These publications accept creative nonfiction, including personal essays and memoir. Most of these outlets accept other genres also, like fiction and nonfiction. A few also publish translations and artwork. All of them pay writers, from token to pro rates, and are listed in no particular order.
Shenandoah
The magazine publishes poetry, prose, translations, and comics. They are currently open for prose submissions – creative nonfiction (essays, memoirs, etc.) and fiction, including novel excerpts, of up to 8,000 words. The prose editor loves “writing that stretches her imagination and way of thinking, surprises, makes her laugh, moves her, is formally interesting or challenging, defies genre, explores the confusing or uncomfortable, introduces her to new writers, thinks globally, has a distinctive voice, cares about the world, and does not assume white people are literature’s default characters.” Their window for translations and comics is always open. Pay is $100 per 1,000 words of prose up to $500, and $50 per page of comics up to $500. They will read prose until 15 September 2019. Details here.
American Journal of Nursing
This nursing journal accepts personal essays. On their guidelines page, click on the Reflections link on the right to download guidelines for that section. They want “personal stories exploring any aspect of nursing, health, or health care. While many are accounts of memorable nursing experiences, we also welcome the patient perspective, as well as that of other health care professionals. … Avoid generalizations and clichés in favor of specific details and real immersion in a place, an event, a moment, a character. Anecdotes meant to illustrate cozy lessons usually aren’t what we’re looking for; we prefer the messiness and ambivalence of real life, the nuance and uncertainty of many of our hardest decisions, the ways we change our minds about things”, according to their guidelines. Essays should be 800-850 words, and they pay $150. Details here.
Westerly
Apart from creative nonfiction and memoir, this Australian magazine publishes short stories, poetry, essays, and literary criticism. Non-subscribers will be asked to take magazine subscription as part payment for their work. Submission of scholarly articles is accepted year-round. They will accept creative nonfiction of up to 3,500 words, and pay AUD200. The deadline is 31 August 2019. Details here.
West Branch
This literary magazine publishes creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and translations. They will accept up to 30 pages of prose and pay $0.05/word, up to $100. The submission period closes 1 April 2020. Details here.
Colorado Review
This literary magazine accepts nonfiction year round. They have recently opened the submission period for short fiction and poetry, as well. Online submissions are charged, but there is no fee for mailed submissions. Length guidelines are 15-25 pages for prose, and pay is $200. Details here.
Woods Reader
This is a publication for those who love woodland areas – public preserves, forests, tree farms, etc. They want work pertaining to locations within the US and Canada. They publish personal experience, philosophy, personal opinion, and fiction, educational articles, humor, poetry, destination pieces, book reviews, assigned topics, as well as photographs and illustrations. They usually accept work of 500-1,000 words and occasionally may serialize work, of 2,000-5,000 words. Pay ranges from $25 to $150. Details here.
The Fiddlehead
This Canadian magazine publishes writing in English or translations into English from all over the world and in a variety of styles, including experimental genres. They creative nonfiction – can include personal essays, narrative nonfiction, think pieces, etc. – and fiction, including excerpts from novels, poetry, and artwork. They also publish reviews, and occasionally other selected creative work such as excerpts from plays. They still accept mailed submissions, which are free, and accepted year round. Pay is CAD60 per page. Details here.
Baltimore Review
This magazine publishes fiction, creative nonfiction (of up to 5,000 words), and poetry. The editors detail what they like to see in the writing here. They pay $40 (Amazon gift certificate or PayPal, if preferred) and are reading work up to 30 November 2019. Details here.
Blue Marble Review
They accept work from writers aged 13-21; nonfiction, including personal essays, memoir, opinion, and travel pieces of up to 1,800 words, as well as fiction, poetry, photography, and art. Pay for writers is $25 and they accept work on a rolling basis. Details here.
Ellipsis
This is the annual literary journal published by the students of Westminster College since 1965. They publish creative nonfiction (up to 8,000 words), poetry, short fiction, drama, and art. They are reading until 1 November 2019. They pay $3 per page of prose. They cannot pay international contributors. Details here.
Guernica
They are currently accepting longform nonfiction — essays, memoir, reportage, and interviews of 2,500 – 7,500 words. They are also open for shortform nonfiction — news, reviews, commentary (including op-eds and essays), and Q&As, as well as multimedia pieces and fiction. They provide modest honoraria for longform pieces. Shortform nonfiction is unpaid. Details here.
Ploughshares
This award-winning magazine publishes fiction and nonfiction of up to 6,000 words, and poetry. They greatly prefer to receive work via Submittable, which has a fee, but they also accept postal submissions, which are not charged. Pay is $45 per page, up to $450. Also check out Solos, in which they publish significantly longer work – 7,500-20,000 words – including novel and memoir excerpts. They are reading work until 15 January 2020. Details here.
Notre Dame Magazine
This magazine is published by the University of Notre Dame. The magazine covers alumni activities, institutional events, and people and trends. It also examines a broad spectrum of cultural issues on science and the arts, society and its structures, the spiritual and the human. Because many of its readers are Catholic, the magazine often addresses topics of interest to a Catholic audience. Their CrossCurrents section (formerly called Perspectives) contains three to four essays per issue. Often written in first-person, these pieces are 750 to 1,500 words and deal with a wide array of issues — some topical, some personal, some serious, some light. They also publish feature stories which address a variety of issues appealing to college-educated readers who take an active interest in the contemporary world. Payment is upon publication. Details here.
Kaleidoscope
They publish articles, including memoirs and personal essays on disability, and accept work from writers with and without disabilities. Their guidelines say, “The material chosen for Kaleidoscope challenges and overcomes stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental attitudes about disability.” They publish poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and book reviews. Pay is $10-100. Details here.
Reckoning
They want creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry on environmental justice, and welcome writing that is personal. They are currently reading work on urban nature and the environmental challenges of cities. For nonfiction, they prefer work that is more creative than journalistic. They specially want work from Indigenous writers, writers of color, queer and transgender writers, and anyone who has suffered the consequences of society’s systemic disconnect with and mistreatment of the natural world. The pay is $0.06/word for prose, up to 45,000 words. Submissions close on Autumn equinox, in September. Details here.
Written by S. Kalekar
https://www.authorspublish.com/15-paying-creative-nonfiction-markets-now-seeking-submissions/
