2020 Literary Magazine Ranking–Poetry

Note: the 2021 Rankings are available here.

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

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2020 RankMagazine2019 Rank2020 Score
1Poetry181.5
2Kenyon Review250
3American Poetry Review344
4Poem-a-Day840.5
5New England Review537
6Southern Review636
7Threepenny Review434
8Paris Review1424.5
9Gettysburg Review723.5
10Sun1021.5
11Copper Canyon Press1118
12Cincinnati Review1217.5
13Ploughshares917
14Georgia Review1616
15Michigan Quarterly Review3314.5
16Blackbird2013.5
16Five Points2113.5
16Tin House © 1313.5
19Copper Nickel2313
19Spillway1613
21Boston Review1912.5
21Field © 1512.5
23New Ohio Review2612
23Poetry Northwest5112
25Agni1611.5
26Beloit Poetry Journal18311
26Birmingham Poetry Review18311
26Ecotone5111
26Poetry Review2711
26Rattle2111
26Virginia Quarterly Review3311
32Lake Effect3010
32Sugar House Review2410
32Vallum: Contemporary Poetry2410
32Willow Springs6910
36Arroyo Literary Review339.5
36Southern Indiana Review339.5
36American Scholar518.5
36Literary Imagination418.5
36The Journal278.5
41jubilat298
41Massachusetts Review378
41Sixth Finch388
44Alaska Quarterly Review697.5
44Four Way Books307.5
44Tupelo Press307.5
44ZYZZYVA417.5
48Hudson Review487
48Ninth Letter417
48Tar River487
48Yale Review417
52BOA Editions486.5
52Pleiades416.5
54Adroit Journal516
54Alice James Books696
54Missouri Review386
54Nepantla516
54Plume696
54Prelude516
54Salamander696
54Southeast Review516
54White Pine Press516
54Foglifter6
64Codex (?)515.5
64Greensboro Review615.5
64New Criterion615.5
64Nimrod615.5
64River Styx405.5
69Abstract Magazine TV695
69American Journal of Poetry695
69Bennington Review695
69Bettering American Poetry695
69Butcher’s Dog695
69Cave Wall695
69Conduit695
69Constellations695
69Crab Orchard Review695
69Foundry695
69Hawaii Pacific Review695
69Hopkins Review615
69I-70 Review695
69Image415
69Kweli Journal695
69LitMag695
69LSU Press695
69Moonpie Press695
69Nerve Cowboy695
69New Orleans Review695
69Prism695
69Purple Passion Press695
69Quarterly West695
69Rhino695
69River Teeth695
69Salmagundi615
69Saturnalia Books695
69Seneca Review695
69Shade Journal695
69Smartish Pace415
69Storm Cellar695
69Summerset Review695
69Sycamore Review695
69TAB695
69Thrush695
69Tiger Bark Press695
69Tipton Poetry Journal695
69Tule Review695
69Volta695
69Wordtemple Press695
69Bare Life Review5
69Clover ©5
69Love’s Executive Order5
69Twyckenham Notes5
69Washington Square Review5
69Waxwing Literary Journal5
115Denver Quarterly1174.5
116Hotel Amerika1194
116Indiana Review1224
116Little Patuxent Review1194
116Shenandoah1174
120Awl ©  513.5
120Crazyhorse1223.5
120Hunger Mountain1223.5
120Zone 31223.5
124Gulf Coast613
124Lana Turner613
124Little Star613
124Paterson Literary Review1273
124Poetry International1273
124Subtropics1273
124Palette Poetry3
1315 a.m. © 1302.5
131Account692.5
131Assaracus (?)1302.5
131Atlanta Review1302.5
131Briar Cliff Review1302.5
131Brick692.5
131Café Review1302.5
131Collagist1302.5
131Court Green © 1302.5
131Cypher Books (?)1302.5
131Dunes Review1302.5
