Reed Magazine

Reed Magazine is California’s oldest literary journal. Tracing its heritage to 1867, the journal started as a mere pamphlet published by students of the California State Normal School, the precursor of San José State University. In more than a century and a half of publication, the journal’s name evolved until the end of World War II. Then in 1948, we adopted The Reed, which was later shortened to just Reed, the title we have proudly held ever since.

The members of the Reed Magazine staff are committed to publishing writers and artists who might be marginalized or excluded in traditional publishing, and value the diversity of voice and perspective that such authors bring to our magazine. 

Reed Magazine is proud to have recently published three Pushcart Prize-winning pieces, including a 2021 prize for the poem “Father’s Belt” by Kurt Luchs, a 2022 prize for the essay “Wishbone” by Joseph Sigurdson, and a 2023 prize for the essay “Growing Up Godless” by Robert Issacs. 

We can't wait to read your amazing work!

Submissions open June 1 for Issue 159

Contests

Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
June 1 - October 1

Art, Emerging Voices

June 1 - November 1

General

Fiction
June 1 - October 1

Nonfiction
June 1 - October 1

Poetry
June 1 - October 1

Art
June 1 - November 1

Submission Guidelines - All Categories

• Submission cap: Please limit your submission to our free categories to two (2) per person during each open reading period. There is no limit to the paid categories.
• Use of AI: Reed Magazine honors the complexity and diversity of human creativity. Submissions that appear to be the product of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools will be declined. However, if you have a piece that interrogates the use of AI, we welcome it. Reach out if you have questions on this.
• Editorial process: Reed Magazine copy editors will review submissions accepted for publication to ensure consistency with our style conventions.
• Formal-play and genre-blending work: We love and encourage work that is both formally and generically playful. If this describes your work and you’re unsure which category to submit it to, submit to the one it more closely aligns to. You can add an explanatory note in your cover letter if the context would help us in our consideration.
• We do not accept work that has been previously published (physically printed and distributed or digitally available to the public). We do accept simultaneous submissions, but please notify us if your work is selected for publication elsewhere.

FICTION

Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words. 

Please be sure to: 

• provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
• include a brief bio, up to 50 words
• save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
• double-space text, and use any readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
• number pages
• include word count (5,000-word limit)
• check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date

Submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.

Contest guidelines: Awarding one of the richest purses among literary magazines—$1,000 for the winning story—the John Steinbeck Award for Fiction recognizes exceptional works of fiction. Aesthetically, we are open to most styles and approaches, including experimental and literary. All works should be stand-alone short stories, not chapters of longer works. The contest submission fee is $20.

POETRY

Writers may submit up to five (5) poems per submission.

Please be sure to:

• provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
• include a brief bio, up to 50 words
• save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
• single- or double-space text, and use an easily readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
• number pages
• submit up to five (5) poems in a single document
• check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date

      Submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.

Contest guidelines: With an award of $1,000 for the winning poem, the Edwin Markham Prize honors outstanding works of poetry. Our taste is eclectic and celebrates the wonderful diversity of forms, styles, and levels of diction available to the contemporary poet. The contest submission fee is $20.

NONFICTION

Writers may submit pieces of up to 5,000 words. 

Please be sure to:

• provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
• include a brief bio, up to 50 words
• save submissions as a Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Portable Document Format (.pdf) document
• double-space text, and use an easily readable 12-point typeface (such as Times New Roman)
• number pages
• include word count (5,000-word limit)
• check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
  

     Submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.

Contest guidelines: The Gabriele Rico Challenge for Nonfiction recognizes outstanding works of nonfiction, awarding $1,333 to the author of the winning entry. We are looking for creative nonfiction, such as personal essays and narratives, not scholarly papers or book reviews. All works should be stand-alone essays, not chapters of longer works. The contest submission fee is $20.

ART

Artists may submit up to five (5) pieces of studio art, including photography, per submission.

Please be sure to: 

• provide a cover letter that includes your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address (but exclude this information from the works themselves)
• include a brief bio, up to 50 words
• include available art credits: title, medium, dimensions, year
• render submissions in an easily accessible format, such as .jpg
• size submissions to at least 300 dpi
• check that your Submittable profile is up-to-date
  

      General Art submissions may be considered for the cover. Submitters can expect to hear back from Reed Magazine by the end of December 2025.

Contest guidelines: The Mary Blair Award for Art honors exceptional work across various disciplines. With a prize of $1,000, this award seeks new and fresh artist perspectives to create a dialogue with our readership. Works can be stand-alone pieces or parts of larger series. The contest submission fee is $20.

EMERGING VOICES

Reed Magazine seeks to celebrate the young voices of the San Francisco South Bay region. Submit your original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, visual art, photography, and scholarly works to share your creativity with readers of California's oldest literary journal.  

This contest is for high school students of Santa Clara County, California, ONLY. Our Emerging Voices Contest requires proof of local high school attendance to win.

Note: Reed Magazine claims first rights to North American publication of any work featured in its print journal and on its website. After Reed has published said work in print or online, the copyright for that work reverts to the submitters for subsequent publication at their discretion.