Publish in AGNI Magazine as a High Schooler
Whether you are interested in writing, have a story to share, or are itching to become the next bestseller, publishing your work is the first step to becoming the next great writer. Publishing while in high school is possible and can serve as an impressive centerpiece in your college applications. One of the most well-respected magazines is Boston University’s AGNI. Read on to learn more about this magazine and how to become one of AGNI’s emerging writers.
What is AGNI?
AGNI is a literary magazine named after the Vedic fire god, founded in 1972. It has since become one of the preeminent journals for undiscovered writers, with a large cohort of editors, writers, curators, interns, ambassadors, advisors, and friends. Based out of Boston University, AGNI aims to find and foster new talent – in this case, you! By publishing in AGNI, you will join an esteemed circle of writers, several of whom have won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
AGNI is a perfect venue for young writers because it is known to accept work from across various ages, countries, languages, cultures, and identities. Their issues feature writers from countries including Afghanistan, Mexico, Uganda, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Djibouti, Syria, Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Brazil, along with translations from Urdu, Dutch, Latin, German, Spanish, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Turkish, Greek, and more!
AGNI publishes a biannual print magazine, monthly web magazine, and weekly blog, each showcasing emerging writers who, in their words, “test the edges of contemporary literature.”
What Is AGNI Looking For?
AGNI publishes personal essays, think pieces, memoirs, prose poems, formal poems, blank verse, free verse, short stories, and short shorts. They do not publish academic essays or purely journalistic writing, in which case you may look to other venues like the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. They also will not consider any work that has already been published, including on personal websites or social media feeds.
They have no restrictions on who can publish with them, and in their words, they “encourage submissions from writers of all identities, living anywhere, published and unpublished.” Further, almost all of AGNI’s published work is unsolicited, so you should not feel uncomfortable submitting your work to them.
All submissions are considered for both print and online publication. AGNI will buy the rights to your work and pay $20 per printed (or printed-out) page for accepted prose and $40 per page for accepted poetry, up to a maximum of $300 and a year’s subscription to AGNI. For printed work, contributors will receive two copies of the issue their work has appeared in, and AGNI will send up to four additional copies for you to give to friends, family, and loved ones.
First-time contributors will not be considered for blog publication, which is unpaid and limited to those whose work has already been published with AGNI.
AGNI Publishing Guidelines
AGNI is relatively unstructured, and its guidelines reflect this. However, you will want to note the following:
All work must be written in or translated into English
Their online Submission Manager is open from September 1st to midnight December 15th, and again from February 15th to midnight May 31st, and costs $3
They accept manuscripts by mail between September 1st and May 31st, with no submission cost
They do not accept manuscripts via email
There are no page/word limits, but the amount of space your work takes up will be considered in the decision-making process
You are asked to use page numbers and, if you are submitting prose, double-space your document
They do not publish genre romance, horror, mystery, or science fiction but are open to writing that borrows elements from any of these.
You are only permitted to send one story, one essay, or up to five poems until you have received a decision, at which point you may submit more work
You will likely receive a decision within two months, but they ask that you not contact AGNI regarding your submission unless four months have passed
To send your work by mail, address your envelope to the Fiction Editor, Poetry Editor, or Nonfiction Editor and mail it to:
AGNI Magazine
Boston University
236 Bay State Road
Boston, MA 02215
To submit it online, use the AGNI Submission Manager here.
Beyond these guidelines, AGNI is looking specifically for works that not only showcase new talent, but that contribute new and unique voices to the contemporary literature sphere. They are looking for writers who resist the idea that their writing should look or sound a certain way. Your work should tell your truths in a way that could only have come from you. In their words:
