture of constant website updates among the editors, to say the least.
Here’s my list so far:
Description: “A publication of Arts in Bloom Project, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to queer artists, writers, and audiences. BLOOM was founded to support the work of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered writers and artists and to foster the appreciation of queer literature and creation.”
Type of Publication: Quarterly/Print
Last issue published: Fall 2012
Notes: Not sure if this project is still active. They claim to be accepting submissions for their next issue starting September 1, but there hasn’t been a new issue for quite some time. Does anybody know if these guys are still publishing? I signed up for their email list to see if there’s any activity there.
Thanks so much for bringing attention to Jonathan. We’re very proud of it and think it provides a much needed stage for gay writers of fiction. The journal is published in May, September, and December. Our third issue is available for pre-order now from the Sibling Rivalry Press website. I believe Raymond Luczak is still reading submissions and has only five slots left for stories in our *next three* issues, so I encourage you to submit soon if you plan on doing so.
And just for you and your readers, enter code MANLEY at checkout and you’ll receive 10% off any issue of Jonathan.
All best,
Bryan Borland
Publisher, Sibling Rivalry Press
http://www.siblingrivalrypress.com
Thanks, Bryan! I won’t have anything ready for this round — my research is for the future. As for the secret code for readers, that’s appreciated. I don’t have a tremendous amount of readers on this blog (I used to, when I updated more frequently), but I’m sure they’ll appreciate it!
You could add Expanded Horizons (http://expandedhorizons.net/magazine/) to your list. They’re not specific to LGBTQ writing/writers, but they’re focussed on underrepresented demographics in general, LGBTQ included. They publish speculative fiction, but their pay rates are at the very low end–$30 per story, regardless of length.
From their site: “The mission of this webzine is to increase diversity in the field of speculative fiction, both in the authors who contribute and in the perspectives presented. We feature speculative fiction stories and artwork, as well as essays about speculative fiction and fandom from diverse points of view.”
Update: here’s a more comprehensive list of GLBT literary magazines, including a few that don’t fit my criteria above and a few that do. http://www.thereviewreview.net/publishing-tips/lgbtq-lit-mags