Rejected Lit Magazine is a literary journal created and edited by poets who are dedicated to celebrating the ongoing cycle of rejection integral to crafting poetry. Our name is a both a tongue-in-cheek reference to the rejection that we all face as poets at times, and a celebration of how fantastic work can, and often does, shine even with the threat of rejection looming overhead.

We are immense fans of poets such as Natalie Diaz, Ocean Vuong, Terrance Hayes, Rainer Maria Rilke, Bianca Stone, Eduardo Corral, Ilya Kaminsky,Tracy K. Smith, Cynthia Cruz, and Diane Suess, just to name a few. Rejected Lit strives to create and publish work that is not only in conversation with these powerhouse writers but that also continues their legacy of honest, brutal, and chilling work.

Send us your best; prepare for the worst; we'll see you somewhere in between.