Analytics on Missa

With your consent we measure which opportunities and flows are useful so we can improve them. We do not sell data or run advertising. Privacy notice

Skip to content
Beta
Log inCreate account
Back to literary journals

Literary Journal

Literary Mama

Open now
Visit website Submission calls
Journals & literary magazines1 open opportunity listedWorldwide

About the magazine

Literary Mama is an online literary magazine founded in 2005 by a collective of writers seeking to illuminate the complexities of motherhood through a literary lens. From its inception, the journal has provided a platform for voices that are often marginalized in mainstream literary culture, publishing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and critical essays that explore the intersections of parenting, identity, and art. Its mission is to foster a community of readers and writers who take motherhood seriously as a subject worthy of rigorous artistic and intellectual engagement.

Editorial focus

Literary Mama celebrates the physical, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual processes of motherhood across race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, material resources, or status. The journal publishes six times a year, and each issue features creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, literary reflections, book reviews, and profiles. The Literary Mama blog supports writers with motivational essays, craft-related resources, and calls for submissions. This Mama Is Lit! , the Literary Mama podcast, interviews writers.

PoetryFictionCreative NonfictionTranslation

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31
Reading feeNo
PaymentNo payment
Response time3 to 6 months
Simultaneous submissionsYes
Unsolicited submissionsYes

Writers should familiarize themselves with the journal's aesthetic, which values nuanced, well-crafted work that avoids sentimentality and cliché. Submissions are typically open year-round for most genres, but check the website for specific reading periods and guidelines. Simultaneous submissions are accepted with prompt notification of acceptance elsewhere. Include a brief cover letter and bio, and proofread carefully; the editors appreciate writing that reflects the complexity of mothering experiences without reducing them to stereotype.

Read official guidelines

Submission calls

1 listed
Open

Literary Mama — Submissions

View opportunity

Explore the publication through its past issues and volumes.

Issue covers aren’t available yet

Visit the publication’s website to explore its archive.

Visit publication website ↗