Mary Soon Lee's Mailbox Blues

This is an old version of this page and is no longer being updated.

For the current version, visit www.marysoonlee.com/mailbox-blues/

When I started submitting stories in 1992, I became obsessed by my mail, listening out for mail vans and postal workers. I learned that ninety-nine out of a hundred 9x12 inch envelopes contained rejection letters. My early acceptances came in exciting small envelopes, addressed and stamped by the magazines themselves -- nowadays, acceptances often come by email. This page contains recent mail reports, in reverse chronological order.... Many thanks to Christopher Reynaga for the beautiful camel-and-mailbox artwork, and to David Jackson for the logo!

For more information about me, see my home page

25 August 2020: Fireside

My story Redemption is now available online at Fireside, my second short story to appear there :-) :-)

12 August 2020: Instincts

My poem Bedtime has just been reprinted in Instincts #9, an online publication for Asian SF/F poetry. The poem is part of The Sign of the Dragon and first appeared in Crowned: The Sign of the Dragon, Book 1.

9 August 2020: Daily Science Fiction + Polu Texni

I'm very happy to report two acceptances: my eighth short story acceptance from Daily Science Fiction, and my fifth poetry acceptance from Polu Texni.

7 August 2020: Uppagus

My poem How to Stop Being a Star is in the new issue of Uppagus, my twenty-eighth poem to appear there (!!!)

1 August 2020: Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

My poem Dear Arithmetic has been published in the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, my first appearance there.

30 July 2020: Insignia 2020

Six of my poems have just been reprinted in Insignia 2020, an anthology of Asian speculative fiction :-) :-)

26 July 2020: I-70 Review

I've had two poems accepted by the I-70 Review :-) :-)

16 July 2020: F&SF

I am thoroughly delighted to report that I've had another poem accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction, my twelfth poem to find a home there :-) :-) :-)

15 July 2020: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Shapeshifter" is included in the new issue of Eye to the Telescope, edited by Jake Tringali.

10 July 2020: Fireside

I am very happy to report that my short story "Redemption" is in the Summer 2020 issue of Fireside Quarterly, edited by Kate Dollarhyde.

6 July 2020: Typehouse Literary Magazine

I'm happy to report my first poetry acceptance from Typehouse Literary Magazine :-)

4 July 2020: Star*Line

I have three poems in the new issue, Summer 2020, of Star*Line, one of which has been picked as an Editor's Choice poem and so may be read online: Museums of Earth.

30 June 2020: Elgin Award Nomination

I am very happy to report that Elemental Haiku, my book of haiku for the elements of the periodic table, has been nominated for the 2020 Elgin Award :-) :-) :-)

29 June 2020: Dwarf Stars

I am delighted to report that two of my poems have just been published in this year's Dwarf Stars anthology. The poems are "How to Time Travel" (first published in Analog) and "How to Notice a Dark Nebula" (first published in Triangulation: Dark Skies).

28 June 2020: Polu Texni

I'm happy to report that I've had a poem accepted by Polu Texni. The poem is titled "Dicing with the Devil," and will be my fourth poem to appear there.

27 June 2020: F&SF

I've received contributor copies of the July/August issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, containing my poem "A Quartet of Alphabetic Babbles" :-)

21 June 2020: Frozen Wavelets

My short-short story Catastrophe has just been published in Frozen Wavelets.

17 June 2020: Star*Line

My poem "Advent" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

16 June 2020: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Shapeshifter" has been accepted for the next issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

10 June 2020: Star*Line

I had another poem accepted by Star*Line, my sixth acceptance from them in the past two months :-) I should make it clear that they have also rejected a whole bunch of my poems. (I've been sending batches of five poems at a time, of which they have, lately, been taking one and rejecting four.)

8 June 2020: AmazingCon reading + Dwarf Stars + Insignia 2020

This Saturday, June 13, I'll be giving a Zoom poetry reading as part of AmazingCon, a virtual convention. Please come and listen! I'll be reading poetry from science haiku to epic fantasy. The reading is at 10 AM, EDT, on Saturday June 13. Here is the full schedule of readings. Here is the registration page. (They request but don't require donations.)

I am delighted to report that two of my poems will be included in this year's Dwarf Stars anthology. The poems are "How to Time Travel" (first published in Analog) and "How to Notice a Dark Nebula" (first published in Triangulation: Dark Skies).

And I also had six poems accepted for inclusion in a forthcoming Asian SF/F anthology, Insignia 2020

6 June 2020: Star*Line

My poem "The Red Planet" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

4 June 2020: Instincts + Uppagus

I had two very different poems published today, both of which may be read online. An astronomy poem, How to Observe the Horsehead Nebula, appeared in Uppagus #40, June 2020, and Midnight, a poem from my epic fantasy The Sign of the Dragon, appeared in Instincts #7, June 2020.

1 June 2020: Instincts

Two of my poems from The Sign of the Dragon will be reprinted in Instincts.

31 May 2020: Star*Line

My poem "What Aliens Read" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

27 May 2020: Podcast interview

I'm interviewed by Carrie Gessner in the latest Positively Pop Culture podcast. The first part of the podcast is an interview with poet Erin Carlyle, and then in the second part I babble away about "The Sign of the Dragon" and "Elemental Haiku." To find the episode, click here.

25 May 2020: Star*Line

My poem "Champion" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

17 May 2020: Star*Line

My poem "Voyage of Failed Heroes" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

9 May 2020: F&SF

I'm very happy to report that I've had another poem accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction :-) :-)

7 May 2020: Rune

I just had two poems -- "Harold and Kate" and "How to Tidy the Asteroids" -- published in the 2020 edition of Rune Literary Journal.

5 May 2020: F&SF + Eternal Haunted Summer

Two publications. One new, one old. My poem "First Contact" is in the May/June 2020 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. And I'm nearly a year late realizing this, but my poem How to Honor Sirius appeared in Eternal Haunted Summer last summer.

4 May 2020: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Ford has just been published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly. N.B. "Ford" is one of the longer of the King Xau poems from The Sign of the Dragon.

27 April 2020: The Sign of the Dragon

I've just had an ebook published, The Sign of the Dragon. It's an epic fantasy about King Xau, chosen by a dragon to be king, told in over three hundred poems. There's a webpage about the book, which includes, among other things, a link to listen to me reading the opening poem.

20 April 2020: Star*Line

My poem "Museums of Earth" has been accepted by Star*Line.

18 April 2020: Rune

I had two poems accepted for this year's edition of Rune Literary Journal.

16 April 2020: Daily Science Fiction

My short story Instructions for Time Travelers has just been published by Daily Science Fiction :-)

13 April 2020: Uppagus

I've had two poems accepted by Uppagus, bringing me up to a total of thirty poems that they've accepted! (Twenty-six of which have been published so far.)

7 April 2020: Star*Line

My poem "How to Advertise Titan" is in the new issue of Star*Line, the fourth of my How-To astronomy poems to appear there :-)

6 April 2020: Uppagus

My poem How to Tease Jupiter has just appeared in Uppagus.

31 March 2020: Mithila Review

The latest issue of Mithila Review contains an interview with me, plus two of my poems ("How to Question Asteroid 16 Psyche" and "Patroclus.") The issue has been released free online, because of the pandemic.

24 March 2020: Constellations

My poem "Brighton" has been accepted by Constellations. Hoping everyone is holding up okay in these difficult times.

21 March 2020: Journal of Humanistic Mathematics + Space & Time

My poem "Without Worship" is in the new issue of Space and Time magazine, and also my poem "Train Algebra" has been accepted by the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics :-)

16 March 2020: Star*Line

My poem "How to Advertise Titan" has been accepted by Star*Line.

15 March 2020: NewMyths.com Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

I've had two more poems published. How to Weave the Stars is in NewMyths.com, and "How to Destroy a Dragon" is in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. On another note, sending good wishes out to anyone reading this in these uncertain times.

3 March 2020: fourth Rhysling nomination

My poem "How to Dance With Dark Matter," first published in Uppagus, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-)

25 February 2020: Star*Line

My poems "How to Imagine Barnard's Star b" and "Humpty Dumpty" are in the new issue of Star*Line :-)

24 February 2020: third Rhysling nomination

My poem "How to Colonize Ganymede," first published in NewMyths.com, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-)

19 February 2020: Rhysling nomination

My poem "Witch," first published in Polu Texni, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-)

16 February 2020: Star*Line

I had two poems accepted by Star*Line, bringing me up to 50 (!) acceptances from them.

12 February 2020: F&SF + Songs of Eretz

Two poetry acceptances to report: "How to Destroy a Dragon" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and, to my great happiness, "First Contact" has been accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction :-)

10 February 2020: Analog

My poem "How to Go Twelfth" is in the March/April 2020 issue of Analog -- my second poem about Valentina Tereshkova to appear there!

9 February 2020: Rhysling nomination

My poem "To Skeptics," first published in Fantasy & Science Fiction, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award. :-) :-)

5 February 2020: Asimov's + Uppagus

I am very happy to report that Asimov's Science Fiction has accepted one of my poems, the fifth poem they've taken from me, and the second that is part of my How-To astronomy sequence. In other happy news, my poem How to Hide the Milky Way has appeared in Uppagus :-)

3 February 2020: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Jumble has just been published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, the first King Xau poem to be published in over a year (I stopped submitting them for a bit).

30 January 2020: Space and Time

My poem "Without Worship" has been accepted by the venerable Space and Time magazine, who last published a poem of mine back in 2003!

