Established 1990
Geist magazine began as a 40-page newsprint publication in the living room of founders Stephen Osborne and Mary Schendlinger in 1990. It was established to be articulate, humorous and identifiably Canadian. As a literary magazine of ideas and culture, Geist’s artistic mission is primarily focused on the art and politics of narrative, with its cultural focus being “North of America.” We publish the best that we can find of narrative essays (fiction and non-fiction), poetry, reviews, photography, drawings, comix, puzzles and little-known facts—with a special interest in fresh interactions between text and image. Our mandate is to find and encourage a wide audience for new and established Canadian writers and artists of merit.
Over the course of our 35-year history, we have published the work of more than 1,500 emerging and established writers and artists from across the country, many of whom were published for the first time in the pages of Geist.
Geist prints and distributes 6,000 copies three times a year. Our readership extends from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island to Nunavut, with concentrations in the Lower Mainland of BC and greater Toronto.
Genres Published
Geist is a Canadian magazine of ideas and culture with a strong literary focus and a sense of humour. The Geist tone is intelligent, plain-talking, inclusive and offbeat. Each print issue represents a convergence of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, photography, comics, reviews, little-known facts of interest, cartography and the legendary Geist crossword puzzle.
Submission Policy
All submissions must be *original and previously unpublished* (with the exception of our Findings section). Previously unpublished means the work does not appear in any other print or online publication, journal, blog, personal website, social media or otherwise. Geist is not interested in submissions that have been generated or developed with the use of AI, and we do not consider these to be original work.
Geist purchases first North American Serial Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights. Copyright reverts to the author after publication. We may also use part of the work for promotional purposes for the issue.
Geist is always seeking short non-fiction (under 2000 words), typically personal narrative, for the Notes & Dispatches section. Pay is commensurate with length, usually $100-300.
We are especially interested in writing grounded in a sense of place, historical narrative, personal essays on art, music and culture, profiles of ordinary people with extraordinary stories, and fascinating fields of work, practices or hobbies. Read examples here, here and here.
Longform essays (up to 5000 words) are published as Features. We pay up to $650.
We welcome innovative, thoughtfully researched and emotionally resonant narrative non-fiction in all its forms. Send us your braided essays, hermit crab pieces, lyric essays and collage works. We’re drawn to writing that uses form with intention—essays that borrow the shape of lists, letters, instructions, or other unconventional structures—and that matches creativity with intellectual rigour and curiosity. Examples here and here.
Comics: We’re interested in comics that are weird, funny, unexpected or experimental. We pay up to $650. We publish shorter comics in the Notes & Dispatches section (example here) and publish longer comics as Features (example here), max. 8 pages. Please send up to three strips or one longer comic at a time.
Fiction: We publish short stories (up to 5000 words) in the Features section. We usually publish one story per issue, so please send only your best work. We pay up to $650. Check out our recent short fiction.
Poetry: Send a maximum of 5 poems. We publish between one to three poems per issue, in the Notes & Dispatches section and occasionally in Features. We pay $100 per page.
Hybrid forms: We like work that crosses genres or that surprises us in other ways. Send us your microfiction, photography essays, maps and poetry comics! Your interdisciplinary forms and your visual-textual mashups!
Findings: We reprint excerpts from published work and works-in-progress in the Findings section, along with documents and interesting items found online, or anywhere in the real world. We appreciate suggestions from writers, artists and publishers. Please email geist@geist.com. For our Findings section, we buy second or third serial rights for previously published work (including work published on the internet). Due to the volume of suggestions we receive, you may not hear back from us. Thanks for your understanding.
Art & Photography: We love collages, photography, mixed-media, cartography and art that surprises. Traditional and digital forms are welcome. We pay between $50 and $120. Please note that the majority of our artwork is to accompany written work in the magazine. Artwork is usually kept on file until it can be matched with a written piece, and we may keep art submissions on file for up to one year. Work submitted to the Art & Photography category that does not follow the guidelines will not be considered.
Reading Fee
Geist offers no-fee general submissions for Black writers, Indigenous writers and writers of colour.
We also offer a limited number of no-fee general submissions to low-income writers per submission period.