Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction & Micro-Essays

LATEST LIST UPDATE: JULY 2023

As promised, I’ve compiled what I am calling here a guide to journals and magazines that publish flash nonfiction/micro-essays.

Before I present the list, I need to issue a few clarifications and caveats.

First, this list by no means includes *every* journal or magazine that might publish your piece of flash nonfiction. For the most part, I’ve omitted publications that specify only that submitted essays should run “no longer than” or “up to” 5,000 or 8,000 words. It’s entirely possible that the editors of these publications will welcome something more along the lines of 500 or 800 words. But unless I’ve discerned a *specific* editorial interest in shorter-form nonfiction–whether through my own research into guidelines and past issues or through sources listed at the end of the post–I haven’t included them here.

I’ve also had to break my usual blog-and-newsletter-rule about limiting listings to paying journals only (and only publications that don’t require reading fees). But I’ve done my best to signal to you which journals state outright on their sites that they’ll pay for your work–look for the $–and which ones are equally upfront about charging fees. As of 2022, I’ve removed listings for journals that appear to charge fees but don’t pay contributors.

Important note: Not every publication is open to submissions year-round, but I’m not tracking that information here.

Worth a mention: Just because a journal is listed here doesn’t mean that it’s an ideal home for your work. Check out these tried-and-true tips for deciding whether you wish to send your work to any particular venue.

Finally: If you know of a journal or magazine that’s specifically interested in flash nonfiction and micro-essays that should be added to the list, please share your knowledge (bonus points for links, too) in comments. Thank you!

Without further ado…

Sources/Further Resources

58 thoughts on “Where to Publish Flash Nonfiction & Micro-Essays

  1. Peggy Acott says:

    Thank you for this – great resource, and right at the time I was thinking about this very topic!

  2. Irene Turner says:

    I’ve had flash nonfiction pieces published online with PANK and in print with Gargoyle.

    There’s also the NY Times “Modern Love” column.

  3. Cindy M Bell says:

    This is a great resource for Flash enthusiasts. Thanks for thinking of us at Flashquake. We’d love love love to be a paying market again, but for now, we issue a beautiful, multi-media PDF of the issue to all contributors.

  4. Erika,
    Thanks so much for this! I’ll add a few recommendations as well. The Boston Globe’s Perspective column and its Couplings space are both good venues to consider for creative nonfiction.

    The Perspective word limit is typically 700-750 words. They take the piece based on a short pitch that typically includes the suggested top of the story. The Perspective space often wants something connected to a current event or at least a time hook. My “Jewish Mom’s Dilemma” piece worked simply because it had the Hanukkah/Christmas hook. It pays roughly $1/word. Coupling – very competitive like Modern Love – has a similar word length restriction, and as the title suggests, it must have to do with relationships. Coupling’s editor typically wants to see the whole piece before considering it. (Neither of these editors would use the term “flash non-fiction,” but the word lengths fit the bill.)

    Linda
    Ps. And of course, there’s always the super-competitive New York Times Lives column to consider as well. (850 words)

  5. Erika Dreifus says:

    @Peggy: So glad–thank you for the comment.

    @Cindy: Thanks for chiming in as an editor.

    @Irene & @Linda: Thank you both for sharing your experiences and expertise. I’m going to revisit the opportunities you’ve mentioned, and if I can find links to guidelines and info about payment online, I’ll add them to the list (some I’d chosen not to link to because I didn’t immediately find that info available). (Is it my imagination, or has the Globe become increasingly possessive of its behind-the-paywall content? I miss it! Wish I could get credit for years of subscribing in the past!) In the meantime, I’m very glad that you have mentioned the additional venues in these comments for others to look into as they choose. Thank you again.

  6. Erika,
    Thanks for listing all the places to submit micro-essays. A friend and I just started a little online journal called ShortStoryNation.com. We accept all genres, but the stories need to be under 300 words.

    Thanks again,
    DTW

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks for the info, DTW, and good luck with the journal.

  7. Carol says:

    This is great. Thanks. BTW I had a piece of flash non fiction published in a journal called longshortstory.com. Also literarymama occassionally takes short pieces. Check them out too.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Carol, do you have a link to your piece on “longshortstory.com”? I can’t seem to find the site, your specifying “longshortstory.com” notwithstanding.

      1. Hi Erika,

        Just popped by to say thanks for featuring Zest on your list of ezines. How did you come across us? It’s very kind of you to have given a shout out.

        I was reading the comments and thought I would reply to this as my very first online publication was through Longstoryshort, but they didn’t archive my story, just my details. 🙁 Thought you might like to know.

        Cheers,

        Kate

        1. Erika Dreifus says:

          Hi, Kate:

          Oh, I wish I could remember how/where I found ZEST. I’m just glad that I did!

          Best,
          Erika

  8. Brian M. says:

    matchbook (matchbooklitmag.com) publishes what we call “indeterminate prose” which more than includes flash nonfiction. We would love to read some!

  9. Hi, Erika. Thank you, this is a handy list. Prime Number Magazine is also looking for flash nonfiction. In our updates between quarterly issues we publish flash fiction and non-fiction as well as shorter poems. Submission guidelines here: http://www.primenumbermagazine.com/Submit.html

  10. What a great list–concise and useful. I’ve been pondering where to submit some of the personal essays that I write from my experiences as an amateur pianist, and it’s great to have this go-to list from such a reputable source.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      I’m so glad that you think it’s useful, Nancy. Thanks for the comment.