28 January 2020: Analog

I am very happy to report that my short story "The Boy Who Went to Mars" has been accepted by Analog :-)

18 January 2020: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "How to Decorate the Moon" is online in the new issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

12 January 2020: Daily Science Fiction + NewMyths.com

A good morning! I've had a seventh story accepted by Daily Science Fiction, plus my poem "How to Forfeit the Future" has been accepted by NewMyths.com :-)

9 January 2020: Uppagus

Uppagus has accepted two more of my astronomy poems :-)

6 January 2020: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

It looks as though Heroic Fantasy Quarterly will be publishing three more poems from The Sign of the Dragon :-) :-)

22 December 2019: Uppagus

I'm very happy that my poem "How to Tease Jupiter" has been accepted by Uppagus :-)

13 December 2019: Mithila Review

Mithila Review accepted two more of my poems :-) :-)

5 December 2019: The Alchemy of Stars II

I am very happy to report that I have two poems in The Alchemy of Stars II, an anthology of the 2005-2018 winners of the Rhysling and Dwarf Star Awards. My poems "Interregnum" and "Advice to a Six-Year-Old" are included, along with poems by Amal El-Mohtar, Neil Gaiman, Ann K. Schwader, Catherynne M. Valente, Jane Yolen, and many more.

2 December 2019: Fireside

I am delighted to report that my short story "Redemption" has been accepted by Fireside, my second story to find a home there :-) :-)

23 November 2019: Spillway

I'm happy to report that my poem "How to Surprise Saturn" is in Spillway 27, my fourth poem to appear there.

8 November 2019: Daily Science Fiction

My short story Charmed appeared today in Daily Science Fiction, my sixth story to appear there.

5 November 2019: imaginED

I'm honored that my essay At the Intersection of Science and Poetry has appeared online at imaginED. The essay describes how I came to write Elemental Haiku. It also contains a photo of one of my cats :-)

2 November 2019: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "How to Decorate the Moon" has been accepted by Eye to the Telescope for their January 2020 issue.

26 October 2019: Asimov's

I am doubly happy to report that two of my poems are in the November/December issue of Asimov's Science Fiction: "How to Curve Spacetime" and "Not For Sale."

22 October 2019: Star*Line

A speedy 18 days after it was accepted, my poem "Tall Tale" has been published by Star*Line.

21 October 2019: Polu Texni

My poem Witch has just appeared online in Polu Texni :-)

17 October 2019: NewMyths.com

My poem "How to Weave the Stars" has been accepted for the March 2020 issue of NewMyths.com :-)

15 October 2019: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "How to Trick a Trickster" is online in the new issue of Eye to the Telescope, my ninth poem to appear there.

4 October 2019: The Sciku Project, part three of interview + Star*Line

The third and final part of my three-part interview with the Sciku Project has just appeared.... In other news, my poem "Tall Tale" has been accepted by Star*Line.

3 October 2019: Uppagus

My poem How to Dance With Dark Matter is in the new issue of Uppagus :-)

2 October 2019: The Sciku Project, part two of interview

The second part of my three-part interview with the Sciku Project has just appeared.

1 October 2019: Elemental Haiku

Elemental Haiku, my book of haiku for the periodic table, was published today by Ten Speed Press :-) :-) :-) It may be ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

30 September 2019: The Sciku Project + Mithila Review

My book Elemental Haiku will be published tomorrow. Eeek! And the Sciku Project very kindly reviewed the book, and also interviewed me. The first part of their interview appeared today :-)

Also today, my poem "How to Lie About SN 2213-1745" appeared in the new issue of Mithila Review, my fourth poem to appear there.

28 September 2019: Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

My poem "Dear Arithmetic" has been accepted by the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics :-)

19 September 2019: Eye to the Telescope + Silver Blade

A doubly-good day: my poem "How to Trick a Trickster" has been accepted by Eye to the Telescope, and my poem How to Detect Solar Neutrinos has appeared in Silver Blade. Both poems are part of my work-in-progress, an astronomy sequence.

15 September 2019: NewMyths.com + Dreams & Nightmares

My poem How to Colonize Ganymede is online in the new issue of NewMyths.com, my third poem to appear there. As the title indicates, the poem is part of my astronomy sequence. And my poem "Apology for Your Extinction" is in the new issue (number 113) of Dreams & Nightmares, my ninth poem there :-)

8 September 2019: NewMyths.com

My short-short story "Red" and my poem "Cherry Blossom 2050" have both been accepted for Twilight Worlds, an anthology to be published by NewMyths.com :-)

4 September 2019: DreamForge

My short story "Wrong Turn," a story that I'm fond of, is in the new issue of DreamForge.

2 September 2019: Silver Blade

My poem "How to Detect Solar Neutrinos" has been accepted by Silver Blade, who've previously published three of my poems.

29 August 2019: Dwarf Stars

I received my copy of the Dwarf Stars 2019 anthology, which contains -- among many other poems! -- a reprint of my poem How to Betray Sagittarius A*, which first appeared in Strange Horizons.

23 August 2019: Daily Science Fiction

I am delighted to report that my short story "Charmed" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction, my sixth story to find a home there :-)

20 August 2019: F&SF

I've received my contributor copies of the September/October 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, their 70th anniversary issue (!), which contains my poem "Last Human in the Olympics."

10 August 2019: Frozen Wavelets

My short-short story "Catastrophe" has been accepted by Frozen Wavelets, a new e-zine that will be publishing its first issue in late 2019.

5 August 2019: C&EN

I have an essay about the periodic table in Chemical & Engineering News.

3 August 2019: Uppagus

My poem How to Be a Star is in the new issue of Uppagus, my 23rd poem to appear there :-)

1 August 2019: Star*Line

I have three poems in the latest issue of Star*Line :-)

29 July 2019: Triangulation: Dark Skies

I've received my contributor's copy of Triangulation: Dark Skies, which is primarily an anthology of short stories, but also contains five of my astronomy poems.

24 July 2019: Confluence + Star*Line

This weekend, I will be one of many authors at Confluence, an annual Pittsburgh science fiction conference. I'll be giving a reading at 11 on Saturday morning, and will also be on various panels.... Also, I've had two poems accepted by Star*Line, titled "Cyborg Cats" and "How to Emulate Black Holes" :-)

8 July 2019: Amazing Stories

My poem "How to Fathom a Light-Year" is in the Summer 2019 issue of Amazing Stories. I received my contributor copies this morning :-)

6 July 2019: Dreams & Nightmares

My poem "Apology for your Extinction" has been accepted by Dreams & Nightmares, my ninth poem to be accepted there :-)

5 July 2019: Daily Science Fiction

My science fiction short story Let's Pretend has been published today by Daily Science Fiction, my fifth story to appear there :-)

28 June 2019: Star*Line

My poem "Galahad" has been accepted by Star*Line, my 45th poem to be accepted there :-)

14 June 2019: Uppagus

My poem "How to Dance with Dark Matter" has been accepted by Uppagus :-)

12 June 2019: F&SF + Analog

Two pieces of good news on the same day: I just received a copy of the July/August 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, which contains my poem "To Skeptics" :-) And my poem "How to Go Twelfth" was accepted by Analog :-)

8 June 2019: Insignia

Five poems from The Sign of the Dragon have been reprinted in volume 7 of the Insignia anthology series :-)

4 June 2019: Rhysling Anthology + Uppagus

Two pieces of publication news.... I received my copy of The 2019 Rhysling Anthology, which contains three of my poems: "Dear Creator" (first published in F&SF), "Alien Interview Questions" (first published in Dreams & Nightmares), and "Dragon Mountain" (first published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly). Plus my poem How to Thank Earth is online in Uppagus :-)

3 June 2019: Eternal Haunted Summer

Happy news: my poem "How to Honor Sirius" has been accepted by Eternal Haunted Summer.

29 May 2019: Dwarf Stars

I am delighted to report that my poem How to Betray Sagittarius A*, first published in Strange Horizons, has been nominated for the Dwarf Stars award :-) :-)

24 May 2019: HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks has just published an article about my Elemental Haiku; the article was written by Carrie Tatro.

21 May 2019: Do Not Go Quietly

My poem "If the Fairy Godmother Comes" is out today in the anthology Do Not Go Quietly.

19 May 2019: AnLab :-)

I am delighted to report that my poem Venus, As It Might Have Been has won the AnLab Readers' Award :-) :-)

12 May 2019: Polu Texni

My poem "Witch" has been accepted by Polu Texni :-)

30 April 2019: Star*Line

I have three poems in the new issue of Star*Line: "How to Call Proxima Centauri," "On Keeping Unicorns," and "Royal Prospects" :-)

27 April 2019: DreamForge

My short story "Wrong Turn" has been accepted by DreamForge, which makes me very happy :-)

22 April 2019: Analog + Elemental Haiku

I received a copy of the May/June 2019 issue of Analog, containing my very short poem "How to Time Travel" :-) In other news, the cover for Elemental Haiku can now be seen on Amazon. (Elemental Haiku is my book containing 119 haiku for the elements of the periodic table, plus illustrations and accompanying notes, due out in October from Ten Speed Press.)

