A publication - print or online - that features short fiction, poetry, essays, and sometimes art, curated by editors who care about craft.
A literary magazine is a periodical publication dedicated to literature, primarily short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and occasionally visual art or interviews. They range from small volunteer-run online journals to prestigious print publications with decades of history. Lit mags are where most short-form literary work finds its audience, and they serve as the proving ground for emerging writers. Getting published in one means an editor who reads hundreds or thousands of submissions chose yours, which carries real weight in the literary world.
Literary magazines are the primary marketplace for short fiction and poetry, and publishing in them is how you build a track record as a writer. Agents and editors look at your publication credits when evaluating your query letter. But beyond the career angle, reading lit mags teaches you what is being published right now - what themes editors are drawn to, what styles are landing, and where your own work might fit in the larger conversation.
Read at least three recent pieces from any magazine before you submit. Every lit mag has a personality - a sense of what it values. If your dark comedy thriller lands on the desk of a journal that publishes quiet literary realism, it is going straight to rejection.
The Paris Review rejects over 99% of submissions. Start with smaller, newer journals that are actively building their roster of contributors. A publication credit in a thoughtful small mag counts more than a rejection from a famous one.
Most lit mags accept 1-3% of submissions. A rejection usually means the piece was not right for that issue, not that your writing is bad. Keep a submission tracker, send the piece somewhere else the same week, and move on.
Pick three literary magazines that publish work in your genre using Duotrope, Submittable, or The Submission Grinder. Read two pieces from each and write a one-paragraph description of what kind of writing each magazine seems to favor. Then look at which of your finished pieces best fits each magazine's vibe. The goal is to start thinking like a strategic submitter, not just a writer hoping for the best.