  11. Hi Erica,

    I’m thrilled to find this – it’s a valuable resource that I will come to every time I finish a piece and want to find the best fit to submit it. Thanks so much for compiling this list.

    Here’s one more that publishes creative nonfiction of fewer than 2000 words – Under the Gum Tree: http://underthegumtree.com/.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks, Andrea!

  12. Daniel says:

    You can also submit flash nonfiction and flash fiction to This Very Breath Literary Journal.
    http://www.thisverybreath.com/

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks, Daniel. Good to know.

  13. Shyra says:

    Thank you so much for this. Incredibly useful! Only Auchumpkee Creek and Postcard Press seem to be obsolete, just so you know.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thank you so very much, Shyra. I’ve removed them, thanks to your note.

  14. Lisa Nik says:

    This list is great. Wanted to add that The Evansville Review also pubs flash cnf. They took a piece of mine this past year, and their contributors list is pretty impressive!

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      @Lisa, thank you–and thanks for linking to the guidelines (click her name, folks).

  15. So helpful! I can’t thank you enough.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      You’re welcome, Elizabeth!

  16. Courtney says:

    The editors at Rum Punch Press love reading and publishing submissions of flash fiction and micro-fiction and micro-essays. Please send us your work!

    http://www.rumpunchpress.com/submissions/

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks for sharing, Courtney!

  17. Hi, Erika–
    Thank you for mentioning Proximity here. I am one of the magazine’s editors, and we have received several submissions from writers who mentioned that they heard of us here. We appreciate the referral and love getting good flash nonfiction submissions! http://www.proximity.org/submissions

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      I’m thrilled to hear it!

  18. Heidi Czerwiec says:

    Here’s a couple I don’t see listed above:

    Ghost Proposal http://ghostproposal.com

    Journal of Microliterature http://www.microliterature.org

    Waxwing http://waxwingmag.org

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks so much, Heidi! I’ve added the last two on your list. The first one didn’t seem to have clear mention of micro-essays. (But its submission page seems to be closed for now, so that may have something to do with it.) In any case, people will be able to check it out from your comment. Thank you for including the links. Makes my life so much easier! 😉

  19. Hi Erika,

    We publish flash fiction as well as micro fiction and prose poetry.

    We’re especially looking for creative non fiction stories and essays.

    Here’s our Submit page: https://www.betterthanstarbucks.org/contact-submit

    Never any fee to submit. We are mostly a non paying venue, but have begun paying an honorarium (semi-pro) for featured pieces in each issue as well as adding contests with cash prizes.

    Thank you!

    Vera

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Vera, thank you so much for sharing!

    2. Great list, Erika. BTW, Better Than Starbucks exists at https://www.betterthanstarbucks.org/), but the link in your post is busted. Thanks for your most helpful aggregation (what we dream of, right?).

      1. Erika Dreifus says:

        Updated.

  20. Hi, Erika,

    This is a great list and particularly handy for me as I’m looking for more editors to interview on the Lit Mag Love Podcast. We have only had one journal on your list on the show—John Haggerty from The Forge was in my second episode—although we have had several other creative nonfiction editors, and a lot of conversation about the qualities of CNF, most recently with Lilly Dancyger of Narratively.

    In an upcoming interview with editors of Split Lip Magazine they talked about their flash contests, so they could go on your list, too. (I realize you wrote this in 2012, and I can see it’s also still a popular post, so it would make a good addition.)

    All the best,
    Rachel

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks, Rachel! I did update the post in 2016, but it’s probably time (soon) for another update. I’m going to leave Split Lip off for the moment, simply because they don’t seem to specify a particular interest in flash NONFICTION, so far as I can tell, and that’s the focus of this list. Their flash focus seems to be all-fiction. But I like Split Lip a lot (and have a poem waiting for their ruling there, myself). If they discuss flash nonfiction in the upcoming interview with you, I hope that you’ll come back and share a link when it’s available. Thanks again.

    2. Three years later, here is the link to our interview: https://rachelthompson.co/podcast/21/

  21. Flash lyric essays & nonfiction, along with prose poems at Eastern Iowa Review.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Not sure if that’s year-round, but I happen to have this already scheduled to share in tomorrow’s “Markets & Jobs” now that they’ve open again. Thanks for adding here.

  22. Pushkaraj Pophalikar says:

    Thank you, Erika Dreifus, for this very useful resource!
    Wish you all the best in everything.

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      You are welcome!

  23. Louise Julig says:

    JMWW says they like flash CNF as well: https://jmww.submittable.com/submit
    They are also one of the quickest turnarounds you will ever get

    1. Erika Dreifus says:

      Thanks for this. Do you happen to know if they pay? Don’t see any mention on the Submittable page.

      1. Louise Julig says:

        I don’t see anything about payment on their website, so I assume not.

      2. Louise says:

        Just FYI I noticed the listing you put up for JMWW actually says “JMMW,” although the link is correct. An easy mistake to make — I always think it is the other way too 🙂

        1. Erika Dreifus says:

          Fixed!

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