Chill Subs

Chill Subs launched in 2022, built by Karina Kupp with a small team, and did what the incumbents had not: made the lit-mag database free, fast, and funny. Listings carry "vibe" descriptors, Twitter-native voice, and filters (response time, payment, acceptance difficulty) that previously required a Duotrope subscription. It has since added books-and-presses data, a submission tracker, and the sub club newsletter.

It is the field's proof that better software wins even in poetry — and the Almanac's most direct neighbor. Its breadth (all genres, ~7,000 listings) is its strength and its limit: poetry-specific depth, verification, and change-tracking are the lanes it leaves open.