Like Popshot, Firewords features dreamily illustrated, fiery short stories, flash fiction, and poetry that fits a given theme.

If you find Popshot too intimidating, you will be happy to learn that there is a lesser-known yet equally beautiful alternative: the Scotland- based Firewords. Yes, this also means that Popshot is the hardest-to-get-in magazine on the list - having tried countless times, unsuccessfully, I am speaking from personal experience. I remember when this journal still came out biannually and focused mainly on emerging writers - and let me tell you, Popshot has not just grown, it skyrocketed! By now, they have not only published numerous established authors, such as Joanne Ramos, Hollie McNish, or Jamil Jan Kochai, but also gained so much respect on the literary scene that a story “Saying Goodbye to Yang”, previously featured on the colorful pages of Popshot, is to become a film starring Colin Farrell.

Many of you may know Popshot Quarterly, a beautifully illustrated magazine spitting out short and flash fiction as well as poetry revolving around a specific theme. I have chosen publications that I genuinely love to read (nothing here is sponsored and no links are affiliated!) and consider fresh alternatives to perhaps more reputable yet dusty journals no one actually buys: 1.

Popshot magazine illustration payment