6 Best Literary Magazines For Young Writers That Welcome New Voices

Your child spends hours filling notebooks with fantastical worlds, heartfelt poems, or stories about kids just like them. You see the spark and the dedication, but you wonder what the next step could be. Encouraging them to submit their work to a literary magazine can be a transformative experience, teaching them about revision, resilience, and the joy of sharing their voice with a real audience.

Finding the Right Home for Your Child’s Stories

Does your child have a story they’re incredibly proud of? The moment they finish that final sentence is a huge accomplishment. But helping them take the next step—sharing it with the world—is a powerful lesson in courage and professionalism. Submitting to a literary magazine isn’t just about getting published; it’s about learning to see their work as something valuable and worthy of a reader’s time.

Think of it like their first soccer game or music recital. The practice is essential, but the performance is where they learn to handle nerves, accept feedback, and feel a part of a larger community. The process of preparing a manuscript, writing a cover letter, and navigating a submission portal teaches real-world skills. It shifts their perspective from writing as a private hobby to a craft that connects people.

Choosing the right magazine is crucial. You want to find a venue that respects young writers and matches their current skill and maturity level. A rejection from a journal that was a poor fit can be discouraging, while an acceptance—or even positive feedback—from the right one can fuel their passion for years to come. The goal is to match the publication to your child’s voice and developmental stage.

Stone Soup: A Prestigious Start for Ages 8-13

If you have a younger writer, from about age 8 to 13, Stone Soup is the gold standard. It has been publishing writing and art by children since 1973, and its reputation is built on taking young voices seriously. This isn’t a place for cute, simplistic stories; it’s a magazine that showcases the genuine depth, creativity, and emotional honesty of this age group.

What makes Stone Soup a great first goal is its clear focus. They publish realistic fiction, personal essays, poetry, and book reviews written by kids. This gives your child a concrete target to aim for. Because it’s run by adults with experience in education, the entire process is designed to be encouraging for young creators.

An acceptance here is a significant achievement that can build incredible confidence. It tells a young writer that their perspective matters. Consider Stone Soup the ideal starting point for a child who is beginning to take their writing seriously and is ready to polish a piece for an audience beyond the classroom.

The Adroit Journal for Ambitious Teen Writers

Is your high schooler already writing with a maturity that surprises you? Do they read contemporary fiction and poetry and talk about literary devices? For these ambitious teens, The Adroit Journal is a top-tier publication that will challenge and inspire them. It’s highly competitive and respected in the literary world, publishing teens alongside established adult writers.

The Adroit Journal is not specifically a "youth" journal, but it has a strong commitment to discovering the best new writers, many of whom happen to be in high school. They also run a fantastic summer mentorship program that pairs young writers with professional authors. This makes it more than just a place to submit; it’s an ecosystem for serious literary development.

Submitting here is for the teen who is ready for a professional-level experience. The work they publish is sophisticated, nuanced, and technically skilled. This is the right fit for the dedicated teen writer who is considering studying creative writing in college and wants to see how their work stacks up against the best.

Polyphony Lit: Where Young Editors Give Feedback

Perhaps the most unique and developmentally valuable magazine on this list is Polyphony Lit. Its mission is built around a powerful concept: it’s a student-run journal where high school editors read, edit, and provide feedback on every single submission they receive. This peer-to-peer model is simply incredible for growth.

For many young writers, the hardest part of submitting is the silence, followed by a form rejection. Polyphony Lit breaks that cycle. Whether a piece is accepted or not, your child will receive constructive comments from other thoughtful teen writers. This feedback is invaluable, as it comes from peers who understand their perspective. It turns submission from a simple win/lose proposition into a guaranteed learning opportunity.

This is the perfect journal for a teen who is eager to improve and wants to join a community. It teaches them how to receive and process criticism, a vital skill for any artist. If your child’s main goal is to grow as a writer and connect with other young artists, Polyphony Lit is the absolute best choice.

One Teen Story for Polished Narrative Fiction

Does your teen love crafting compelling stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end? One Teen Story is a special publication dedicated to a single, exceptional short story by a teen author in each issue. It’s an offshoot of the acclaimed One Story magazine, and it brings that same level of editorial care and prestige to young writers.

Because they only publish one story at a time, the selection process is highly competitive. They are looking for polished, character-driven narrative fiction. This is a fantastic goal for a writer who has a story they believe in and is willing to revise it meticulously until it shines. The format gives the chosen story a huge spotlight.

This magazine is best for a writer who has moved beyond initial drafts and is focused on the craft of storytelling—pacing, dialogue, and character arcs. Submit to One Teen Story when your child has a single piece of fiction they’ve worked on tirelessly and believe is ready for a big stage.

Blue Marble Review for Voices on Global Issues

As kids enter their teen years, their awareness of the world expands dramatically. They start forming strong opinions on social justice, climate change, and global politics. Blue Marble Review provides a powerful platform for these emerging voices, publishing poetry, fiction, essays, and art that engage with the wider world.

The journal’s mission is to foster a global conversation among young people. It’s a place for the teen who writes not just to explore their own feelings, but to comment on the world around them. This can be an incredibly validating outlet for a young person who feels passionate about making a difference.

If your child’s writing is infused with their observations about society or their hopes for a better future, this is the perfect home for it. It shows them that their perspective on important issues is not just valid but necessary. Blue Marble Review is for the globally-conscious teen who uses writing as a tool for change and connection.

Ember: A Journal for Fantasy and Sci-Fi Tales

Many young writers are drawn to worlds of magic, dragons, and spaceships. Unfortunately, some literary magazines can be dismissive of genre fiction. Ember: A Journal of Luminous Things celebrates it, providing a dedicated and respected home for fantasy, science fiction, and other speculative tales from writers of all ages, with a special interest in young voices.

Ember looks for stories and poems with a spark of the fantastic. This is the place for your child’s carefully constructed magic system, their epic hero’s journey, or their thoughtful exploration of a futuristic society. By welcoming genre fiction, Ember tells young writers that the stories they are most passionate about creating are worthy of publication.

This is a wonderful choice for the highly imaginative kid who might feel their work doesn’t fit into the "realistic fiction" box. It validates their interests and encourages them to hone their craft within the genres they love most. If your child builds worlds on the page, Ember is waiting to explore them.

Preparing a Manuscript for Digital Submission

Once you’ve helped your child choose a few magazines, the next step is preparing the manuscript. This is a crucial part of the process that teaches professionalism and attention to detail. Most journals today use an online submission manager like Submittable, which makes the logistics straightforward, but the preparation is still key.

First, read the submission guidelines on the magazine’s website. Then read them again. Every journal has specific rules about formatting (font, spacing, page numbers) and what to include in a cover letter. Following these rules shows respect for the editors’ time. A simple cover letter is usually best, stating the title of the piece and a short, two-to-three sentence author bio.

Help your child proofread their work one last time. Reading the story aloud is a great way to catch typos and clunky sentences. This final polish is an important step. The goal isn’t just to send a story, but to send the best possible version of that story. This entire process is a lesson in itself, building skills that will serve them well in school, college applications, and beyond.

Remember, the ultimate goal isn’t the acceptance letter, but the growth that happens along the way. Celebrating the courage it takes to hit "submit" is a victory in itself. By guiding them through this process, you’re not just supporting a hobby—you’re nurturing a young artist’s confidence, resilience, and voice.