I don't know about literary journals that make the writer pay for the privelege of appearing in their publication, but I do know that there seem to be plenty of literary journals that don't pay. The best you get is the privelege to appear in their journal, that thing called "exposure".

It kind of makes one look at genre "4 the luv markets" in a slightly different light. SOME may just be worthwhile publication credits, especially when you consider how many literary journals are basically "4 the luv" markets.

And no, I will not go into what I consider to be worthwhile credits. I think that is really up to the individual writer. One person's trash is another person's treasure, and circumstances are unique in every situation.

Furthermore, I will not be posting some specific examples. It would be easier to direct you to the literary short-fiction (or poetry) section(s) of Duotrope's Digest. Look at ALL the markets with an "N" designation in the "Payscale" column.

I can't imagine ALL those markets with an "N" in the "Payscale" column are disreputable. And perhaps some of the "biggies" might pay, and even pay well. However, just like the genre pro-markets, those golden opportunities in the literary world are few and far between.

(I had looked into perhaps composing and submitting literary or mainstream poetry before deciding to concentrate on speculative poetry.)