2021 Literary Magazine Ranking

Below is the 2021 Literary Magazine Ranking for Fiction. For a discussion of the rationale and methodology for the ranking, please go here.

If you find the list useful, please consider purchasing one or more of my books.

2021	Magazine	2020 Rank	2021 Score
1	Paris Review	2	55.5
2	One Story	4	51
2	Ploughshares	1	51
4	Conjunctions	3	49
5	Gettysburg Review	6	43.5
6	Threepenny Review	5	37
7	Zoetrope: All Story	7	35.5
8	Southern Review	9	33.5
9	Tin House ©	9	33
10	Noon	12	31
11	Ecotone Magazine	11	30
12	Kenyon Review	8	28.5
13	Narrative	18	26.5
14	American Short Fiction	23	25
14	Georgia Review	16	25
14	Missouri Review	14	25
17	Glimmer Train ©	13	24.5
18	New England Review	20	24
19	Virginia Quarterly Review	15	23.5
20	A Public Space	17	23
21	Granta	39	21
21	Sun	22	21
21	ZYZZYVA	26	21
24	Bellevue Literary Review	20	20
25	Agni	24	18.5
25	Iowa Review	18	18.5
27	McSweeney’s	32	17.5
27	Oxford American	25	17.5
29	Image	26	16
30	Sewanee Review	35	15.5
31	Wigleaf	29	14
32	Hudson Review	28	13.5
32	Pleiades	31	13.5
34	Epoch	29	12.5
34	Idaho Review	42	12.5
36	Colorado Review	34	12
37	New Orleans Review	35	11.5
38	Boulevard	32	10
38	New Letters	37	10
40	Crazyhorse	37	9.5
41	Electric Literature	46	9
41	Pinch	40	9
43	Chicago Quarterly	42	8.5
44	Bennington Review	77	8
44	Cincinnati Review	48	8
44	Copper Nickel	75	8
44	Southampton Review	42	8
44	Yale Review	77	8
49	Common, The	42	7.5
49	Harvard Review	48	7.5
49	n+1	51	7.5
49	Witness	46	7.5
53	Catapult	54	6
53	Prairie Schooner	41	6
53	Raritan	54	6
56	Five Points	48	5.5
56	Mississippi Review	51	5.5
58	Egress ©	60	5
58	Notre Dame Review	60	5
58	Paper Darts	60	5
58	Prime Number Magazine	60	5
58	Sarabande Books	60	5
58	Southern Indiana Review	60	5
58	Stillhouse Press	60	5
58	Story		5
58	West Branch	58	5
58	Hysterical Rag		5
68	Epiphany	72	4.5
68	Little Star	71	4.5
68	Michigan Quarterly Review	60	4.5
71	Alaska Quarterly Review	54	4
71	Antioch Review	60	4
71	J Journal	58	4
71	Santa Monica Review	51	4
71	Southwest Review	72	4
76	Bomb	60	3.5
76	New Madrid	54	3.5
78	Arts & Letters	77	3
78	New Ohio Review	82	3
78	Ninth Letter	82	3
78	One Teen Story	72	3
82	Consequence Magazine	82	2.5
82	Florida Review	77	2.5
82	Hopkins Review	77	2.5
82	Ruminate	82	2.5
82	Salmagundi	60	2.5
82	Third Coast	75	2.5
88	American Scholar	119	2
88	Black Warrior Review	90	2
88	Blackbird	103	2
88	Grist	90	2
88	Gulf Coast	82	2
88	Healing Muse	90	2
88	StoryQuarterly	90	2
88	Willow Springs	90	2
88	Zone 3	90	2
97	Akashic Books	103	1.5
97	Berkeley Fiction Review	90	1.5
97	Brooklyn Rail	90	1.5
97	Chattahoochee Review	119	1.5
97	Chicago Review	119	1.5
97	Cimarron Review	82	1.5
97	Collagist	103	1.5
97	Confrontation	103	1.5
97	Fiction International	103	1.5
97	Graywolf Press	103	1.5
97	Green Mountains Review	90	1.5
97	Indiana Review	103	1.5
97	Kweli	103	1.5
97	Mid American Review	90	1.5
97	Minnesota Review	103	1.5
97	Per Contra	90	1.5
97	River Styx	90	1.5
97	Salt Hill	103	1.5
97	Upstreet	82	1.5
116	African American Review	119	1
116	Another Chicago Magazine		1
116	Baffler, The	119	1
116	Barrelhouse	119	1
116	Bat City	119	1
116	Black Clock ©	119	1
116	Black Lawrence Press	119	1
116	Blue Fountain (?)	119	1
116	Broadkill River Press	119	1
116	Chautauqua	119	1
116	Crab Orchard Review		1
116	December	119	1
116	East (?)	119	1
116	Exile		1
116	failbetter.com	119	1
116	Fifth Wednesday ©	103	1
116	Fjords	119	1
116	Gascony Writers Anthology (?)	119	1
116	Gigantic (?)	119	1
116	Glossolalia	119	1
116	Hunger Mountain	119	1
116	Juked	103	1
116	Leaf Litter	119	1
116	Literal Latte	119	1
116	Literary Review	119	1
116	Litmag	119	1
116	Meridian		1
116	Midwestern Gothic	119	1
116	Moon City	119	1
116	Mud City/Chapter House	119	1
116	Mythium ©	103	1
116	New Delta Review	119	1
116	Nimrod		1
116	Obsidian	119	1
116	Pembroke Magazine	119	1
116	Potomac Review	119	1
116	Press 53	119	1
116	Prism		1
116	Provincetown Arts	119	1
116	Pulp Literature	119	1
116	Quiddity	119	1
116	Redivider	103	1
116	Reservoir Journal	119	1
116	Sixfold	119	1
116	Spectacle	119	1
116	Vassar Review	119	1
116	Water-Stone Review	90	1
116	Western Humanities Review	119	1
116	Worcester Review		1
116	Yemassee	119	1
116	Jewish Fiction		1
116	Rumpus		1
116	Outlook Springs		1
116	Shade Mountain Press		1
116	About Place Journal		1
171	Anomalous	175	0.5
171	Asian American Literary Review	175	0.5
171	At Length	175	0.5
171	Austin State University Press	175	0.5
171	Baltimore Review	175	0.5
171	Beloit Fiction	175	0.5
171	BkMk Press	119	0.5
171	Brick	119	0.5
171	Catamaran	119	0.5
171	Cleaver	175	0.5
171	Crab Creek Review	175	0.5
171	Cutbank	175	0.5
171	Dalkey Archive Press	175	0.5
171	Dogwood	175	0.5
171	Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Review	119	0.5
171	Elm Leaves/ELJ	119	0.5
171	Enizagram	175	0.5
171	Fiction	119	0.5
171	Five Chapters ©	175	0.5
171	Four Way Books	119	0.5
171	Fourteen Hills	119	0.5
171	John Daniel & Co.	175	0.5
171	Joyland	175	0.5
171	Little Fiction	175	0.5
171	Lumina	175	0.5
171	Malahat Review	175	0.5
171	Massachusetts Review	103	0.5
171	Memorious	175	0.5
171	Natural Bridge	175	0.5
171	New York Tyrant	175	0.5
171	Normal School	175	0.5
171	North Carolina Literary Review	175	0.5
171	Outpost 19	175	0.5
171	Pear Noir ©	175	0.5
171	Pegasus Books	175	0.5
171	Post Road	119	0.5
171	Puerto del Sol	175	0.5
171	Seneca Review	175	0.5
171	Shenandoah	103	0.5
171	Sonora Review	175	0.5
171	Sweet	119	0.5
171	Texas Review	175	0.5
171	Texas Review Press	175	0.5
171	Transition	119	0.5
171	TriQuarterly	119	0.5
171	Tweed’s (?)	119	0.5
171	World Literature Today	119	0.5

