General submissions are temporarily closed. Please check back later this fall for more information or subscribe to our newsletter for updates. Thank you for your patience.
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 Fall 2025 issue, coming this winter.
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!
US Mailing Address:
- One-year (4 issues) Student Subscription $28
- One-year (4 issues) Subscription $32
- Two-year (8 issues) Subscription $40 ***FALL DEAL: $12 off regular price through the end of November***
- Three-year (12 issues) Subscription $72
Overseas Mailing Address (includes Canada):
Add $10 per year to the rates above to account for shipping costs.
Order a copy of one of our newest issues or bundle and save on both!
Volume 99, Issue 1, Spring 2025
Featuring "Spaces: A Nonfiction Portfolio," this issue includes work by: Keya Mitra, Gretchen VanWormer, Sidney Tilghman, Melissa Kwasny, Carolina Murriel, Wendy Gan, Emily Neuberger, Adrie Rose, Robin Becker, Courtney Conrad, Patrick Kindig, Melissa Llanes Brownlee, Ron Block, Rebecca Lehmann, Carlina Duan, Morgan Christie, Annie Diamond, Zachariah Claypole White, Divya Mehrish, Joseph Omoh Ndukwu, Iqra Khan, Khaled Hegazzi, Dolapo Demuren, George Uba, Anthony Yarbrough, Cindy Tran, Becka Mara McKay, Andy Young, Tiffany Jimenez, Romeo Oriogun, Ololade Edun, Funmi Gaji, Grace Olúfémi, Anointing Obuh, Anthony Chibueze Ukwuoma, Nicole Yurcaba, and Lailah Shima.
Volume 99, Issue 2, Summer 2025
Featuring archival work on Writers on Writing and a portfolio on Craft and Instruction, this issue includes work by: Bill Sweeney, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Nancy Willard, Otto Carmichael, Molly Gaudry, K. Srilata, Meghan O’Rourke, Maxine Kumin, Edward Senior, Charles Angoff, LB Thompson, Vivian Shipley, Margaret E. Ashida, John Forbes, Barney Oldfield, Toi Derricotte, Walter Carroll, Ted Kooser, María García Teutsch, Silvio Sirias, Judith Strasser, Bertram A. Lewis, Ada Jean Mecham, Donald Anderson, Doug Anderson, Matt Gallagher, Sam Hamill, Peter Molin, Marilyn Nelson, Stacey Peebles, Katsumi Sugawara, Kwame Dawes, Linda Pastan, Erin Bad Hand, Uche Okonkwo, Ladette Randolph, Heather Lundine, Sherrie Flick, and Chaun Ballard.
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.