A lot of poets ask me what places are both good and relatively accepting. There’s a sweet spot to be achieved in targeting venues, a tipping point between quality and that need to avoid the relentless psychic onslaught of rejection. Writers want an island of lotus-eating acceptance, if only for a while, to breathe in the zephyrs of Elysium before returning to the rough sojourn of publication. Here are some oases for you world-weary swains, you twisters of time and tense (and tongues). Here you’ll find literary magazines that are good and welcoming (relatively!).

1. Punchnel’s (9% Duotrope-reported acceptance rate; 23.2 avg. days per acceptance) “Punchnel’s is a general-interest web magazine written for a smart, discerning audience of adults around the world. We publish continually, with new material appearing every weekday. We don’t have a specific editorial focus. We buy what we like.” There’s more range here than in a…