A print journal ought to have an attractive website that's easy to navigate and has plenty of samples of work (the samples are critical). Bonus points for things like updating the site frequently and quickly, offering online submissions, and Paypal ordering links. I'm also leaving out some big magazines with good websites, such as The Atlantic Monthly, because they're not primarily literary journals. As always, these are journals I like as well.
1. Ploughshares. Wins in basically all the areas I mentioned above: looks nice, lots of easy-to-find features, online submission system, and tons of work (almost all of it) from back issues. Plus it has a page with a random selection of work each day.
2. Beloit Poetry Journal. Good all around. The treasure is the complete index of authors from back issues, with most of the poems included. Great resource.
3. Pebble Lake Review. Proof that a much smaller journal than Ploughshares can have a really excellent website. One standout feature is the audio of poems, even if yours truly's unfortunate gravel voice is on there too.
4. Rattle. It's funny: Rattle could have been on a list of the worst print journal websites until their redesign last year, and now it's just top notch.
5. Redivider. Something's in the water up at Emerson, because they've got two journals on this list (it's also another that's redesigned in the last year to its great benefit). Clean design, nice news section, and plenty o' samples for this one.
6. Cimarron Review. If you want a good website without a lot of flash (upper case or lower case) and without spending a lot of money, think something like this. Touches all the bases except online purchasing/submissions.
7. Poetry. I know their ethos isn't the most popular, but the website itself has numerous worthwhile things, along with the Poetry Foundation sister site. It's not the easiest to navigate, however.
8. Burnside Review. Simple, clear, and elegant but still plenty to read. Easy to order, easy to send work.
9. Tin House. A little slow to load, but looks highly professional and has a wide array of features and sample work.
10. Caketrain. One area where little journals (lest you misunderstand, that's intended in fondness, not as a pejorative) can really get one back on the big journals is the website, as you can see on much of this list.
11. Passages North. Perhaps a little busy, but still lots of good information, poems, and a healthy sense of humor about itself.
12. Smartish Pace. Good site, especially the Poets Q&A feature, but loses some points for not enough samples and what seems like really slow updating--contests listed well after their deadlines, few new Q&A's, etc.
13. AGNI. I'm reeaaalllly not a fan of light-text-on-dark-background sites, but there's still lots of quality material, and I also want to encourage the print/online hybrid they've got going on.
