Literary Journal

The Branches Journal

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Journals & literary magazines1 open opportunity listed

About the magazine

The Branches Journal is an online literary and arts publication founded in 2018 with the aim of fostering a contemplative, interdisciplinary space for emerging and established voices. Its founding ethos emphasizes the interconnectedness of creative disciplines—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and visual art—treating each submission as a branch of a larger, evolving conversation. The journal prioritizes work that demonstrates formal awareness, emotional precision, and a willingness to engage with the complexities of contemporary experience without resorting to spectacle or trend-driven aesthetics.

Editorial focus

The Branches is a journal of literature and philosophy based in New York City dedicated to exploring our beliefs, our influences, and our contexts. It provides a space for cultural criticism and personal essays that reach out for connections and grow deep in meaning, accompanied by poetry, short fiction, and visual art.

PoetryFictionCreative Nonfiction

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Mar 14

Reading feeNo

PaymentNo payment

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsYes

Unsolicited submissionsYes

Before submitting, read at least two recent issues to understand the journal's tonal and formal range. The editors favor work that trusts the reader's intelligence and avoids over-explanation. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify promptly if your work is placed elsewhere. Include a brief cover letter that situates your practice without overselling it. Visual art submissions should include a link to a cohesive portfolio rather than disparate images. Response times typically range from four to eight weeks; query only after ten weeks.

Seeking submissions of previously unpublished written and visual work. We are especially interested in cultural criticism, personal essays, and book/movie discussions and also publish poetry, short fiction, art, and photography. We recommend reading some of our previous issues (available free online) to get a feel for what we publish. Give us your big ideas and small thoughts, the ways you’re interacting with and understanding the world. We love Joan Didion, C. S. Lewis, Ada Limón, Susan Sontag, Patti Smith, and (hopefully) you!

Read official guidelines

Submission calls

1 listed

OpenDeadline · 2027-01-01