15 April 2019: Eye to the Telescope, Spillway, Star*Line, Ship of Fools

A good morning! My poem "The Commandant of Mars" is in the new issue of Eye to the Telescope, edited by Lisa Timpf, plus I had five poems accepted, one by Spillway, two by Star*Line and two by Ship of Fools :-) :-)

13 April 2019: F&SF

I just received contributor copies of the May/June 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, containing my poem "Guinevere," my seventh poem to appear there :-)

11 April 2019: Asimov's

I am very happy to report that my poem "How to Curve Spacetime" has been accepted by Asimov's Science Fiction, my fourth sale to them :-)

2 April 2019: Uppagus

My short mainstream poem Snapdragons is in the new issue of Uppagus :-)

22 March 2019: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "The Commandant of Mars" has been accepted for the upcoming Sports & Games issue of Eye to the Telescope, edited by Lisa Timpf :-)

19 March 2019: F&SF

Fantasy & Science Fiction just accepted two of my poems!!! A double dose of happiness!

17 March 2019: NewMyths.com + Uppagus

Two pieces of good news on the writing front. My poem Cherry Blossom 2050 is online in the new issue of NewMyths.com, my second appearance there, and my poem "How to Be a Star" has been accepted by Uppagus :-)

12 March 2019: Elemental Haiku

The cover art isn't yet available, but my book Elemental Haiku, containing 119 haiku for the elements of the periodic table, plus illustrations and accompanying notes, can already be pre-ordered from Amazon. Yay! The book is due out in October from Ten Speed Press.

7 March 2019: Daily Science Fiction

My science fiction short story "Let's Pretend" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction, my fifth story to find a home there :-)

3 March 2019: NewMyths.com

My poem "Cherry Blossom 2050" has been accepted by NewMyths.com, my third poem to find a home there :-) NewMyths.com is a poet-friendly publication. They pay comparatively well (thirty dollars per poem). Plus they reply within a few days to say which (if any) poems are being held for further consideration, freeing the author to resubmit the others.

25 February 2019: F&SF

I received contributor copies of the March/April 2019 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, containing my poem "In the Caverns of the Moon" :-) This is my sixth poem to appear there :-)

23 February 2019: Star*Line

My poem "How to Call Proxima Centauri" has been accepted by Star*Line :-) It will be my forty-second poem to find a home there.

22 February 2019: Amazing Stories

I am delighted to report that my poem "How to Fathom a Light-Year" has been accepted by Amazing Stories :-)

18 February 2019: Rhysling nomination

My poem "Alien Interview Questions", first published in Dreams & Nightmares, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award. :-) :-)

13 February 2019: AnLab + DreamForge

I am very happy to report that my poem Venus, As It Might Have Been is a finalist for the AnLab Readers' Award. In further happy news, I am honored that my poem "Coming of Age 2150" opens the Founders Issue of DreamForge; even better, the poem is accompanied by a beautiful illustration by Jane Noel :-)

6 February 2019: Uppagus

My poem Eighth Day is included in the new issue of Uppagus. I believe this is my twentieth poem to appear in Uppagus!

3 February 2019: Rhysling nomination + Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

My poem Dragon Mountain, first published in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-) In further good news, my poem Irene, first published in Uppagus, has been reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :-)

26 January 2019: Rhysling nomination

My poem "Dear Creator," first published in Fantasy & Science Fiction, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-)

23 January 2019: Asimov's + book edits

My poem "Cavall" has been accepted by Asimov's Science Fiction, my third sale to them :-) :-) And I have completed the main book edits for Elemental Haiku, and the editor has approved them :-) :-)

22 January 2019: Fireside

My story Lord Serpent is now available online at Fireside, together with a wonderful illustration by Galen Dara.

17 January 2019: Star*Line

I have three poems -- "New Year's Resolutions," "Unicorn Care," and "Snubbed" -- in the new issue of Star*Line :-)

14 January 2019: Book contract!

Major news! I have a book forthcoming from Ten Speed Press! They will be publishing my Elemental Haiku (119 haiku for the elements of the periodic table), together with accompanying science notes that I've written. There will also be illustrations, which are not, I hasten to add, by me. N.B. These are the haiku that first appeared in Science.

13 January 2019: Uppagus

My poem "How to Thank Earth" has been accepted by Uppagus :-)

1 January 2019: Abyss & Apex

My poem How to Seduce Apophis is in the new issue, number 69, of Abyss & Apex :-) Happy New Year!

26 December 2018: Daily Science Fiction + Abyss & Apex

My science fiction short story A Retrospective on the Third Millennium is today's story at Daily Science Fiction, my fourth appearance there :-) And my poem "How to Seduce Apophis" has been accepted by Abyss & Apex, my first acceptance there :-) So it was a good morning!

24 December 2018: Fireside

I just received a contributor copy of the January issue of Fireside, containing my short story "Lord Serpent," which is accompanied by an amazing fold-out illustration by Galen Dara :-)

22 December 2018: Triangulation

Five of my astronomy poems have been accepted for the Dark Skies issue of the Triangulation anthology!!!

17 December 2018: Analog

I received contributor copies of the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of Analog, containing my short story "Forever" :-) This is my fourth story to appear in Analog, three of them recent, one from back in 2003.

15 December 2018: NewMyths.com

My poem The Cats of Mars is in the new issue of NewMyths.com, my first appearance there :-)

3rd-7th December 2018: Songs of Eretz

I have five poems appearing in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review this week:

30 November 2018: Songs of Eretz

I'm delighted to say that five poems from The Sign of the Dragon will be reprinted in volume 7 of the Insignia anthology series :-)

28 November 2018: Songs of Eretz

A bittersweet moment. I have had four poems accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and they will all be published next week, which will be my final week as a Frequent Contributor there. Songs of Eretz have been kind enough to publish more than sixty of my poems, and it will be strange not to be part of them anymore.

23 November 2018: Ship of Fools

My poems "modern poetry" and "Minecraft" are both in the latest issue of Ship of Fools :-)

19 November 2018: Pushcart nomination

Yay! My poem How to Be Invisible, has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Star*Line (who first published the poem).

12 November 2018: F&SF

I am entirely delighted to report that Fantasy & Science Fiction has accepted my poem "Guinevere" :-) :-)

4 November 2018: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Between Battles has appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, my sixth poem from The Sign of the Dragon to find a home there :-)

29 October 2018: Strange Horizons + DreamForge

I am honored and delighted that two of my poems, Advice for Time Travelers and How to Betray Sagittarius A*, have just been published in Strange Horizons as part of their fundraising drive. And I am also delighted that my poem "Coming of Age 2150" has been accepted by DreamForge, a new magazine that will be launching in 2019.

22 October 2018: Star*Line (again)

My science fiction poem "Snubbed" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

19 October 2018: Star*Line

My poems "How to be Invisible" and "What They Took" are in the new, fall issue of Star*Line :-)

15 October 2018: Daily Science Fiction

My science fiction short story "A Retrospective on the Third Millennium" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction. While still under a thousand words, this is the longest of the four stories that I've had accepted by Daily Science Fiction.

11 October 2018: Daily Science Fiction

My short-short story Keeping House has just been published in Daily Science Fiction, my third story to appear there :-)

3 October 2018: Uppagus

Fealty, which is one of my relatively-rare rhyming poems, is in the new issue of Uppagus.

24 September 2018: Liminality

My poem Advice to a Villain is in the new issue of Liminality, my first appearance there :-)

20 September 2018: Songs of Eretz

My poem New Color is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

8 September 2018: NewMyths.com

NewMyths.com has accepted a second poem from me, ten days after I received my first acceptance from them :-)

29 August 2018: NewMyths.com

Happy news! I've had a poem accepted by NewMyths.com, my first acceptance from them :-)

14 August 2018: F&SF + Uppagus

I am very happy indeed to report that Fantasy & Science Fiction has accepted my poem "In the Caverns of the Moon," and that Uppagus has accepted two of my poems ("Eighth Day" and "Snapdragons").

13 August 2018: Strange Horizons + Uppagus

Strange Horizons has accepted two of my poems: "Advice for Time Travelers" and "How to Betray Sagittarius A*" -- happiness! And in further good news, my poem Trojan Cats is up at Uppagus :-)

10 August 2018: Worldcon + NonBinary Review + Asimov's

Firstly, I will be at Worldcon in a week! I've a reading at 2 pm on Monday August 20, and I'm also on three poetry panels, including a SFPA group reading. Click here to see my schedule.

Secondly, I am delighted to report my first acceptance from NonBinary Review, who will be publishing a piece of mine in their issue on The Wind in the Willows.

Thirdly, I am also delighted to report my first appearance in Asimov's Science Fiction! I received my contributor copies of the September/October 2018 issue, which contains my poem "Packing for the Afterlife."

7 August 2018: Apex Magazine

I have three poems in the new issue (#111) of Apex Magazine, the Zodiac-themed issue edited by Sheree Renée Thomas :-)

2 August 2018: Star*Line

Just two hours after I submitted them, Star*Line accepted my poems "How to Be Invisible" and "Unicorn Care" :-) They also rejected three other poems sent in the same batch, but I'm happy with a forty percent success rate!

24 July 2018: Undead

My poem "Moon Swan," first published in Star*Line, has been reprinted in Undead: A Poetry Anthology of Ghosts, Ghouls, and More.

20 July 2018: Songs of Eretz

My poem Relics of the Round Table has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, accompanied by another very nice illustration by J. Artemus Gordon.

18 July 2018: Daily Science Fiction

I'm delighted to report that my fantasy short story "Keeping House" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction, my third sale to them :-)

17 July 2018: Star*Line

Happy news from Star*Line: they accepted my poem "New Year's Resolutions," plus I have five poems in the summer issue, #41.3, forthcoming any day now :-)

10 July 2018: Songs of Eretz

My poem Rosalind has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, once again accompanied by a very nice illustration by J. Artemus Gordon.

