Journals & literary magazines5 open opportunities listed
About the magazine
Strip Mall Magazine is an independent literary and arts publication founded in 2018 by a collective of writers and artists seeking to capture the overlooked and the interstitial in contemporary culture. Taking its name from the ubiquitous yet often dismissed commercial strips that dot the American landscape, the magazine positions itself as a space for work that thrives in the margins—narratives of suburban ennui, consumer detritus, and the strange beauty of the everyday. Its founding ethos is rooted in a democratic approach to publishing, prioritizing voices that exist outside traditional literary centers and embracing a DIY aesthetic that values raw authenticity over polish. Since its inception, Strip Mall has published quarterly issues featuring a mix of poetry, short fiction, essays, and visual art, with a particular emphasis on work that engages with themes of place, class, and consumerism. The magazine operates as a non-profit entity, relying on subscriptions and donations to sustain its operations, and maintains a commitment to paying contributors. Its editorial vision is guided by a belief that the most vital cultural production often happens in the spaces between the mainstream and the avant-garde, in the strip malls of the literary world.
Editorial focus
Strip Mall Magazine is a literary publication based out of the MFA program at California Institute of the Arts, named for the infamous suburban sprawl of Southern California. Strip Mall is most interested in works that experiment with narrative and form, and fall between gaps in genre—works that remind you that, even in the midst of ugliness, there are unseen possibilities: another street, another corner, another strip mall, in which you might find exactly what you’re looking for.
PoetryFictionCreative Nonfiction
Submitting your work
Reading periodSep 1 to Oct 15
Reading feeNo
PaymentNo payment
Response timeLess than 3 months
Simultaneous submissionsYes
Unsolicited submissionsYes
Before submitting, familiarize yourself with the magazine's aesthetic by reading at least one recent issue. They favor work that is specific, grounded, and avoids academic jargon or overly polished MFA-style prose. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify them immediately if your work is placed elsewhere. Include a brief cover letter that mentions your connection to the themes of place and consumer culture, but keep it concise. Response times vary from two to four months; query only after four months. They welcome visual art submissions, especially photography and mixed media that engage with suburban or commercial landscapes.