Many writers have shared their thoughts with the public:

"There are two kinds of writer: those that make you think, and those that make you wonder." - Brian Aldiss

"Writing is not a genteel profession; it's quite nasty and tough and kind of dirty." - Rosemary Mahoney

"Words, once they are printed, have a life of their own." - Carol Burnett

"Those who write clearly have readers. Those who write obscurely have commentators." -Albert Camus

"If writers stopped writing about what happened to them, then there would be a lot of empty pages." - Elaine Liner

"When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing." - Enrique Jardiel Poncela

"Proofread carefully to see if you any words out." - Anon

Publishing Creative Non-Fiction\Essays\Memoir

This is a selected list of publications that accept unsolicited, completed creative non-fiction, essays, memoir and the like without charging anyone a reading\submission fee or requiring a subscription. Some are digital-only publications (available to read online or download), some have printed editions too and a few are print-only. Some publications accept submissions at any time while others are open at various times during the year.

Some publications will let you submit more than one piece at a time ('multiple submissions') or more than one during a particular submmission period and\or submit a piece that's under consideration elsewhere ('simultaneous submission'). Different publications have different requirements for formatting\presentation, additional information to include and file types. Some are very picky. A publication can take weeks or months to respond to you, and some will respond only if they want to publish your piece.

Most publishers won't accept material created using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) because they're interested in your experience, imagination, thoughts, feelings etc and want to see your personal writing style rather than a homogenized one from a computer program. They appreciate writing on which you've spent time, effort and skill.

If you have a piece accepted by a publication, they'll want certain rights such as First Electronic Rights, or First Serial Rights and Non-Exclusive Electronic Rights. Occasionally, the information on a publication's website about rights is inaccurate. A publication will probably ask that you don't publish your piece elsewhere for a time ('exclusivity period') and might ask that in future, you credit them as the first publisher. Note that they might not accept any further pieces from you for a time, in order to publish a variety of writers.

There are many other publications out there too, in addition to the ones on this list. Some have more restrictions on who can submit to them. Note that this list isn't for journalistic or academic articles.

I'm not affiliated with any of these publications and can't guarantee the accuracy of the information so please do your own research before submitting anything.

Publications that pay for non-fiction:

Publications may obtain funding from various sources: subscriptions, donations, selling enrolments in writing courses\workshops, sales of books\anthologies or merchandise, state or federal government arts grants etc.

General non-fiction - unpublished pieces:

