2020 Literary Magazine Ranking–Fiction

NOTE: The 2021 Rankings are now available here.

Below is the 2020 Perpetual Folly Literary Magazine Ranking for Fiction. Go here to read about the methodology.

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2020Magazine2019 Rank2020 Score
1Ploughshares156.5
2Paris Review453
3Conjunctions351
4One Story250.5
5Threepenny Review742
6Gettysburg Review839
7Zoetrope: All Story635.5
8Kenyon Review1135
9Southern Review1434
9Tin House © 1034
11Ecotone Magazine533
12Noon831.5
13Glimmer Train ©1231
14Missouri Review2229.5
15Virginia Quarterly Review1629
16Georgia Review1728.5
17A Public Space1327.5
18Iowa Review1924.5
18Narrative2924.5
20Bellevue Literary Review2524
20New England Review1724
22Sun1522.5
23American Short Fiction1920.5
24Agni2120
25Oxford American2717.5
26Image2316.5
26ZYZZYVA2616.5
28Hudson Review3716
29Epoch3014.5
29Wigleaf3414.5
31Pleiades3114
32Boulevard3113.5
32McSweeney’s2413.5
34Colorado Review3513
35New Orleans Review3611.5
35Sewanee Review7411.5
37Crazyhorse3311
37New Letters2711
39Granta3710.5
40Pinch549.5
41Prairie Schooner429
42Chicago Quarterly458.5
42Common, The748.5
42Idaho Review398.5
42Southampton Review428.5
46Electric Literature458
46Witness698
48Cincinnati Review697.5
48Five Points417.5
48Harvard Review457.5
51Mississippi Review496.5
51n+1496.5
51Santa Monica Review486.5
54Alaska Quarterly Review606
54Catapult526
54New Madrid526
54Raritan496
58J Journal545.5
58West Branch545.5
60Antioch Review545
60Bomb605
60Egress ©5
60Michigan Quarterly Review405
60Notre Dame Review695
60Paper Darts5
60Prime Number Magazine605
60Salmagundi605
60Sarabande Books545
60Southern Indiana Review605
60Stillhouse Press605
71Little Star544.5
72Epiphany744
72One Teen Story734
72Southwest Review604
75Copper Nickel853.5
75Third Coast603.5
77Arts & Letters793
77Bennington Review933
77Florida Review793
77Hopkins Review693
77Yale Review423
82Black Renaissance Noire852.5
82Cimarron Review852.5
82Consequence Magazine852.5
82Gulf Coast792.5
82New Ohio Review1102.5
82Ninth Letter932.5
82Ruminate602.5
82Upstreet852.5
90Berkeley Fiction Review932
90Black Warrior Review852
90Brooklyn Rail932
90Green Mountains Review932
90Grist1102
90Healing Muse932
90Mid American Review932
90Per Contra932
90River Styx792
90StoryQuarterly1262
90Water-Stone Review792
90Willow Springs852
90Zone 3932
103Akashic Books931.5
103Blackbird931.5
103Collagist1841.5
103Confrontation1101.5
103Fiction International1101.5
103Fifth Wednesday ©931.5
103Graywolf Press1101.5
103Indiana Review851.5
103Juked931.5
103Kweli1101.5
103Massachusetts Review1101.5
103Minnesota Review1101.5
103Mythium ©  1101.5
103Redivider931.5
103Salt Hill1101.5
103Shenandoah791.5
119African American Review1261
119American Scholar1101
119Baffler, The1261
119Barrelhouse1261
119BkMk Press1261
119Black Clock © 931
119Black Lawrence Press1261
119Blue Fountain (?)1261
119Brick1261
119Broadkill River Press1261
119Catamaran1261
119Chattahoochee Review1261
119Chautauqua1101
119Chicago Review1261
119Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Review1261
119East (?)1261
119Elm Leaves/ELJ1261
119failbetter.com1261
119Fiction1101
119Fjords1261
119Four Way Books1261
119Fourteen Hills1261
119Gascony Writers Anthology (?)1261
119Gigantic (?)1261
119Glossolalia1261
119Hunger Mountain1261
119Literal Latte1261
119Literary Review1261
119Litmag1261
119Midwestern Gothic1261
119Moon City1261
