I am a Grand Master of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association, and winner of the AnLab Readers’ Award, Dwarf Stars Award, Elgin Award, Rhysling Award, and Utopia Award. My work has appeared in Analog, Asimov’s, F&SF, Science, Strange Horizons, and Uncanny Magazine.
Winner of the 2021 Elgin Award, The Sign of the Dragon is an epic fantasy told in poetry. Of all the things I’ve written, it’s the one that matters most to me. It began with a single poem about a boy chosen by a dragon to be king. I meant the poem to be a standalone piece, but the boy stayed with me, and I returned and wrote more, and more, and more poems about him. Over three hundred poems in the end.
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Note: Signed print copies may be bought from Phantom of the Attic in Pittsburgh (411 S Craig St 2nd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213).
A review by Tar Vol of The Sign of the Dragon, December 2025
“It’s thrilling, poignant, funny, uplifting, heartrending. It’s simultaneously poetic and easy to read, both wide in scope and eminently approachable. The Sign of the Dragon is a truly breathtaking epic, and one I highly recommend.”
A review by Sia of The Sign of the Dragon at Every Book a Doorway, August 2025
“The Sign of the Dragon is not like any book you’ve ever read before, for a few reasons…. Xau might not be a once-in-a-generation warrior – but his story is a once-in-a-generation book.”
On 5/19/2025, I joined C. S. E. Cooney and Carlos Hernandez for an episode of their Fiction: Impossible Twitch series. Our conversation began with a reading/interview from The Sign of the Dragon, followed by book and board game recommendations.
Here is a link to the recording. N.B. The main portion begins at 12 and a 1/2 minutes. [Before that there’s a section with chatter but no video.] I’m not certain how long this link will stay active.
Many thanks to Claire and Carlos, who are awesome!
A guest post for The Future Fire, March 2025
Once upon a time, fantastical epics were written in poetry: the Epic of Gilgamesh (about four thousand years old), the Iliad (about three thousand years old), the Mahabharata (about two thousand years old), Beowulf (a mere thousand years old). Nowadays, however, we expect our epic fantasy in prose, often as a series of hefty volumes. But in 2013, I started writing a group of poems that grew into my own epic fantasy, The Sign of the Dragon, which tells the story of King Xau, chosen by a dragon to be king.
A review of How to Navigate Our Universe by The Sciku Project, January 2025
“It’s safe to say that I’m a fan of poet and author Mary Soon Lee. I adored Elemental Haiku, her series of haiku based on each element of the period table. I also really enjoyed The Sign of the Dragon, a stunning epic fantasy poem sequence that’s well worth seeking out (and has recently been published in an illustrated version). And my three-part interview with her was fascinating, leading to a continuing and delightful sporadic correspondence over the past few years. So, please take this review of her 2023 collection of poetry How To Navigate Our Universe with a pinch of salt…. Salted or not, How To Navigate Our Universe is a joy.”
My poem “To Skeptics,” first published in Fantasy & Science Fiction, has been reprinted in Solstitia 🙂
Tuesday, 23 December 2025
I am delighted to report that there’s a lovely review — by Kelly Jennings — of The Sign of the Dragon in the On Books column in Asimov’s Science Fiction 🙂 🙂 🙂
N.B. In a couple of months, the column will be updated with a new set of book reviews.
Monday, 22 December 2025
I am honored and entirely delighted that my poem “What They Didn’t Do” won the Asimov’s Readers’ Award for best poem published in Asimov’s Science Fiction in 2024 🙂 🙂 🙂
Tuesday, 16 December 2025
My poem “Chilean Sea Bass” has been published in Constellations, Volume 15, my seventh poem to appear there 🙂
Friday, 5 December 2025