9 July 2018: Confluence + Songs of Eretz

At the end of July, I'll be at Confluence, the annual Pittsburgh SF/F/H conference, a lovely, friendly, reader-oriented gathering. This year's Guest of Honor is Catherynne M. Valente. If you're able to come, please find me and say hello.... Here's my schedule.

Also, today I had a poem accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

7 July 2018: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem "Between Battles" has been accepted by Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, my sixth poem from The Sign of the Dragon to find a home there :-)

5 July 2018: Songs of Eretz

My poem Advice from an Elephant has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, accompanied by a very nice illustration of an elephant, painted by J. Artemus Gordon.

4 July 2018: 2018 Rhysling Awards

I am very, very happy to report that my poem Advice to a Six-Year-Old, first published in Star*Line, has won the 2018 Rhysling Award in the short poem category, and that my poem Alternate Genders, first published in Mithila Review, came third in the long poem category :-) :-) :-)

30 June 2018: Songs of Eretz

My humorous poem Rules for Vacuuming has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

25 June 2018: Apex Magazine

Triply-good news: Sheree Renée Thomas has accepted three of my poems for the Zodiac-themed issue of Apex Magazine that she is guest-editing :-)

24 June 2018: Analog + F&SF

Two things to celebrate! I have a short-short story, "Extracts from the Captain's Notes," in the July/August 2018 issue of Analog, my third piece in Analog this year :-) And I have a poem, "Red Rising," in the July/August 2018 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, my third poem in F&SF this year :-)

15 June 2018: Asimov's + Songs of Eretz

My poem "Not for Sale" has been accepted by Asimov's Science Fiction, my second sale to them :-) :-) And in a second piece of happy news, my poem Gone has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

6 June 2018: Fireside Fiction

I am delighted to report that my fantasy story "Lord Serpent" has been accepted by Fireside Fiction :-) :-)

2 June 2018: Songs of Eretz

Two pieces of good news, both from Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. They published my poem Renunciation, an alternative take on the Arthurian legends, and they accepted my poem "New Color."

27 May 2018: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Relics of the Round Table," a rhyming Arthurian poem, has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

17 May 2018: Dreams & Nightmares

My poem "Alien Interview Questions" has been published in Dreams & Nightmares #109 :-)

16 May 2018: Rhysling Anthology + Songs of Eretz

I received my copy of The 2018 Rhysling Anthology, containing five of my poems :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) And my poem Grasslands has been published in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, accompanied by a beautiful watercolor illustration.

30 April 2018: Grievous Angel + Songs of Eretz

Two items today. My poem Meisho's Dodos has just been published in Grievous Angel, alongside a poem by Bruce Boston :-) And my poem "Rosalind," about a childhood friend of mine, has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

28 April 2018: Analog + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Three more items of happy news. Firstly, my short-short "Prime Development Opportunity: Dirt" has just been published in the May/June 2018 issue of Analog, my first fiction there since 2003! Secondly, my poem Victoria appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. Thirdly, my poem "Advice from an Elephant" has been accepted by the aforementioned Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

24 April 2018: Oakland Review + Star*Line

Two bits of good news. Firstly, my poem "On Reading 'The Journey to the West'" is included in Volume 43 of the Oakland Review, and I will be reading the poem at the launch party for the issue this afternoon. Secondly, my poem "How to Repair Starships" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

22 April 2018: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review accepted my poem "Rules for Vacuuming" :-)

17 April 2018: Grievous Angel + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Two pieces of good news: Grievous Angel accepted my poem "How to Destroy A Dragon," and my poem Yard Work is online in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

15 April 2018: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Time Cats" is in the new, time-themed issue of Eye to the Telescope, edited by Holly Lyn Walrath :-)

8 April 2018: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Renunciation" and "Gone" have been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. I think this brings me up to 56 poems accepted there! (I am one of their group of designated Frequent Contributors.)

5 April 2018: F&SF

Today I received $150 payment for my poem "Red Rising," due to appear in the July/August 2018 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. F&SF remains my favorite place to submit my work: I like the magazine, its editor, that editor's (usually) fast response times, and the generous payments for poetry.

3 April 2018: Daily Science Fiction + Star*Line

My short-short Fantasy Nights appeared today in Daily Science Fiction, my second story to appear there this year :-) Caution: by my tame standards, this is a comparatively adult-themed piece.... On the poetry front, my poem "The Holy Firmament of Venus" is in the new issue of Star*Line, my 31st poem to appear there!

1 April 2018: Eye to the Telescope + Uppagus

My poem Irene is in the new issue of Uppagus. It's a non-science-fiction, non-fantasy poem about Andrew's grandmother. Also, and happily, my poem "Time Cats" has been accepted for the forthcoming Time issue of Eye to the Telescope, edited by Holly Lyn Walrath :-)

27 March 2018: F&SF

I've had a fifth poem accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction, which will form the poetry part of a Mars mini-feature in the July/August 2018 issue :-)

25 March 2018: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Grasslands" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about visiting the National Aviary with my daughter, which, coincidentally, we did just a couple of days ago. When she was smaller, we used to go there often. Now it's a rare, but sweet, event.

22 March 2018: Analog Q&A + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Analog has posted an interview that they conducted with me.

In addition, my poem Harold's Samaritan has appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, accompanied by a beautiful watercolor by J. Artemus Gordon, now the art editor at Songs of Eretz.

16 March 2018: Rhysling nomination

My poem Lotus Moon, a King Xau poem, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award, my fifth nomination this year. The poem first appeared in issue 4.2 of Mythic Delirium :-)

14 March 2018: Star*Line

I had three more poems accepted by Star*Line, this time in a speedy 1-day-turnaround! I now now have six poems waiting in their inventory :-)

8 March 2018: Star*Line + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

I'm happy to report that I had a poem accepted by Star*Line, and now have three poems waiting in their inventory :-)

Also, my poem Reasons for Reading has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review (with a beautiful picture to accompany it).

3 March 2018: Analog + Oakland Review

My poem "Venus, As It Might Have Been" is in the new issue of Analog :-) :-) This is my first poem to appear in Analog, though I've also had a short story published there :-)

Also, my poem "On Reading 'The Journey to the West'" has been accepted by the Oakland Review :-)

25 February 2018: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Yard Work" and "Victoria" have both been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

24 February 2018: Star*Line + Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

My poem Holding You is in today's issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :-) The poem first appeared in Louisiana Literature, and was written six years ago, when Lucy was a little younger.

I also had two poems accepted by Star*Line: "The Holy Firmament of Venus" and "Mirror Cats" :-)

23 February 2018: Analog + Rhysling nomination

My story "Forever" has been accepted by Analog :-) :-) Happiness :-)

Also, my poem Alternate Genders, first published by Mithila Review, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award, my fourth nomination this year. More happiness :-)

22 February 2018: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

My poem "Holding You" has been accepted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :-) The poem first appeared in Louisiana Literature.

17 February 2018: F&SF

I've received contributor copies of the March/April 2018 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction containing my poem "Diaspora" :-) :-)

13 February 2018: Daily Science Fiction

My short-short Dwarf Varieties has just been published by Daily Science Fiction, my first shory story to be published in a long time :-)

12 February 2018: Rhysling Nomination

My poem The Secret Life of a Toaster, first published by Polu Texni, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award, my third nomination this year :-)

6 February 2018: Rhysling Nomination

My poem Advice to a Six-Year-Old, first published by Star*Line, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-)

4 February 2018: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Reasons for Reading" and "Harold's Samaritan" have both been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

3 February 2018: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Dragon Mountain has been published in the new issue of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, my fifth poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear there, and one of the longest of the King Xau poems.

2 February 2018: Uppagus + Ursula K. Le Guin

My poem On Reading Le Guin is in the new issue of Uppagus. Ursula K. Le Guin was one of my very favorite authors, and I was very sad to hear of her death earlier this week.

30 January 2018: Forever Magazine

An unexpected piece of good news: Neil Clarke emailed asking to reprint my short story "PauseTime" in Forever Magazine. Moreover he proved to be so efficient that I have already received both contract and payment! "Pausetime" first appeared in Spectrum SF.

29 January 2018: Dreams & Nightmares

"Again," a King Xau poem, has been published in Dreams & Nightmares, my seventh poem to appear there.

27 January 2018: Uppagus

My poem "Fealty" has been accepted by Uppagus, a market I am very fond of :-)

24 January 2018: Analog

My poem "How To Time Travel" has been accepted by Analog, my second poetry sale to them :-) :-) I've also sold them three short stories, one of which appeared back in 2003, and the other two of which should be published fairly soon.

16 January 2018: Eye to the Telescope

My poem Camelot Cats has just been published as part of the Arthuriana issue of Eye to the Telescope :-) It's the opening poem in the issue.

9 January 2018: Rhysling Nomination

My poem "Daunted," first published in Dreams & Nightmares, has been nominated for this year's Rhysling Award :-) :-) "Daunted" is one of the longer poems from The Sign of the Dragon, and features King Xau, Captain Li, and the dragon.

8 January 2018: Asimov's Science Fiction

I just sold a poem to Asimov's Science Fiction, my first sale to them :-) :-) For the record, they had rejected forty poems of mine over the past four and a half years. This is a happy day :-) :-) :-)

2 January 2018: Apex Magazine

Happy New Year! My poems "Treebound" and "Monster: Puppeteer" are in the new issue of Apex Magazine, and will appear online on January 12th and January 19th respectively. "Treebound" is a short stand-alone fantasy poem that I am fond of, and "Monster: Puppeteer" is one of the darker poems in The Sign of the Dragon.