119Mud City/Chapter House1261
119New Delta Review1261
119Obsidian1261
119Pembroke Magazine1261
119Pen America741
119Post Road741
119Potomac Review1261
119Press 531261
119Provincetown Arts1261
119Pulp Literature1261
119Sixfold1261
119Spectacle1261
119Sweet1261
119Transition1261
119TriQuarterly1101
119Tweed’s (?)1261
119Vassar Review1261
119Western Humanities Review1101
119World Literature Today1101
119Yemassee1261
119December1
119Bat City1
119Reservoir Journal1
119Leaf Litter1
119Quiddity1
175Anomalous1840.5
175Asian American Literary Review1840.5
175At Length1840.5
175Austin State University Press1840.5
175Baltimore Review1260.5
175Beloit Fiction930.5
175Blue Earth Review1840.5
175Blue Mesa Review1840.5
175Boston Review1840.5
175Brooklyn Review1260.5
175Calyx1260.5
175Carpe Articulum © 1840.5
175Chariton Review1840.5
175Cleaver1260.5
175Crab Creek Review1840.5
175Cutbank1260.5
175Dalkey Archive Press1840.5
175Dogwood1840.5
175Dossier Journal1840.5
175Enizagram1840.5
175Five Chapters © 1840.5
175Freight Stories1840.5
175Gray’s Sporting Journal1840.5
175Hotel Amerika1840.5
175Inkwell © 1840.5
175Isotope ©1840.5
175Jabberwock Review1840.5
175John Daniel & Co.1840.5
175Joyland1260.5
175Kelsey Review1840.5
175King’s English ©1840.5
175Little Fiction1840.5
175Lumina1260.5
175Maggid ©1840.5
175Malahat Review1260.5
175Manoa1260.5
175Memorious1260.5
175Natural Bridge1260.5
175New York Tyrant930.5
175News from the Republic of Letters © 1840.5
175Normal School1840.5
175North Carolina Literary Review1840.5
175Orion1840.5
175Outpost 191840.5
175Pear Noir © 1840.5
175Pegasus Books1840.5
175Puerto del Sol1840.5
175Seneca Review1260.5
175Slice1840.5
175Smoke Long Quarterly1840.5
175Sonora Review1260.5
175Sou’wester1840.5
175Texas Review1840.5
175Texas Review Press1260.5
175The Journal1260.5

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

Comments

    1. The last issue of Tin House was Summer 2019. Tin House continued to post original content online until January 2020. So the closure was more recent than two years ago. In any event, there is a (c) next to Tin House’s listing to signal that it is now closed.

    1. The ? means I had some doubt or question about whether the magazine was alive or dead. Thanks for letting me know about the Gigantic link. I believe it was working at the time I updated the list in December, but it looked like the website had not been updated in some time. It now appears defunct, as a Google search doesn’t locate it. If you have more information about it, I’d welcome it.

  1. Mythium appears to have been defunct for some time, as are others on this list. It’s puzzling that they would be ranked here.

    1. Thank you for the information about Mythium. I will mark it as closed (c), which is what I do when I’m aware that a magazine has ceased publication. I continue to include them on the list because the recent past success of a magazine is useful information to some, even when it is no longer publishing.

    1. Technically, they “suspended publication,” leaving the door open for their return, which is why I haven’t marked them as closed, for now. But thanks! If you hear of anything more definitive, please let me know.

    1. Yes. That’s why it’s marked with the © symbol, indicating that it is closed. Also, please note that the 2020 rankings are not the most recent. Please see the 2021 rankings.

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