I am a fantasy and science fiction author of both stories and poetry. I’ve been named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association, and have twice won both the Elgin Award and the Rhysling Award. My work has appeared in Analog, Asimov’s, F&SF, Fantasy Magazine, Science, and Strange Horizons.
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.
Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org | Kobo
Note: Signed print copies may be bought from Phantom of the Attic in Pittsburgh (411 S Craig St 2nd floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15213).
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.”
Brandon O’Brien, Poet Laureate for the upcoming Seattle Worldcon, chatted with me about speculative poetry, for his Con-Verse blog for Worldcon.
You can read the interview here.
Penumbric interview, April 2024
Jeff Georgeson of Penumbric kindly interviewed me, posing questions about cultural influences, The Sign of the Dragon, How to Navigate Our Universe, Zoom, and more.
I’m happy to report a poetry acceptance from US1 Worksheets 🙂
Sunday, 22 June 2025
I’m delighted to report a poetry acceptance from Star*Line 🙂
Monday, 2 June 2025
I’ve had a poem accepted for a NewMyths anthology 🙂
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
