FOLIO NO. 42:
THE WHIMSICAL ISSUE

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. Submissions are open through Submittable from October 15 to December 15, 2026. Have questions? Please email us at folio.editors@gmail.com.

Curious about the MFA in creative writing at AU? Take a look at Café MFA, a literary blog that lives on FOLIO’s website, to explore articles written by MFA students. Articles range in content from MFA stories/poems, literary events around the DMV area, craft posts, and more. Café MFA also hosts events on campus such as open mic nights for the MFA and broader AU community. Check out Cafe MFA site below:

Café MFA

PAST ISSUES

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.