There are many literary magazines and journals that promote and lift underrepresented voices traditionally not published or recognized. Whether you are a lover of literature, a professor, or poet, writer, or artist yourself, the publications listed below can broaden your perspective and help you discover new and amazing work created by those in the disabled community. Several are currently seeking work from disabled poets, writers, and artists.

There are many ways you can support these publications:

• Subscribe and/or add them to your regular reading list
• Follow them on social media and/or sign up for their emails
• Share your favorites on social media
• Read your favorites at open mics and tell others where to find the work
• If you are a member of the disabled community, consider sending them your work for publication
• Donate if you can
• Purchase books by the authors from the original press or other independent bookstore

Ailment is a new online literary magazine “dedicated to voicing the creative expressions of those impacted by mental and physical chronic illnesses.” They recently release their inaugural issue “Chronicles of Illness Narratives” for you to explore, discover, and experience the lives of those affected by chronic mental/physical illness.

Blanket Sea is “an arts & literary magazine dedicated to showcasing the work of artists and writers living with chronic illness, mental illness, and disability.” They publish from February to April and from August to October and provide audio of many of the poems they publish.

Breath and Shadow is the online literary journal of the Ability Maine organization that “promotes disability writing and culture, thereby promoting cross-disability pride and community. The journal's goal is to empower and create opportunities for people with disabilities in the literary field.”

Chronically Lit is an online literary magazine with the mission to “publish the best creative writing, interviews, and reviews by or about people with chronic illness. Our publication is meant to be enjoyed by people with chronic illness, their friends and family, healthcare workers, caregivers, and lovers of literature.”

Disability Arts Online is an online journal and organization led by disabled people, set up to advance disability arts and culture. “We give disabled artists a platform to blog and share thoughts and images describing artistic practice, projects and just the daily stuff of finding inspiration to be creative.”

Explicit Literary Journal is an online literary journal “dedicated to showcasing the visual art and writing of non-speaking and semi-speaking disabled writers and artists.”

The Handy, Uncapped Pen is a blog/community for disabled and neurodivergent creatives publishing interviews, poetry, reviews, and more. They also provide a mentor program to give emerging disabled and/or neurodivergent writers opportunity to work with an established wrier/editor.

Kaleidoscope Magazine is an electronic literary magazine focusing on “the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts. This award-winning publication expresses the experience of disability from the perspective of individuals, families, friends, healthcare professionals, educators, and others.”

Monstering is an online magazine, written by and for disabled women and nonbinary people. To learn more, read their Mission Statement. They also have a fantastic FAQ page with even more information.

Wordgathering: A Journal of Disability Poetry and Literature is “a disability poetry, literature, and the arts, with two interconnected purposes. First, we are dedicated to providing an accessible venue for featuring the work of emerging and well-known writers with disabilities (disabled writers). Second, we seek to make available and expand a searchable core of this work for interested readers (with and without disabilities) who are committed to disability poetry, literature, and the arts across a variety of media.”

Trish Hopkinson is a poet, blogger, and advocate for the literary arts. You can find her online at SelfishPoet.com and provisionally in Utah, where she runs the regional poetry group Rock Canyon Poets. Her poetry has been published in several lit mags and journals, including  Tinderbox, Glass Poetry Press, and The Penn Review; her third chapbook Footnote was published by Lithic Press in 2017, and her most recent e-chapbook Almost Famous was published by Yavanika Press in 2019. Hopkinson will happily answer to labels such as atheist, feminist, and empty nester; and enjoys traveling, live music, and craft beer.