• Andromeda Spaceways Magazine. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Theme: speculative genres\writers\fans, science, history etc. Limit: 5000 words (preferably around 3000 words). Pays AUD $10.
• Aniko Magazine. Print. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. No specified word limit. Pays AUD $125. Also accepts book reviews at times: limit 600 - 900 words, pays AUD $50.
• Aurealis. Digital. Accepts submissions Mar 1 through Sep 30. Accepts topics of interest to readers and writers of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Limit: 500 - 2000 words. Pays AUD $40.
• Consequence. Print and digital. Accepts submissions Jan 15 through Apr 15, and Jul 15 through Oct 15 each year. Theme: war. Limit: 4000 words. Pays USD $30 - $50.
• Craft. Digital. Varying limits up to 6000 words. Pays USD $50 - $200 for unpublished pieces.
• Dreamworldgirl Zine. Print and digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Accepts submissions during Apr through Jun, and Oct through Dec each year. Themed issues. No specified word limit. Pays USD $5 - $10. See the contact page on their website for the email address for submissions.
• Electric Literature. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 2000 - 6500 words. Pays USD $100.
• Gutter. Print and digital. Accepts submissions during Northern Hemisphere Spring and Autumn. Limit: 2500 words. Pays GBP £50.
• Larina's Lit Lounge. Digital. Accepts pieces written in response to one of their prompts. Size limit: up to 1000 words (preferably around 500 words). Pays USD $20.
• Longreads. Digital. No specified word limit. Pays USD $500.
• Mascara Literary Review. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 3000 words. Pays AUD $200 (to Australians only).
• MudRoom. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 6000 words. Pays USD $15.
• Nightmare. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts horror\dark fantasy creative non-fiction for the Horror Lab section. Size limit: 1500 words. Pays (US) 8 cents\word.
• Notch Magazine. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Size limit: 1500 words. Payment not specified.
Overland. Print and digital. Accepts cultural and political analysis. No specified word limit. Pays AUD $550 for printed pieces, AUD $170 for digital-only pieces.
• Pictura Journal. Print and digital. A writer can submit up to twice every calender year. Size limit: 1500 words. Pays USD $5.
• Poets & Writers Magazine. Print and digital. Accepts articles on writing and on American writers, but generally excluding anything to do with genre fiction or children's literature. Varying word limits up to 3000 words. Payment not specified.
• Quadrant. Print and digital. Limit: 3000 words. Payment not specified.
• Rat Bag Lit. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 500 - 1000 words. Pays (US) 1 cent\word up to USD $10.
• SmokeLong Quarterly. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 1000 words. Pays USD $100.
• The Big Issue. Print. Accepts submissions only from Australia. Varying word limits up to 2000 words. Pays (Australian) 20 cents\word.
• The Dublin Review. Print. No specified word limit. Pays GBP £300+.
• The Masters Review. Digital. Accepts essays on the craft of writing. Limit: 1200 - 2500 words. Pays USD $50.
• The New York Times - Modern Love column. Print and digital. Accepts submissions during Sep through Dec, and Mar through Jun. Accepts personal essays on relationships. Limit: 1500 - 1700 words. Payment not specified.
• The School Magazine - Countdown, Blast Off, Orbit, Touchdown. Print and digital. Accepts articles for 7 - 12 year old children. Limit: 800 - 2000 words. Pays (Australian) 50 cents\word.
• The Suburban Review. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Limit: 1250 - 2000 words. Pays AUD $400 but deducts $40 for a subscription for non-subscribers.
• Vast Chasm Magazine. Digital. Limit: 5000 words. Pays USD $50.
• Yellow Arrow Journal. Print and digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Themed issues. Limit: 100 - 2000 words. Pays USD $10.

General non-fiction - both unpublished and previously published pieces:

• January House Literary Journal. Print and digital. Accepts previously published stories if they were published only on personal blogs or social media. Size limit: 1500 words.
• Mslexia. Print and digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts previously published pieces if they were self-published (not selected or commissioned via an independent editorial process). Varying themes. Varying word limits. Pays GBP £30+.
• NonBinary Review (from Zoetic Press). Print and digital. Accepts submissions in Feb, May, Aug and Nov each year. Themed issues - speculative themes. Size limit: 3000 words. Pays (US) 1 cent\word.
• Solstitia. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues but the theme isn't strictly enforced. Limit: 10,000 words. Pays USD $50.
• Stanchion. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts previously published pieces if they were published only on social media\personal blogs. Limit: 4000 words. Pays USD $20.
• Stanchion - Elegant Variations. Digital (an online-only supplement to Stanchion magazine). Accepts submissions at times. Accepts previously published pieces if they were published only on social media\personal blogs. Limit: 1000 words. Pays USD $5.
• The Pink Hydra (from Zoetic Press). Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 50 - 30,000 words. Pays USD $5 - USD $25 depending on length.