131Eleven Eleven1302.5
131Fifth Wednesday © 1302.5
131Forklift Ohio1302.5
131Granta692.5
131Graywolf Press692.5
131Great River Review692.5
131Green Mountains Review1302.5
131Harbour Publishing1302.5
131Harvard Review1302.5
131Ibbetson Street1302.5
131Malahat Review692.5
131Manhattan Review1302.5
131Muzzle Magazine1302.5
131Nebraska Poets Calendar © 1302.5
131New South Books1302.5
131New Verse News1302.5
131Notre Dame Review1302.5
131Orion1302.5
131Parnassus: Poetry in Review1302.5
131Pilot Light1302.5
131Pleasure Boat Studio1302.5
131Poems & Plays (?)1302.5
131Quiddity1302.5
131Southern Poetry Review1302.5
131Spork (?)1302.5
131Think Journal1302.5
131Treelight Books1302.5
131Verse Wisconsin © 1302.5
131Water-Stone Review1302.5
131YesYes Books1302.5
172Colorado Review1832
172Narrative1702
172New South1302
172Prairie Schooner1302
172Upstreet1702
172Verse Daily1702
172World Literature Today1702
179Believer1751.5
179Cimarron Review1751.5
179Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review1751.5
179Iron Horse Literary Review1701.5
179New Letters2321.5
179Poet Lore1751.5
179University of Pittsburgh Press1751.5
186Academy of American Poets1831
186Bauhan Publshing1831
186Birdfeast1751
186Chinquapin Literary Magazine1831
186Chiron Review1831
186Cleveland State Univ. Poetry Ctr.1831
186Cossack Review (?)1831
186Cutbank1831
186Enizagam1831
186Epoch1221
186Exit 71831
186Great Weather for Media1831
186Grub Street1831
186Gulf Stream (?)1831
186Gun Powder Press1831
186Heart ©  1831
186Hobart1831
186Iowa Review1301
186Jai-Alai (?)1831
186Lake, The1831
186Louisiana Literature1831
186McNeese Review1831
186Meadow1831
186MIZNA1831
186North American Review1191
186Offing1831
186OmniVerse1831
186One Throne (?)1831
186Pinch1831
186Pluck1831
186Poetry South1831
186Porkbelly Press1831
186Portland Review1
186QWERTY1831
186Radius1831
186Raleigh Review1831
186Raritan1751
186Rove1831
186Rumpus1831
186Saranac Review1831
186Scablands Books1831
186Southwest Review1751
186Springhouse1831
186Tupelo Quarterly1831
186Upstairs at Duroc (?)1831
186Wave Books1831
186Yarn ©  1831
186Pembroke Magazine1
186Common, The1
186Valley Voices1
236A Public Space2320.5
236Able Muse2320.5
236Airlie Press2320.5
236Autumn House2320.5
236Barefoot Muse2320.5
236Bellevue Literary Review2320.5
236Black Warrior Review1830.5
236Bloom1830.5
236Blue Earth Review2320.5
236Calyx2320.5
236Cardinal Points2320.5
236Chautauqua2320.5
236Clockhouse1830.5
236Columbia Poetry Review2320.5
236Connecticut Review (?)2320.5
236Construction1830.5
236Evansville Review2320.5
236Examined Life2320.5
236Fort Hemlock Press © 2320.5
236Hanging Loose2320.5
236Haven Chronicles (?)2320.5
236Healing Muse2320.5
236Hollins Critic2320.5
236InDigest (?)2320.5
236Live Mag!2320.5
236Long Island Quarterly2320.5
236Make2320.5
236New Haven Review2320.5
236New Madrid2320.5
236Normal School2320.5
236Paris American1830.5
236Persea Books2320.5
236Silk Road2320.5
236Sink Review (?)2320.5
236Solstice1830.5
236Specs (?)2320.5
236Valparaiso Poetry Review2320.5
236Verse Magazine2320.5
236Wordcraft of Oregon2320.5
236Zephyr Press2320.5

