FOLIO is a nationally recognized literary journal affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, DC. Since 1984, we have published original creative work by both new and established authors.
Past issues have included work by Roxane Gay, Franny Choi, Billy Collins, Ivan Pinkava, Hettie Jones, William Stafford, Bruce Weigl, Yumi Sakugawa, and Ross Gay, as well as interviews with Carmen Maria Machado, Michael Cunningham, Allen Ginsberg, and Charles Baxter.
With over 40 years of history, FOLIO is proud to continue publishing great work.
Folio accepts works by both established writers and brand-new voices. Submissions must be completely self-contained and not part of a larger work. Please only submit works that have not been published previously. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submissions upon acceptance elsewhere.
Folio is unable to accept submissions by current or former students or faculty of American University. We will not accept any work that promotes harmful stereotypes and viewpoints. We do not publish works that utilize AI in any way.
For more information, please visit www.folioliteraryjournal.com or email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.
Connect with us on Instagram @FolioLitJournal.
FOLIO VOLUME 42: THE WHIMSICAL ISSUE
READING PERIOD: OCTOBER 15, 2026 to DECEMBER 15, 2026
“Deep meaning lies often in childish play.” Johann Friedrich von Schiller
FOLIO literary journal is seeking poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and visual art that channels the whimsical. We believe that seeking the light has power. We honor challenge through gratitude and we see play as resistance. Whimsy is expansive, introspective, exuberant, and peculiar. It is free, nuanced, accessible, and sustainable. To be whimsical is to be curious and human.
If your work is empowering, amusing, thoughtful, or fanciful, we want to see it. Send us poetry that surprises and non-fiction that fuels wonder. Fiction of any variety has a home with us. We welcome all visual art, including photography, illustrations, comics, and the experimental. We’ll meet you at the edge of expectations.
We welcome submissions of up to 5 poems or one piece of prose up to 3,000 words. Art submissions may include up to 5 pieces of any medium.
Folio accepts works by both established writers and brand-new voices. Submissions must be completely self-contained and not part of a larger work. Please only submit works that have not been published previously. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submissions upon acceptance elsewhere. Folio does not publish works that utilize AI in any way.
For more information, please visit www.folioliteraryjournal.com or email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.
Connect with us on Instagram @FolioLitJournal.
FOLIO VOLUME 42: THE WHIMSICAL ISSUE
READING PERIOD: OCTOBER 15, 2026 to DECEMBER 15, 2026
“Deep meaning lies often in childish play.” Johann Friedrich von Schiller
FOLIO literary journal is seeking poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and visual art that channels the whimsical. We believe that seeking the light has power. We honor challenge through gratitude and we see play as resistance. Whimsy is expansive, introspective, exuberant, and peculiar. It is free, nuanced, accessible, and sustainable. To be whimsical is to be curious and human.
If your work is empowering, amusing, thoughtful, or fanciful, we want to see it. Send us poetry that surprises and non-fiction that fuels wonder. Fiction of any variety has a home with us. We welcome all visual art, including photography, illustrations, comics, and the experimental. We’ll meet you at the edge of expectations.
We welcome submissions of up to 5 poems or one piece of prose up to 3,000 words. Art submissions may include up to 5 pieces of any medium.
Folio accepts works by both established writers and brand-new voices. Submissions must be completely self-contained and not part of a larger work. Please only submit works that have not been published previously. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submissions upon acceptance elsewhere. Folio does not publish works that utilize AI in any way.
For more information, please visit www.folioliteraryjournal.com or email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.
Connect with us on Instagram @FolioLitJournal.
FOLIO VOLUME 42: THE WHIMSICAL ISSUE
READING PERIOD: OCTOBER 15, 2026 to DECEMBER 15, 2026
“Deep meaning lies often in childish play.” Johann Friedrich von Schiller
FOLIO literary journal is seeking poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and visual art that channels the whimsical. We believe that seeking the light has power. We honor challenge through gratitude and we see play as resistance. Whimsy is expansive, introspective, exuberant, and peculiar. It is free, nuanced, accessible, and sustainable. To be whimsical is to be curious and human.
If your work is empowering, amusing, thoughtful, or fanciful, we want to see it. Send us poetry that surprises and non-fiction that fuels wonder. Fiction of any variety has a home with us. We welcome all visual art, including photography, illustrations, comics, and the experimental. We’ll meet you at the edge of expectations.
We welcome submissions of up to 5 poems or one piece of prose up to 3,000 words. Art submissions may include up to 5 pieces of any medium.
Folio accepts works by both established writers and brand-new voices. Submissions must be completely self-contained and not part of a larger work. Please only submit works that have not been published previously. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submissions upon acceptance elsewhere. Folio does not publish works that utilize AI in any way.
For more information, please visit www.folioliteraryjournal.com or email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.
Connect with us on Instagram @FolioLitJournal.
FOLIO VOLUME 42: THE WHIMSICAL ISSUE
READING PERIOD: OCTOBER 15, 2026 to DECEMBER 15, 2026
“Deep meaning lies often in childish play.” Johann Friedrich von Schiller
FOLIO literary journal is seeking poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and visual art that channels the whimsical. We believe that seeking the light has power. We honor challenge through gratitude and we see play as resistance. Whimsy is expansive, introspective, exuberant, and peculiar. It is free, nuanced, accessible, and sustainable. To be whimsical is to be curious and human.
If your work is empowering, amusing, thoughtful, or fanciful, we want to see it. Send us poetry that surprises and non-fiction that fuels wonder. Fiction of any variety has a home with us. We welcome all visual art, including photography, illustrations, comics, and the experimental. We’ll meet you at the edge of expectations.
We welcome submissions of up to 5 poems or one piece of prose up to 3,000 words. Art submissions may include up to 5 pieces of any medium.
Folio accepts works by both established writers and brand-new voices. Submissions must be completely self-contained and not part of a larger work. Please only submit works that have not been published previously. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please withdraw your submissions upon acceptance elsewhere. Folio does not publish works that utilize AI in any way.
For more information, please visit www.folioliteraryjournal.com or email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.
Connect with us on Instagram @FolioLitJournal.