8 Magazines for Earth Writing
omg we live on a planet
Environmental writing is one of my favorite sub-genres in literature and also quite an old one. Human engagement with nature is a timeless (and simultaneously timely) subject. Lately, environmental writing has taken new forms, like ecopoetry and climate fiction, which deal with the climate crisis, the human impact on nature, and speculative environmental futures. This imaginative effort is an essential step in the building of a sustainable future.
This week I'm sharing eight magazines that all publish work relating to the natural world and our human engagement with it. These magazines are otherwise diverse, old and new, selective and accessible, print and online, publishing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art. There's something for everyone here.
Solarpunk Magazine | Open for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2021 that publishes Fiction, Fiction (Micro), Nonfiction, Poetry, Review, Interview, Translation, Art.
Online magazine imagining new, sustainable futures through speculative fiction, poetry, nonfiction, & art. Demand Utopia!
Fee: None | Pay: see Genres section for details
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 60 days. Acceptance rate of 4.08% based on 181 tracked submissions.
Noteworthy: #active on socials #engaged editors #extra popular
While Solarpunk doesn't have examples online, I really love their principles. Utopian writing is an exciting trend in environmental work, and Solarpunk Magazine seeks to publish exciting writing that engages nature by imagining sustainable futures. Tell me that doesn't rock. They pay pretty well, publish regularly, and have predictable submission calls.
Terrain.org | Open for Submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1997 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Hybrid, Art, Play, Video.
An independent, ad-free online magazine founded in 1997 that focuses on place by publishing a mix of award-winning contributions, including poetry, nonfiction, fiction, editorials, interviews, reviews, recommended reads, artwork, and community/regional case studies.
Fee: None | Pay: Yes
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Acceptance rate of 5% (reported by editors).
Noteworthy: #one week response time #independent #very competitive #beautiful design #fiction prize winner #krouse top 500 #20+ years old #nonfiction prize winner #poetry prize winner #extra popular
One of the older and more well-established magazines on this list, Terrain.org publishes nonfiction and interviews as well as poetry and fiction. They'll reopen for general submissions in 2025, but they're currently running fiction book prize with a deadline of November 15 and a $1000 prize, and they're also open for “Letters to America,” which can include fiction and poetry.
Blue Bottle Journal | Closed for submissions
Australia-based literary magazine founded in 2020 that publishes Poetry.
Blue Bottle is a journal for the emotional rather than the esoteric, for poems that pulse, writhe, and stick to our skin. Blue Bottle focuses on the natural world, animals and land through ecocritical lenses.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Respond within 45 days.
While it seems Blue Bottle is slowing down their publishing a bit right now, they've been consistently publishing vibrant work engaging with nature. They're based out of Australia and welcoming to marginalized poets and emerging poets. Submit when they reopen in the new year.
Canary: A Literary Journal of the Environmental Crisis | Closed for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2008 that publishes Nonfiction, Poetry, Fiction.
Canary is a literary journal that explores one’s engagement with the natural world. It is based on the premise that the literary arts can provide an understanding that humans are part of an integrated system.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints.
Noteworthy: #one week response time
One of the more accessible magazines on this list, Canary's theme is “the environmental crisis and the losses of species and habitat as a result of this ongoing disaster.” Instead of author bios, Canary publishes writer's descriptions of the natural landscapes they live in, which I love. If you're writing about the impact of climate on your local ecosystem, send it here when they reopen in February.
The Hopper | Closed for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2015 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Art, Photography.
The Hopper is an environmental literary magazine. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, visual art, interviews, and book reviews, all of which are paths towards an invigorated understanding of nature’s place in human life.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Acceptance rate of 12.50% based on 30 tracked submissions.
Noteworthy: #read for free #active on socials
The Hopper, which publishes in print and online, is looking for work that engages with the environment through new lenses. They present beautiful artwork alongside writing. Their poems often engage primarily with the animal world from non-human perspectives.
Orion Magazine | Closed for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 1982 that publishes Nonfiction, Photography.
"America's Finest Environmental Magazine." 100% ad-free, reader-supported publication at the convergence of ecology, art, and social justice, since 1982.
Fee: None | Pay: No
Accept simultaneous submissions. Acceptance rate of 19.51% based on 44 tracked submissions.
Noteworthy: #has print issues #30+ years old
Just looking at some of the names on their website, it seems like maybe Orion is a little trickier to crack than the almost twenty percent tracker acceptance rate might suggest. Still, the magazine publishes quarterly in print and online and has been doing so for forty-something years. So for anyone writing environmental nonfiction, Orion is a good place to pitch when they are open.
Reckoning: creative writing on environmental justice | Open for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2016 that publishes Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translation, Art.
An annual journal of creative writing on environmental justice.
Fee: None | Pay: see Genres section for details
Accept simultaneous submissions and some reprints. Respond within 180 days. Acceptance rate of 4.76% based on 38 tracked submissions.
Noteworthy: #has print issues #active on socials #nonprofit #highly competitive #popular
Reckoning pays $0.15/word for fiction and $75/page for poetry. Just gonna put that up front. Reckoning is one of the more competitive markets on this list, but they pay, they're always open, and they publish great work themed around environmental justice. They also rotate their editors and themes for different issues, which means this is a good magazine to keep trying.
Ecotone | Closed for submissions
United States-based literary magazine founded in 2005 that publishes Fiction, Flash Fiction, Nonfiction, Flash Nonfiction, Poetry.
A biannual magazine that seeks to reimagine place. Published by UNC Wilmington's Department of Creative Writing. AWP Small Press Publisher Award winner | ASME Award for Fiction Finalist.
Fee: $3 | Pay: from $100
Accept simultaneous submissions. Acceptance rate of 0.98% based on 170 tracked submissions.
Noteworthy: #has print issues #university affiliated # beautiful design # consistent quality #fosters inclusivity #nonfiction prize winner #poetry top prize winner #super extra popular
Ok it is my sincere hope and belief that everyone submitting environmental work already knows Ecotone, because they are really one of THE venues for this kind of writing. They're super popular, super selective, and they have a fee, but I would understand if that didn't deter you. Ecotone (along with The Common) is also one of the most popular magazines for “place-based” writing, a group adjacent to these environmental journals that I might collect in a future list.
That's all for this week! I'd love to know what types of lists would be most helpful to Sub Club Specials readers, so if you have any particular interests, please let me know in the comments.
Orion doesn’t pay?