About the author

Comments

    1. Like a candidate who “suspends” his campaign, New Madrid has left the door open to return by announcing that they’ve been forced to “suspend publication.” Call me an optimist, but I’m hopeful they can make a comeback. But thank you for the headsup. I appreciate all info like this and I’ll keep an eye on it.

  1. Thank you very much for compiling these lists year after year.

    Forgive me if others have already noted the following:
    *both Field and Tin House announced that their end-of-2019 issue is their final issue
    *Arroyo Literary Review announced a hiatus in 2018 and maintains that announcement on their website to date

    1. Thanks for the information. Regarding Tin House, until an announcement this month, TH was going to continue posting original content online, which meant in my mind that it was still, basically, operating a magazine. But as of Feb. 5, they are no longer going to do that. I’ll keep an eye on Field, but I don’t see this announcement on their website. And it looks like Arroyo’s hiatus might not be permanent, so again I’ll keep an eye on that. Once again, thank you very much for passing these developments along!

  2. Thank you for doing this work.

    The FIELD website says, “The final issue of FIELD [Issue #100, Spring 2019] is a celebratory collection of the present and the past.” http://www2.oberlin.edu/ocpress/field.html

    The hard copy of Issue #99 discusses the decision to cease publication more fully.

    And there was no Fall 2019 issue. They seem shuttered for good. They will be sorely missed.

  3. Amazing Work Cliff! Thank you so much for compiling this list. From my tracking dossier sheet made from your rankings, here are some updates/notes on journals in the rank list:

    Defunct / on hiatus / possibly defunct / Haven’t accepted submissions for a while

    – Tin House
    – Field
    – Arroyo Literary Review
    – Awl
    – Codex
    – Volta
    – 5 a.m.
    – Assaracus
    – Fifth Wednesday (possibly closed)
    – Forklift Ohio
    – Nebraska Poets Calendar
    – Pilot Light
    – Poems & Plays
    – Verse Wisconsin
    – Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review
    – Bloom
    – Cossack Review
    – Exit 7
    – Heart
    – Jai-Alai
    – OmniVerse
    – One Throne
    – Pluck
    – Rove
    – Upstairs at Duroc (?)
    – Yarn
    – Barefoot Muse
    – Connecticut Review
    – InDigest (?)
    – New Madrid
    – Sink Review
    – Specs
    – Verse Magazine

    No unsolicited submissions:

    – Poem-a-Day (Academy of American Poets)
    – American Scholar
    – Brick
    – Bettering American Poetry (Anthology – unsure if they have open submission calls)
    – Upstreet
    – Verse Daily
    – World Literature Today

    Restrictions on content or contributors:

    – Image (Christian Art)
    – Nepantla (only seek contributions from Queer POC poets)
    – Butcher’s Dog (only UK/ROI poets)
    – Crab Orchard Review (Only US Citizens/PR/DACA/TPS for prizes. Not sure if the same applies for general submissions)
    – River Teeth Journal (not sure about this, but it seems to not have a poetry section – I might be wrong though)
    – Kweli Journal (Highlights POC writers)
    – Shade Journal (Queer POC contributors)
    – Bloom (LGBT+ contributors)
    – Chinquapin Literary Magazine (possibly only open to USC students??)
    – MIZNA – Focused on Arab-American issues
    – Calyx – Women contributors only
    – Long Island Quarterly – People with strong ties to Long Island
    – New Haven Review – Same, just with New Haven

    Other Notes

    – Word Temple Press – The website isn’t great on details
    – TAB – Has moved to ‘Anastamos’
    – Margie – is this now the American Journal of Poetry? There is some lack of clarity here – There was a separate listing for both in your previous ranking lists

    1. Thank you. Most of the closed journals on your list were already so marked in the rankings with a (c) (such as Tin House, Field, etc.), and several where there are questions were marked with (?). But I have noted several of the other journals you’ve raised questions about, including a few that will be added to my “closed” list. There are a number of journals “on hiatus” and I don’t generally note that, as they may revive.

  4. It’s nice to see Beloit is moving back up. (Also, Birmingham Poetry Review climbed a long ways.) Since I don’t currently have access to a copy of the Pushcart comp., do you know if the sudden, big changes for these couple of pubs. was mostly b/c of 1-2 noted contributors–or the work of several?

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