Literary Journal

Threepenny Review

Open now

Journals & literary magazines1 open opportunity listed

About the magazine

Founded in 1980 by Wendy Lesser, The Threepenny Review is a quarterly literary and arts magazine that has long served as a vital forum for essays, fiction, poetry, and criticism. From its inception, the journal has championed a cosmopolitan, intellectually rigorous approach to the arts, eschewing narrow trends in favor of work that engages deeply with culture, politics, and the human condition. Its pages have hosted a remarkable range of voices, from established luminaries to emerging writers, all united by a commitment to clarity, substance, and stylistic grace.

Editorial focus

Threepenny Review is an arts magazine that combines literature, the visual and performing arts, memoir, and essay, based in the San Francisco Bay Area and published quarterly since 1980. We have published several Nobel Prize winners (including Louise Glück, Nadine Gordimer, Czeslaw Milosz, etc.) and many first-time authors.

PoetryFictionCreative Nonfiction

Submitting your work

Reading periodJan 1 to Apr 15

Reading feeNo

PaymentCash

Response timeLess than 3 months

Simultaneous submissionsNo

Unsolicited submissionsYes

The Threepenny Review welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry, essays, and criticism, but it is highly selective. Writers should familiarize themselves with the journal’s aesthetic before submitting: work that is intellectually curious, well-crafted, and free of cliché stands the best chance. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify promptly if your work is placed elsewhere. Reading periods and guidelines are detailed on the website; always check for current calls. Patience is advised, as response times can be lengthy due to the volume of submissions and the careful review process.

Please do not submit via e-mail. Please enclose SASE with all mailed submissions. Please send no more than one story, one article, or five poems at once. Please observe our non-reading period (mid-April to December), and do not send work then.

Read official guidelines

Submission calls

1 listed

OpenDeadline · 2027-01-01