General non-fiction and memoir - unpublished pieces:

• Broad Ripple Review. Digital. Size limit: 4000 words. Payment not specified.
• Griffith Review. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Limit: 4000 words. Pays (Australian) 75 cents\word.
• GR Online. Digital (an online-only supplement to Griffith Review). Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 1500 words. Pays AUD $500.
• Island. Print and digital. Accepts submissions only from Australia, New Zealand, and Australians overseas. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 4000 words. Pays (Australian) 40 cents\word with a minimum of AUD $600 and a maximum of $1500 but deducts the cost of a subscription for non-subscribers.
• Island Online. Digital (an online-only supplement to Island magazine). Accepts submissions only from Australia, New Zealand, and Australians overseas. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 1500 words. Pays AUD $600 but deducts the cost of a subscription to Island for non-subscribers.
• Jake: The Anti-Literary Magazine. Digital. Size limit: up to 1000 words for flash pieces, 2000 - 7000 words (preferably around 3500 words) for other pieces.
• Prairiefire. Print. A writer can submit non-fiction once every 12 months. Limit: 10,000 words. Pays (US) 10 cents\word up to a maximum of USD $250 (or lower maximums for some categories).
• Splinter. Print and digital. There can be restrictions on who can submit. Accepts submissions at times. No specified word limit. Pays AUD $600 for memoir.
• The Stinging Fly. Print and digital. Accepts submissions during two-week periods during May and Nov each year. No specified word limit. Pays GBP £150 - £1200.
• The Threepenny Review. Print and digital. Accepts submissions from Jan 1 through April 14 each year. Limit: 2500 words for articles, 4000 words for memoir. Pays USD $400.
• Westerly. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 3500 words. Pays AUD $500 for printed pieces, AUD $250 for digital pieces.

General non-fiction and memoir - both unpublished and previously published pieces:

• Story Unlikely. Digital. Accepts submissions from Feb 2 through Sep 29 each year. Limit: 3500 words. Pays (US) 8 cents\word for unpublished pieces, (US) 2 cents\word for previously published pieces.
• The Lascaux Review. Digital. No specified word limit. Payment not specified.

Publications that accept non-fiction but don't pay for it:

General non-fiction - unpublished pieces:

• Amethyst Review. Digital. Accepts submissions at the start of each month, until they've received 100 submissions. Theme: spirituality and the sacred. Size limit: 2000 words.
• Apricity Press. Digital. Accepts submissions each year from Sep 1 through Jan 1 the following year. Size limit: 6 pages.
• Belladonna's Garden. Digital. Themed issues. Size limit: 1000 - 5000 words.
• Club Plum Literary Journal. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Some issues are themed. Limit: 3000 words.
• Confluence. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 2500 words.
• Cosmic Daffodil Journal. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Size limit: 600 words.
• Dash Literary Journal. Print. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 2000 words.
• Eleventh Hour Literary. Digital. Accepts submissions from Jan 15 through Mar 15, and Aug 15 through Oct 15. Accepts only pieces that have been rejected by other publications and then revised. Size limit: 7000 words.
• Heat. Print and digital. No specified word limit.
• Headlight Anthology. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 4000 words.
• Literary Yard. Digital. No specified word limit.
• Macabre Magazine. Digital. Theme: horror. Size limit: 6000 words.
• Magazine Americana. Digital. Accepts articles on American popular culture (1900-present). No specified word limit.
• Mangrove Review. Print. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 5000 words.
• MER. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Theme: motherhood. Limit: 1000 words.
• Midnight Mind Magazine. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times for themed anthologies relating to American culture. No specified word limit.
• Northern Eclecta. Print and digital. Accepts submissions from mid Jan to early Mar each year. Themed issues. No specified word limit.
• OyeDrum. Digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. No specified word limit.
• Oyster River Pages. Digital. Accepts submissions from Jan 15 through May 1 each year. Limit: 6000 words.
• Prole. Digital and print. Limit: 7500 words.
• Review Americana: A Creative Writing Journal. Digital. Accepts pieces that hold appeal for an American readership and bear a relationship to American culture. No specified word limit.
• Salvation South. Digital. Accepts only pieces that appeal to people living in, or with roots in, the American South. Size limit: they have published pieces from 300 words to several thousand words.
• Short Stories 101. Digital. No specified word limit.
• Socjeta Literary Review. Digital. Accepts pieces about social issues. Limit: 1000 words.
• St. Katherine Review. Digital. Size limit: 2000 words.
• Superpresent. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Limit: 500 - 2000 words.
• The Forgotten Writer. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 5000 words.
• The Manchester Review. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Limit: 6000 words.
• The Masters Review. Digital. Accepts book reviews and interviews with authors\industry professionals. Limit: 700 - 1200 words for a book review, 1200 - 2500 words for an interview. No payment for book reviews and interviews.
• The Paris Review. Print and digital. Accepts submissions during Feb, Jun and Oct each year until they reach capacity. Limit: 40 pages.
• Up North Lit. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. No payment for general submissions from adults. Size limit: 4000 words.