30 December 2017: Mirror Dance

My poem Dark Harvest has just been published in the Winter 2017 issue of Mirror Dance. "Dark Harvest" is one of the poems that I added into The Sign of the Dragon whilst making revisions this spring.

27 December 2017: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Camelot Cats" has been accepted for the Arthuriana issue of Eye to the Telescope :-) And I am on vacation with Lucy :-)

22 December 2017: Uppagus

I had two poems accepted by Uppagus: "On Reading Le Guin" and "Trojan Cats" :-)

21 December 2017: Daily Science Fiction

I am delighted to report that my short-short "Fantasy Nights" has been accepted by Daily Science Fiction :-)

18 December 2017: Ship of Fools

My poems "Stormalong Bay" and "Eligible" are both in the new issue of Ship of Fools, issue #77. The former is a poem about a day at Disney with William (back when William was seven years old), and the latter is a King Xau poem.

14 December 2017, later: F&SF

Happiness! I've received contributor copies of the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction containing my poem "Dear Creator."

14 December 2017: Dreams & Nightmares

My poem "Alien Interview Questions" has been accepted by Dreams & Nightmares :-)

8 December 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Kate is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

3 December 2017: Pushcart nomination

My poem Advice to a Six-Year-Old, first published by Star*Line, has been nominated by them for the Pushcart Prize :-)

1 December 2017: F&SF + Liminality

A doubly happy day. I am delighted to report that my poem "Diaspora" has been accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction, and my poem "Advice to a Villain" has been accepted by Liminality :-)

28 November 2017: Mirror Dance

My poem "Dark Harvest" has been accepted for the Winter 2017 issue of Mirror Dance. "Dark Harvest" is part of The Sign of the Dragon, and is one of the poems that I added when making revisions this spring.

24 November 2017: Eye to the Telescope + Ship of Fools

Oops! My poem "The Ark's Daughters" has appeared in Eye to the Telescope #26 ... over a month ago. I appear to have overlooked this happy fact when it occurred.

In less overdue news, I just had two poems accepted by Ship of Fools: "modern poetry" and "Minecraft" :-)

23 November 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Happy Thanksgiving! My poem "Kate" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and should be published next week :-)

7 November 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem The Day's Measure has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

6 November 2017: Uppagus + World Fantasy Convention

My poem "Irene" has been accepted by Uppagus; it's a poem about my husband's grandmother (who was wonderful).

I am still catching up after World Fantasy Convention. A few highlights: breakfast with my agent, Lisa Rodgers; getting to tell L. E. Modesitt, Jr. how much I love his books; hearing Carol Berg read; being a last-minute addition to the late night poetry-slam panel; getting to meet people I'd only known via email, including Charlie Finlay, Adrian Simmons and Jenny Blackford; witnessing Gordon van Gelder's troasting (half-toasting, half-roasting).

26 October 2017: Star*Line

My canine science fiction poem "Exercise 2050" is in the new Fall 2017 issue of Star*Line. I've received my digital copy (as a SFPA member), but physical copies will take a little longer.

23 October 2017: Daily Science Fiction

I am delighted to report my first acceptance from Daily Science Fiction, who have accepted a short fantasy piece titled "Dwarf Varieties" :-)

19 October 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem What He Told Me, about my father, has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

11 October 2017: Star*Line

I am happy to report that my science fiction poem "Exercise 2050" has been accepted by Star*Line.

10 October 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Favorite Place, about visiting Dublin with William and Lucy, has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

8 October 2017: Grievous Angel

Grievous Angel accepted my poem "Meisho's Dodos," a whimsical poem that I am fond of :-)

2 October 2017: Poetry Nook + Polu Texni

My poem Trees won first place in the 150th weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) :-) "Trees" is a short poem, just 5 lines long, and first appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In a second piece of good news for the day, my science fiction poem The Secret Life of a Toaster has appeared in Polu Texni :-)

1 October 2017: Mythic Delirium

My poem "Lotus Moon," a King Xau poem, has appeared in issue 4.2 of Mythic Delirium :-) The Kindle edition is on sale now, and I believe that my poem will appear online (free) in December.

29 September 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Doubly-good news from Songs of Eretz Poetry Review: they accepted my poem "What He Told Me," and published another poem of mine, Air Show Maneuvers.

21 September 2017: Mithila Review

I have three poems in the new issue of Mithila Review: Alternate Genders, Chronology of Items Found on the Moon, and Boatman :-) :-) :-) The last of these, Boatman, is a King Xau poem. The other two are stand-alone poems.

20 September 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review + Eye to the Telescope

My poem What War Is Like has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's my most-recently-written poem to be published, dating from May 2017. Even in the happy event where a poem is quickly accepted, there is often a significant lag between acceptance and actual publication.

In a second piece of good news, my poem "The Ark's Daughters" has been accepted for the Evolving Gender issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

18 September 2017: Poetry Nook

My poem Imperial History won first place (and $150) in the 148th weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) :-) "Imperial History" is a poem with a biology slant, and first appeared in Axe Factory Review.

12 September 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Favorite Place," about visiting Dublin with my children, has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

10 September 2017: Poetry Nook + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

Two pieces of good news today. Firstly, my poem Necromancer has won the 147th weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) "Necromancer" is part of The Sign of the Dragon, and first appeared in the HWA Poetry Showcase, Volume II.

Secondly, my poem "Air Show Maneuvers" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. I note that they are currently holding their annual fundraising contest. On the downside, there's a hefty entry fee of twenty dollars. On the plus side, the editor will send comments on all entries.

5 September 2017: F&SF, Litbreak, Uppagus

Today I received $100 payment for my poem "Dear Creator," accepted just under a week ago by Fantasy & Science Fiction. F&SF is at the very top of my list of places to submit, due to their happy combination of speed, friendliness, generous pay-rates, and the quality of their magazine :-)

I have also had two more poems published, both online. Unsaid is my fifteenth poem to appear in Uppagus; it's a King Xau poem that I am fond of. Yellowstone appeared in Litbreak Magazine, and is about a week's vacation we spent in Yellowstone back in 2011.

2 September 2017: Spillway

My poem "Mortal" is in the new issue of Spillway. It's a short poem from close to the end of The Sign of the Dragon.

31 August 2017: F&SF

I'm very happy to report that my poem "Dear Creator" has been accepted by F&SF :-)

14 August 2017: Poetry Nook

My poem Master of Chocolate has won the 143rd weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) This poem first appeared in the Atlanta Review in 2009.

To my happy surprise, I discovered that Poetry Nook have raised their prize money to $150, making this the joint most I've received for a single poem's publication. I highly recommend the contest as a place to submit previously-published poems. They are open to reprints, charge no entry fee, and offer a $150 first prize each week. On the other hand, they put all entries online, so I would NOT recommend them as a market for unpublished poems (because you won't then be able to submit those poems to other markets as unpublished).

10 August 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Elemental has been published online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a short poem playing on chemistry, written whilst I was working on Elemental Haiku.

5 August 2017: Wall Street Journal

There's a brief article about my Elemental Haiku in the 5 August 2017 issue of the Wall Street Journal. The article includes three of the haiku, and, if you are a subscriber, may be read online in the Moneybeat section.

3 August 2017: Science

I am delighted to report that I have 119 Elemental Haiku in Science, one haiku for each element in the periodic table! I believe this is the first time I've had my poetry appear in a scientific publication :-) I note that the haiku are primarily scientific / whimsical in nature, rather than being science fiction or fantasy.

The haiku are available online in a wonderful interactive periodic table , where different haiku appear as you mouse over the elements. I'm also interviewed in this week's Science podcast.

N.B. I used a loose interpretation of haiku, so, for example, I believe there are a grand total of zero seasonal references.

25 July 2017 (later): Polu Texni

Polu Texni just accepted a science fiction poem of mine, "The Secret Life of a Toaster." It will be my second appearance in Polu Texni.

25 July 2017: Apex Magazine, Eye to the Telescope, Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, Mythic Delirium, Twitter

Catching up after a family vacation: I am happy to report that I had four poems accepted and one poem published while I was away. My poems "Treebound" and "Monster: Puppeteer" will appear in Apex Magazine, "What War Is Like" will appear in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, and "Lotus Moon" will appear in Mythic Delirium :-) Of these, "Monster: Puppeteer" and "Lotus Moon" are both part of The Sign of the Dragon. My poem "The Travelers" was reprinted in issue #25 of Eye to the Telescope (the poem first appeared in the Magazine of Speculative Poetry). Lastly, I now have a Twitter account: @MarySoonLee.

12 July 2017: Rhysling Award, 3rd place; Star*Line

My poem Not Like This, first published in Apex Magazine, has won 3rd place in the 2017 Rhysling Awards in the long poem category :-) :-)

Also, my poem "Bespeaking: Riddles" is in the Summer 2017 issue of Star*Line. It's a poem from The Sign of the Dragon featuring the dragon.

8 July 2017: Uppagus

My poem "Unsaid" has been accepted for the September issue of Uppagus. It's a poem that about King Xau and his second wife, one that I am fond of.

5 July 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Elemental" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

2 July 2017: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem "Dragon Mountain" has been accepted by Heroic Fantasy Quarterly :-) It will be my fifth poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear there. It's a poem from the perspective of Li, captain of Xau's guards, and also features both Xau and the dragon.

