General submissions are currently closed. Check back in October for more information.
The Schooner’s intention is to publish the best and most interesting writing available, both from beginning and established writers. We publish short stories, poems, imaginative essays of general interest, and reviews of current books of poetry and fiction. Scholarly articles requiring footnote references should be submitted to journals of literary scholarship. We particularly welcome work by writers of color and writers who come from disenfranchised or previously disenfranchised backgrounds.
We do not consider work that has been previously published, including work that has appeared online, and while we do consider work that has been simultaneously submitted to other journals, we request that you withdraw the piece immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. We do consider translations of work that have not been published prior in English.
For poetry, send a selection of up to seven poems contained within a single document. For fiction and essays, send only one selection at a time. To withdraw an individual poem from consideration, please send us a message through Submittable. To withdraw an essay or short story, please withdraw the full manuscript.
We encourage you to read the Schooner before you submit. Sample copies are available below for just $9.00. There's never a fee to submit to our general reading period, and we're grateful for the support we receive through donations and orders.
Looking for the Prairie Schooner Raz-Shumaker Book Prize contest? For the sake of confidentiality, it's totally separate from normal submissions. Open annually from January 15 to March 15, for collections of short fiction and poetry, the fee to submit is $25, and the prize is $3,000 and publication through the University of Nebraska Press. Read more: https://prairieschoonerbookprizeseries.submittable.com/submit
New subscriptions begin with the Spring 2025 issue, coming this fall.
Now in our 98th year of continuous publication, the Schooner seeks to publish the most interesting work in contemporary poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and reviews.
A one-year subscription includes 4 issues of the journal. Select a two- or three-year subscription for an even better rate!
Current Issue: Volume 98, Issue 4, Winter 2024
Contributors: Marilyn Hacker, Deema K. Shehabi, Chase Twichell, Orlando Ricardo Menes, Felicia Zamora, Cyril Dabydeen, Nadeem Zaman, Mary Morris, Marcia Lynx Qualey, Sabina Urraca, J.P. White, Matthew Gellman, Karan Kapoor, Keisha-Gaye Anderson, Brian Francis, Andrea L. Hackbarth, Jay Kophy, Nicholas Samaras, Enzo Silon Surin, Robert Thomas, Catherine DeNardo, Emily Black, Danielle Weeks, Tom Laichas, Alonso Llerena, Matthew Lippman, Christine Marshall, Wes Matthews, Genevieve Payne, Rachel Ephraim, Esi W. Nkyekyer, Abbie Kiefer, Avia Tadmor, Chris Watkins, Adam J. Gellings, Mariah Rigg, Brittany Perham, and Gracie Newman.
Now in our 98th year of continuous publication, Prairie Schooner seeks to publish the best in contemporary poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and reviews.
We've got years of great issues full of excellent writing, and buying a sample copy is a great way to grab a taste of what we're all about.
If you're looking to buy a specific back issue, please indicate which one you want in the form. Otherwise, we'll just pick out one of our favorite recent issues and send it your way.
Our readers' loyal support and enthusiasm for what we do is why we're able to keep producing one of the oldest literary magazines in the country.
Consider making a donation to support our ongoing mission to bring great work from around the world out into the world.