General non-fiction - both unpublished and previously unpublished pieces:

• Craft. Digital. Size limit: varying limits up to 6000 words. No payment for previously published pieces.
• Four Tulips. Print and digital. Accepts previously published stories if they were published only on personal blogs. Size limit: 2000 words.
• Incensepunk Magazine. Digital - some pieces are also included in a printed annual anthology. Theme: the intersection of faith and emerging technology. They also accept book reviews. Size limit: 1000 words.
• Rabble Review. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Theme: anti-capitalism. Size limit: 2000 words.
• Still Point Arts Quarterly (by Shanti Arts). Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues. Size limit: 5000 words.
• The Incandescent Review. Digital. Accepts submissions only from writers age 13 - 24. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts previously published pieces if they were published only in print or on personal blogs\social media accounts. Size limit: 6 pages.
• The Metaworker. Digital. Accepts submissions during Jan, Feb, Apr, May, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov. Size limits: 150 words for micro pieces, 3000 words for other pieces.
• Waywords Literary Journal. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 5000 words.
• Willows Wept Review. Print and digital. Accepts previously published pieces are accepted if they were published only in print more than one year ago, or on personal websites. No specified word limit.

General non-fiction and memoir - unpublished pieces:

• African Writer Magazine. Digital. Accepts pieces that engage African people, places and ideas. No specified word limit.
• All Your Stories. Print and digital. Limit: 2500 words.
• Bright Flash Literary Review. Digital. Accepts memoir only. Limit: 1500 words.
• Cordella Magazine. Print and digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues but the theme isn't strictly enforced. No specified word limit.
• Crannog Online. Digital. No specified word limit.
• Funny Pearls. Digital. Accepts submissions only from women. Accepts humorous pieces. Limit: 2000 words.
• Persimmon Tree. Digital. Accepts submissions only from women aged over 60. Limit: 3500 words. There are also themed sections ('Short Takes') that accept submissions at times and have a limit of 500 words.
• redrosethorns journal. Digital. Feminist slant. Themes: mental health, self-care, gender\sexuality, epowerment. Size limit: 3000 words.
• Scribeworth. Digital, and some pieces are included in a print anthology. Accepts submissions during Jan, Feb, Apr, May, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov. Size limit: 1000 - 2000 words.
• Silly Goose Press. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Some issues are themed. Limit: 3000 words. Some issues have lower word limits.
• Spadina Literary Review. Digital. Limit: 500 - 2000 words for an essay, 1000 - 2000 words for memoir.
• The Fool's World. Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Themed issues relating to travel. Varying word limits.
• The Gilded Weathervane (by FarmGirl Press). Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Theme: rural life. Size limit: 3000 words.
• The Muleskinner Journal. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 3000 words.
• The Rumen. Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Size limit: 5000 words.
• Thorn & Bloom (from the same publisher as redrosethorns journal). Digital. Accepts submissions at times. Feminist slant. Themed issues. Size limit: 2500 words.
• Twist & Twain. Digital. Size limit: 3000 words.
• Varnish. Digital, with a planned print issue in future. A writer can submit twice during a six-month period. No specified word limit.

General non-fiction and memoir - both unpublished and previously published pieces:

• Waffle Fried (a lit mag). Print and digital. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts previously published stories if they were published only on personal blogs or social media accounts. Themed issues. Size limit: 1500 words.