1 July 2017: Uppagus

My poem Between is online in Uppagus. It's my fifth poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear there :-)

26 June 2017: Analog + Eye to the Telescope + Mirror Dance + Songs of Eretz

I've just returned from a trip to England to visit relatives, and I have several items to report:

My poem "Venus, As It Might Have Been" has been accepted by Analog :-) This is my third piece to be accepted by Analog this year, the other two being flash fiction.
My poem "The Travelers" has been accepted for the next issue of Eye to the Telescope. The poem first appeared in the Magazine of Speculative Poetry back in 2003.
My poem Tirron is in the Summer 2017 issue of Mirror Dance. The poem is part of the King Xau epic (though not a poem with Xau in it).
My poem On Reading O'Brian appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

9 June 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My light poem The End of the Line is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

4 June 2017: London

I grew up in London. Although it is years since I lived there, I am still attached to it. It will be in my heart today, in the wake of another horrible attack.

3 June 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "On Reading O'Brian" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

2 June 2017: Analog

I am delighted to report that my story "Extracts from the Captain's Notes" has been accepted by Analog :-) This is my second short-short to be accepted by Analog this year :-)

31 May 2017: Silver Blade

My short poem Shade has appeared in Silver Blade, my third poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear there :-)

22 May 2017: Nebula conference

I attended the SFWA Nebula Conference here in Pittsburgh. Probably the highlight for me was meeting Trevor Quachri, the editor of Analog, who is very friendly. Usually I particularly enjoy attending readings at science fiction/fantasy conferences, but I don't think the Nebulas included any readings. I did get to go to several interesting panels, and to meet up with friends. (The conference being in Pittsburgh, there were many people I knew.)

15 May 2017: The 2017 Rhysling Anthology + Star*Line

I received my copies of Star*Line #40.2, containing my poems The Dark Equations and Advice to a Six-Year-Old, both of which are among my newer poems (written in January). And I also received my copies of The 2017 Rhysling Anthology, which contains reprints of three of my King Xau poems. Now I need to read through the anthology so that I can vote before the deadline....

10 May 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Lost is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a short poem that attempts to say what The Lord of the Rings means to me.

9 May 2017: Science

I don't want to be more specific at this point, but it looks as if some of my poetry will be appearing in Science :-) :-) :-)

7 May 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem The End of the Line has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a short, humorous piece.

5 May 2017: Uppagus

My poem When King Xau Was Gone is online in Uppagus. It is (surprise, surprise) part of the King Xau epic. And my poem "Between," which is also about King Xau, has been accepted for the next issue of Uppagus :-)

27 April 2017: Rune

I received my contributor's copy of Rune Literary Journal, containing my poems "Second Sight" and "Angshan." Both poems are part of The Sign of the Dragon. The first is about Connol (King Donal's brother) having visions. The second is about towns being burnt by a demon.

25 April 2017: Strange Horizons + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem The Sign of the King is online at Strange Horizons. Before you read it, I should warn you that the poem occurs almost at the end of The Sign of the Dragon, and contains a very major spoiler. And now here is the link-to-poem-with-major-spoiler.

Another Xau poem, Portraits, appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. This one contains far less grave spoilers, and features Tian, Xau's cleaning woman.

24 April 2017: Star*Line

My poem "Bespeaking: Riddles" has been accepted by Star*Line. This is a very new poem from The Sign of the Dragon, written last week. Indeed I've written a dozen new The Sign of the Dragon poems so far in April ... although at least two of these will be deleted. Such is the way of things.

23 April 2017: Eye to the Telescope

A week late, I have finally realized that my 4-line poem "The Headlong Year" is now online in the Alternate Stories/Alternate Realties issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

22 April 2017: Concho River Review

My poem "Afternoon Tea" is in the new issue of Concho River Review, my eighth poem to be published there. It's a short poem about making afternoon tea with Lucy.... In real world news, William (my son) turned eighteen today!

12 April 2017: Songs of Eretz

My poem Yayoi Kusama is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-) It's a short mainstream poem about taking Lucy to an art gallery when she was six years old. (I wrote the first draft years ago, but the current pared-down version dates from last month.)

11 April 2017: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Lost," about loving Tolkien, has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

10 April 2017: F&SF

Today I received contributor copies of the May/June 2017 issue of F&SF, containing my poem "The Path to Peace" :-) :-) :-) This is my second poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear in F&SF, and it's from the point-of-view of one of King Xau's enemies. N.B. I don't think the issue will be on sale until closer to the official publication date (i.e. May).

6 April 2017: Ship of Fools

My poem Stormalong Bay has been accepted by Ship of Fools, my 29th (!) acceptance from them :-)

3 April 2017: Litbreak

My poem "Yellowstone" has been accepted by litbreak :-) I wrote the poem after a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park. As you can see, it features another of my highly creative titles.

28 March 2017: Songs of Eretz + Nanotext

My poem Five Arrows has been published online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about King Xau with his children.

Also, Medusa's Laugh have reprinted Nanotext, the anthology containing my poem "Advice to a Houseplant," as a free electronic download available from this webpage.

26 March 2017: Eye to the Telescope

My 4-line poem "The Headlong Year" has been accepted for the Alternate Stories/Alternate Realties issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

23 March 2017: Rune

Two poems from The Sign of the Dragon have been accepted for the forthcoming issue of Rune Literary Journal. The poems are titled "Second Sight" and "Angshan."

21 March 2017: Mithila Review

I was startled, but delighted, by a one-day reply from Mithila Review: they would like to publish all three of the poems that I sent them :-)

15 March 2017: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Portraits" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Portraits" is a poem about Xau relaxing with his guards and Tian, the woman who cleans his rooms at the palace.

13 March 2017: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Yayoi Kusama" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

10 March 2017: Spillway

My poem "Mortal" has been accepted by Spillway. I wrote the first draft of the poem nearly a year ago, and it belongs to The Sign of the Dragon. It's a short poem, but I'm fond of it, and I am very glad it will be appearing in Spillway.

2 March 2017: Uppagus

My poem The Cat Vet is online in Uppagus, my twelfth appearance there. It's a poem in honor of the vet, Dr. Bebko.

25 February 2017: Aunthood + Ship of Fools

My sister's first child, a boy, was born earlier this week :-)

On the writing front, my poems "Sheep" and "Traveling" are in the latest issue (#76) of Ship of Fools. They are both part of King Xau's story, but are quieter interstitial poems, taking place between the main events. N.B. I have now had some 27 poems published in Ship of Fools, of which four are part of The Sign of the Dragon.

20 February 2017: Poetry Nook

My poem Hero has won the 118th weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) "Hero" is a poem from the perspective not of the hero, but rather their wife. It first appeared in Star*Line and is part of The Sign of the Dragon.

15 February 2017: Analog + Songs of Eretz

To my great delight, I've had a very short story/oddity accepted by Analog :-) This will be my second story in Analog, the first having appeared back in 2003.

Also, my poem Stay appeared at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Stay" takes place eleven years into The Sign of the Dragon, and is one of the sadder installments in King Xau's story.

13 February 2017: Nano Text #1

My poem "Advice to a Houseplant," written last month, has already appeared in Nano Text #1 , a Medusa's Laugh anthology.

9 February 2017: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Seventeenth Lesson is up at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly :-) It's a poem about a lesson -- the seventeenth lesson! -- that the dragon gives to King Xau's eldest son, Keng. N.B. The first such lesson, titled just as imaginatively, appeared online last year in Silver Blade.

7 February 2017: Rhysling nomination

Happiness! My poem Returning has been nominated for the 2017 Rhysling Award. "Returning" first appeared in The Open Mouse, and is about King Xau riding through the night to get back home.

4 February 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Five Arrows" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about King Xau: not one with battles or dragons, but instead one where his youngest daughter tells him a story.

3 February 2017: Dreams & Nightmares

My poem "Daunted" is in the new issue of Dreams & Nightmares (issue 105). It's one of the longer Xau poems, over a hundred lines, and features the dragon, Captain Li, and Xau, all of whom I am very fond of. The failings of the poem are mine, not theirs :-) I note that pdfs of the issue can be ordered for $1, and that the issue contains poems by Ann K. Schwader, Sandra Lindow, Marge Simon, and more.

31 January 2017: Nano Tech anthology

My poem "Advice to a Houseplant" has been accepted for a Nano Tech anthology forthcoming from Medusa's Laugh Press. It's one of my shorter poems, just six lines long. It's also lighthearted (unless you are a houseplant, in which case it is rather grim reading).

30 January 2017: F&SF

Today I received payment for my poem "The Path to Peace," accepted a week ago by Fantasy & Science Fiction. I think it is the most I've yet been paid for a poem ($150), and stands in sharp contrast to the majority of mainstream poetry publications, which pay only in contributor's copies. Many SF/F magazines do pay for poems, but usually not very much. Poetry is a poor way to make a living! (But satisfying.)

29 January 2017: Concho River Review

My poem "Afternoon Tea" has been accepted by Concho River Review; it's a poem about preparing afternoon tea with Lucy.

28 January 2017: Silver Blade

My poem "Shade" has been accepted by Silver Blade. I wrote the poem as I was nearing the end of the first draft of The Sign of the Dragon, but it takes place about halfway through the story. (I didn't write the poems in chronological order.)

26 January 2017: Rhysling nomination

I am very happy to say that my poem Not Like This, first published in Apex Magazine, has been nominated for the 2017 Rhysling Award :-) :-) "Not Like This" is a King Xau poem told from the perspective of his guard Atun. (I am very fond of Xau's guards.)

24 January 2017: F&SF

My poem "The Path to Peace" has been accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction, which makes me very happy :-) The poem is part of The Sign of the Dragon, taking place 12 years into the story. It will be my second poem to appear in F&SF. (I also have a poem in their current issue, and, years ago, they published four of my short stories.)

