Literary Journal

The Esthetic Apostle

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About the magazine

The Esthetic Apostle is an online literary and arts journal founded with the conviction that aesthetic experience is a form of intellectual and spiritual inquiry. Since its inception, it has provided a digital sanctuary for writing and art that prioritizes beauty, ambiguity, and contemplative depth over polemic or trend. The journal’s mission is to publish work that rewards slow attention—poetry, short fiction, essays, and visual art that engage with the sacred, the sublime, and the quietly strange. By maintaining a seasonal reading period and a curated online presence, The Esthetic Apostle cultivates a readership that values craft and interiority, positioning itself as a counterpoint to the accelerated, content-driven rhythms of contemporary digital publishing.

Editorial focus

The Esthetic Apostle publishes poetry, prose, essays, visual art, and photography with intention, craft, and a distinct artistic voice. Originally founded in Chicago and now reaching a global audience, the publication favors work with strong form, emotional intelligence, and a clear point of view. The editors welcome literary and visual work that feels necessary, polished, and alive.

PoetryFictionCreative Nonfiction

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Dec 31

Reading feeYes

PaymentCash

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsYes

Unsolicited submissionsYes

Before submitting, read at least two recent issues to internalize the journal’s tonal range: it favors work that is evocative rather than declarative, and it is less interested in irony than in earnest inquiry. Send 3–5 poems, one story or essay under 5,000 words, or 3–5 images in a single PDF or DOCX. Include a brief third-person bio and a note on how your work engages with the journal’s aesthetic concerns. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable if you withdraw promptly upon acceptance elsewhere. Response times typically range from four to eight weeks; do not query before eight weeks. The editors appreciate cover letters that are concise and free of flattery—state your submission’s title and genre, and trust the work to speak for itself.

Send finished work that shows care in language, structure, image, or composition. Lead with your strongest piece and keep cover notes brief. Previously unpublished work is preferred. We welcome difficult or unsettling work, but not pieces that rely on hate, shock value, or message alone without craft.

Read official guidelines

Submission calls

1 listed

ClosedDeadline · 2026-09-30