Literary Journal

Ugly People Literary Magazine

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About the magazine

Ugly People Literary Magazine is an online publication founded on the conviction that literary beauty often resides in the unpolished, the raw, and the socially overlooked. Established as a digital space for voices that resist conventional aesthetics, it champions work that interrogates norms of appearance, identity, and belonging. The magazine’s ethos is rooted in a democratic approach to publishing: it seeks to dismantle hierarchies of taste and to foreground writing that is urgent, honest, and formally adventurous. By prioritizing the marginalized and the aesthetically dissident, Ugly People constructs a counter-canon of contemporary literature.

Submitting your work

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Before submitting, read at least one full issue to understand the magazine’s aesthetic and political commitments. Work that is formally conventional or thematically safe is unlikely to find a home here. They welcome poetry, short fiction, and hybrid texts that engage with themes of physical appearance, social stigma, or non-normative identities. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but notify immediately upon acceptance elsewhere. Include a brief cover letter that contextualizes your work within the magazine’s mission, and avoid excessive bio padding. Response times vary, so query after three months if you have not heard back.