N.B. I have found Charlie Finlay to be a very nice editor to work with. He is always friendly, usually fast, and his comments are helpful.

23 January 2017: Polu Texni and Grievous Angel

I had two King Xau poems published today. Respect, a personal favorite of mine, appeared in Polu Texni, and The Imperial War: Onset appeared in Grievous Angel :-)

19 January 2017: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Undecorating has been published by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. If my tally is correct, it is my three hundredth poem to be published!

18 January 2017: Star*Line

My poems "The Dark Equations" and "Advice to a Six-Year-Old" have both been accepted by Star*Line. Both are new poems, written earlier this month. Sometimes it takes me years to get poems accepted (if I succeed at all). I much prefer when they find a home quickly!

15 January 2017: Eye to the Telescope + Mirror Dance

My poem "Preschool 2050" is in the Robots issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

Also, my poem "Tirron" has been accepted by Mirror Dance, and will be my fifth poem to appear there. As with the other four poems that appeared in Mirror Dance, "Tirron" is part of The Sign of the Dragon.

12 January 2017: Star*Line

I have four poems in the new issue of Star*Line (issue #40.1, Winter 2017). All four poems were written in October-November 2016. One of them, Wilderness 2050, may be read online, as it is an Editor's Choice poem.

8 January 2017: Rhysling nomination

I am delighted to report that my poem First Lesson has been nominated for the 2017 Rhysling Award :-) "First Lesson" is part of The Sign of the Dragon, and first appeared in Silver Blade.

4 January 2017: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Preschool 2050" has been accepted for the forthcoming Robots issue of Eye to the Telescope :-)

1 January 2017: Happy New Year

First and foremost, Happy New Year! May 2017 be kind to you.

Secondly, a quick summary of 2016 on the writing front. I wrote 97 new poems, revised many more, revised and re-revised The Sign of the Dragon, and wrote two short stories. I had 66 acceptances, 67 publications, 3 of my poems were nominated for the Rhysling Award, and I won the Elgin Award for Crowned :-) Balanced against this, I had a very large number of rejections (untallied, but probably about a thousand, since even when I have a poem accepted, the place accepting it usually rejects the other poems that I sent in that batch).

Thirdly, Crowned received two more Goodreads reviews in December: one by Jenny Blackford and one by John Reinhart :-)

24 December 2016: F&SF

The official publication date isn't until January, but I have received contributor copies of the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction containing my poem "Kingship" and I am happy :-)

This is my first poem in F&SF, though I have had four short stories published there. It is (surprise, surprise) a poem about King Xau, and I am fond of it.

21 December 2016: Were-Traveler

I have poems, all reprints, out in Issue 19 of The Were-Traveler :-)

18 December 2016: After Happy Hour Review

I have belatedly realized that my poem "Legacy" (accepted in June) has been published in After Happy Hour Review. "Legacy" is a short, mainstream poem. It used to be a long mainstream poem, but I pared it down....

15 December 2016: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Stay" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Stay" tells a sad part of King Xau's story.

13 December 2016: Undead + Songs of Eretz

Two pieces of good news.... My poem Judgment has appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Judgment" is a poem from near the end of King Xau's story. And my poem "Moon Swan" has been accepted by Undead: A Poetry Anthology; "Moon Swan" first appeared in Star*Line.

5 December 2016: Star*Line

Star*Line has accepted two more of my poems, "Magicians" and "Invitation." They are both new poems (written in November). N.B. In case it's not clear to anyone, I receive considerably more rejections than acceptances. In the past week, I've had rejections from Dreams & Nightmares, F&SF, Gettysburg Review, Interzone, Mithila Review, Polu Texni (two out of three poems rejected), and Star*Line (one out of three poems rejected). It's been a busy week!

4 December 2016: Polu Texni + Were-Traveler

I am very happy to report that I had six poems accepted this afternoon! Polu Texni accepted my poem "Respect," which is part of The Sign of the Dragon. It's one of the bleaker poems in the epic, but I am fond of it. And The Were-Traveler accepted five poems, all reprints, from The Sign of the Dragon for their upcoming speculative poetry issue.

1 December 2016: Mirror Dance + progress report

My King Xau poem Recruits is in the Winter 2016 issue of Mirror Dance. The poem takes place relatively late in the story, 14 years into King Xau's reign.

N.B. I have completed the whole of "The Sign of the Dragon," and been through 2 revision passes, and am trying to leave it alone for a bit. Which is hard. Last week I went back and added one short new poem into it (one of three cat poems in the sequence). In the meantime, I've written my first science fiction poems in a long time, plus some non-Xau fantasy poems, plus some mainstream poems, plus a couple of short-shorts.

28 November 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Princess Tea Party is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about taking Lucy to, yes, a princess tea party, back when she was four years old.

11 November 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Pestilence, is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a short poem about my battles with punctuation.

3 November 2016: Star*Line

My poems "Suburbia 2050" and "Wilderness 2050" have been accepted by Star*Line :-) They are both science fiction poems.

2 November 2016: Two interviews

I have two recent interviews online: an interview with Terrie Leigh Relf, and an interview with Poetry Nook :-)

29 October 2016: The Violet Hour

My poem "For My Life," which is about my daughter (when she was quite a bit younger) is in issue #1.2 of The Violet Hour.

26 October 2016: SFPA Halloween Poetry Reading

I recorded my poem "Vengeance," first published in Star*Line, as part of this year's SFPA Halloween Poetry Reading.

22 October 2016: World Fantasy Convention + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

If you will be at World Fantasy Convention next week, please come and say hello. I'll be on two panels: "A Golden Age of Contemporary Asian Fantasy" and "How Does Who We Are Affect What We Read?" In addition, I will probably participate in Thursday night's poetry open mic.

In other news, my poem Arrow, part of the King Xau epic, is online at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

20 October 2016: Ship of Fools

My poem "Eligible" (a King Xau poem) has been accepted by Ship of Fools :-)

2 October 2016: Grievous Angel + Uppagus

My short poem "Messengers" is online at Grievous Angel, my first appearance there :-)

Also, my poem "At the Sign of the Dragon" is online in Uppagus, my eleventh appearance there. "At the Sign of the Dragon" is a poem about the lovely bookshop that I frequented when I was growing up, the bookshop after which I named The Sign of the Dragon.

30 September 2016: Ligature Works

My poem Keng is in the debut issue of Ligature Works, a new online venue founded by Alexandra Erin :-) "Keng" is a poem from the perspective of Xau's eldest son. It takes place directly after my poem Inheritance from Heroic Fantasy Quarterly.

22 September 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Eighty has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about my father.

21 September 2016: Elgin Award

I am entirely delighted to report that Crowned just won the 2016 Elgin Award :-) :-) :-)

15 September 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Solstice has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about King Xau's sister and King Donal's brother.

13 September 2016: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

I am happy to report that my poem "Seventeenth Lesson" has been accepted by Heroic Fantasy Quarterly :-) "Seventeenth Lesson" is a poem about King Xau's eldest son and the dragon, and is scheduled for publication in March 2017.

30 August 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Rachel has been published at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It is not a poem about dragons, or demons, or King Xau, but rather about one of my childhood friends.

28 August 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Judgment" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-) "Judgment" is a poem about King Xau and his second queen, Hana.

25 August 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Li has just appeared in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. I'm fond of the poem, even though very little happens in it: Li, captain of King Xau's guards, prepares to sleep!

24 August 2016: Strange Horizons :-) :-) :-)

I am entirely delighted to report that my poem "The Sign of the King" has been accepted by Strange Horizons, my first sale to them in over two years of submissions.

"The Sign of the King" is the final poem in The Sign of the Dragon. I wrote it this May, but there is still work to be done on the project as a whole. I estimate I have two months of revisions left to do. (This may include adding poems that take place earlier on in the story -- I've added several since writing "The Sign of the King.")

21 August 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Princess Tea Party" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about Lucy, not a fantasy piece.

19 August 2016: Poetry Nook anthology

My poem "Brighid," first published in Apex Magazine, has been reprinted in the first Poetry Nook anthology, Poetry Nook: Popular Contest Winners. It is part of the King Xau epic, and is a rather dark poem about a six-year-old girl who was the servant to a demon.

16 August 2016: Dreams & Nightmares, Poetry Nook, Songs of Eretz, The Violet Hour

I've been away visiting relatives and have accumulated several poetry items to report.... My poem "Daunted," featuring both King Xau and the dragon, has been accepted by Dreams & Nightmares. Songs of Eretz Poetry Review published my poem Captain (a poem from the perspective of one of Xau's guards) and accepted my poem "Pestilence," (Yes, "Pestilence," does have a comma in its title.) A poem about Lucy, "For My Life," was accepted by The Violet Hour. Last but not least, my poem Night, first published in Ship of Fools, won the 92nd weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-)

4 August 2016: Worldcon

Here is my schedule for MidAmeriCon II, the 74th Worldcon:

Mars Needs Poets, Thursday 8/18/2016, 11:00 - 12:00, Room 2205
- Let's talk science fiction and fantasy poetry! Where can you find it? Who's writing it? What pieces do we love? And how is science fiction changing the landscape of modern poetry?
- Jim Davidson (M), Mary Soon Lee, Rose Lemberg, Frederick Turner, Dr. Mary A. Turzillo Ph.D., Jo Walton

Spec Fic Poets: A Group Reading, Friday 8/19/2016, 12:00 - 13:00, Room 2203
- Frederick Turner, Michael Substelny, Mr. Robin Wayne Bailey, Mary Soon Lee, Jim Davidson, Symantha Reagor (M), Bogi Takács, Erin Wilcox

Beta Readers, Friday 8/19/2016, 13:00 - 14:00, Room 2206
- What is the best way to choose beta readers, and when are they most useful? Our panel discuss how to get the best out of beta readers, who to avoid and how to deal with their critique.
- Mr. Eric James Stone, Martin L. Shoemaker, Mary Soon Lee, Shanna Swendson (M), Sharon Bass

Autographing, Saturday 8/20/2016, 12:00 - 13:00, Autographing Space
- William Ledbetter, Mary Soon Lee, Sunil Patel, Courtney Schafer, Howard Tayler

4 August 2016: Apex + Ship of Fools

My poem Not Like This is in the latest issue of Apex Magazine. It's a Xau poem I'm distinctly fond of, in which Xau is heroic. And my poems "Bowl" and "On Vacation" are both in the latest issue of Ship of Fools. "Bowl" is a very quiet Xau poem, and "On Vacation" is a non-Xau poem about reading. I note that I have now had 25 poems published in Ship of Fools!