Comments

Pingback: 2021 Literary Magazine Rankings
MC says:

January 13, 2021 at 7:14 am

Thanks for compiling this list. However, you have Zoetrope and Southern Review tied at 7 even though they have different scores. It looks as though Zoetrope should be 7 and Southern Review 8.

1. Cliff says:
  
  January 13, 2021 at 8:20 am
  
  Thanks! I’ve fixed that now. I’m sure my tired eyes saw 33.5 and 35.5 as the same number. Much appreciated.
  
Shawn Grady says:

May 4, 2021 at 9:55 am

A brilliant compilation based upon a rational and systematic approach. What a resource! Thank you, Mr. Garstang!

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Kelly says:

September 30, 2021 at 11:04 pm

Hi there! Thanks for the awesome list year after year. Just a heads up – your link to Paris Review is broken.

1. Cliff says:
  
  October 1, 2021 at 7:38 am
  
  Thank you! Fixed.
  
Lin Kaatz Chary says:

October 28, 2021 at 7:52 pm

Are there comparable lists for poetry and nonfiction? Thanks.

1. Cliff says:
  
  October 28, 2021 at 7:54 pm
  
  Yes: https://cliffordgarstang.com/2021-literary-magazine-rankings/

2021 Literary Magazine Ranking–Fiction

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