31 July 2016: Dreams & Nightmares + Confluence

My poem "Wolf Moon" is in the latest issue of Dreams & Nightmares. The poem was first published in "Crowned".

Also, I have returned from Confluence, the annual Pittsburgh SF/F conference, where I had a good but exhausting time. I was on five panels, plus I held a Kaffeeklatsch on dragons and I gave a reading. I particularly enjoyed hearing other authors read; Saladin Ahmed read one of his short stories, plus I heard Darrell Schweitzer and Timons Esaias, and briefer snippets from others.

27 July 2016: Ligature Works, Songs of Eretz

I am delighted to say that my poem "Keng" has been accepted by Ligature Works for their first issue, which should be out around the end of September. "Keng" is a poem from the perspective of King Xau's eldest child.

Also, my poem Widow has been published in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Widow" is from the perspective of King Xau's sister.

26 July 2016: Main Street Rag

My poem "School Library" is in the latest issue of Main Street Rag :-) This is my twentieth poem to appear there.

19 July 2016: Mirror Dance

My poem "Recruits" has been accepted by Mirror Dance, and will be my fourth King Xau poem to appear there :-)

18 July 2016: Grievous Angel, Ship of Fools

Today was a good mail-day. I had three King Xau poems accepted, "The Imperial War: Onset" by Grievous Angel, and both "Traveling" and "Sheep" by Ship of Fools.

15 July 2016: Eye to the Telescope

My poem "Stepmother" is in the new issue of Eye to the Telescope. I am delighted to be included in the issue, especially as it contains several pieces that I love, my favorite of all being John C. Mannone's "Emancipation," which is beautifully written, specific in its details, and universal in its theme.

14 July 2016: Worldcon, Confluence, Hemingway's

I have several upcoming author appearances: I will be at MidAmericon II (the 74th Worldcon) in August and will be on the "Mars Needs Poets" panel at 11 am on Thursday the 18th and the "Beta Readers" panel at 1 pm on Friday the 19th. I am particularly glad that both Mary Turzillo and Jo Walton will be on the poetry panel: Mary Turzillo because I already know her and she will be a friendly face, and Jo Walton because her novel "Among Others" is one of my favorite books.

And I will be at Confluence (the annual Pittsburgh SF/F/H conference) in two weeks. I'm scheduled for 5 panels, plus a Kaffeeklatsch on dragons with Andi O'Connor, an autograph session, and a reading with Timons Esaias at 1 pm on Sunday.

Lastly, in 5 days time, on Tuesday 7/19/2016 at 8 pm, I will be reading at the Hemingway's Poetry Series in Pittsburgh, a summer poetry series that has been running for over 40 years. Coincidentally I will again be reading with Timons Esaias (plus Charlie Brice, Jay Carson, Ann Curran, and Judith Robinson).

9 July 2016: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

My King Xau poem Why the King Wept is in today's edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette :-) Yay :-) The poem was first published earlier this year in Uppagus.

7 July 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Arrow" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Arrow" is a King Xau poem that introduces a new character into the epic, and I am rather fond of it.

1 July 2016: Eye to the Telescope

I am happy to report that my poem "Stepmother" has been accepted by Eye to the Telescope. I wrote the poem as part of the King Xau epic, but am unsure whether I'll keep it there. (It has a different tone than most of the poems.)

27 June 2016: F&SF

Today I received $75 payment and the contract from Fantasy & Science Fiction for my poem "Kingship" :-) For those of you who are not poets, $75 is a very good payment for a poem. I think I've only twice received more (one of those two happy occasions being last week when I won the Poetry Nook contest).

20 June 2016: Poetry Nook

My poem The Horse Lord won the 84th weekly contest at poetrynook.com :-) I note that this seems an excellent place to send previously-published poems. They charge no entry fee and award a $100 weekly prize. However, all entries are posted online (and therefore published), so this is NOT a place to send work for which you are still hoping to sell first rights. ("The Horse Lord" is a King Xau poem that first appeared in Ideomancer.)

12 June 2016: Orlando

Thinking of the dead, the injured, their friends and families in Orlando:

Incomprehensible

In ruin's wake,
we search for signs,
a meaning writ
where there is nothing
but grief.

10 June 2016: F&SF + After Happy Hour Review + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

I am delighted to report that my poem "Kingship" has been accepted by Fantasy & Science Fiction. Back when I was writing short stories, I had several published in Fantasy & Science Fiction, but this is the first time I've sold them a poem. "Kingship" is, unsurprisingly, about King Xau.

It was a good day: I also had a mainstream poem accepted. "Legacy" will appear in After Happy Hour Review :-) And in addition I had a King Xau poem, Homecoming, published in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-)

8 June 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Solstice" and "Eighty" have both been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. The former is from the King Xau epic, but is about his sister Mei; the latter is about my father.

7 June 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Polar Bears is in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review; "Polar Bears" is a poem about visiting the zoo with Lucy, back when she was only two years old.... In non-poetry news, two huge old trees fell down in our back yard earlier this week. I am particularly sad about the loss of the oak tree.

3 June 2016: Mirror Dance

My poem Further Extracts from the Recollections of Artoch, Senior Advisor to King Xau is online in Mirror Dance :-)

1 June 2016: Silver Blade

My poem First Lesson has been published online at Silver Blade :-) "First Lesson" is a poem in play format featuring the dragon and Prince Keng (King Xau's oldest child).

25 May 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Another Week is in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review; "Another Week" is a poem about King Xau and his son Keng. I also noticed that another King Xau poem, Fault, had been published there in April.... In other news, I think I will have a first draft of the entire epic by early June :-)

16 May 2016: Poetry Nook Anthology

My poem Brighid, first published in first published in Apex Magazine, and subsequently the winner of a Poetry Nook weekly contest, will be reprinted in a Poetry Nook anthology.

10 May 2016: Concho River Review

My poem "Blaze" is in the latest issue of the Concho River Review :-) It's a poem about my father.

9 May 2016: Rhysling anthology + Star*Line

I received my contributor copies of The 2016 Rhysling Anthology, which contains reprints of three poems that first appeared in "Crowned": "The Washerwoman's Daughter," "Training: Stances," and "Dragonslayer" :-) :-) :-)

And I also received, in the same parcel, my contributor copies of the latest Star*Line, containing another three poems: "The Hobbit," "Conversations with Household Items," and "Hero." The first of these three is autobiographical, the second fictitious, and the third is part of The Sign of the Dragon (a poem from the point of view of Queen Shazia).

8 May 2016: Picture of Hana

Illustration by Lucy Lee-Moore

Lucy drew me a picture of Hana for Mother's Day :-) I have added the picture below the poem "The Ride" on my The Sign of the Dragon website.

7 May 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Li" and "Rachel" have both been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Li" is a poem from The Sign of the Dragon that focuses on one of King Xau's guards. "Rachel" is a poem about a childhood friend of mine.

6 May 2016: The Open Mouse

My poem Returning has been published in The Open Mouse :-) It's a poem about King Xau riding for home after defeating a demon.

3 May 2016: Reading on Thursday at Te Cafe

I will be giving a short poetry reading on Thursday at Te Cafe, 2000 Murray Avenue, Squirrel Hill, as part of the Pittsburgh Poetry Review's roadshow for issue two. Charles W Brice and Stuart Sheppard will also be reading. The event starts at 7 pm.

2 May 2016: Grievous Angel

My poem "Messengers," a short poem from The Sign of the Dragon, has been accepted by Grievous Angel :-)

1 May 2016 (later): Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem Inheritance has just appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly :-) "Inheritance" is a poem with King Xau, and the dragon, and King Xau's oldest son.

1 May 2016: Silver Blade

My poem "First Lesson" has been accepted by Silver Blade :-) "First Lesson" takes place 17 years into King Xau's story.

20 April 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Roasted Chicken" appeared online in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It's a poem about cooking with Lucy.

9 April 2016: Dreams & Nightmares

My poem "Dragon," in which King Xau meets the dragon for the second time, is in the latest issue of Dreams & Nightmares :-)

7 April 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

I have had two more poems published in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review: Micha, which is a short King Xau poem that takes place soon after the end of "Crowned", and Giants, which is a poem about my parents that was first published in the Atlanta Review.

3 April 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Captain," part of the King Xau saga, has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review :-) It may be my swiftest acceptance to date, the email reply flying back in under ten minutes!

2 April 2016: Uppagus + Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Why the King Wept" has been published in Uppagus :-) This poem is part of a group about Xau helping out during a flood in a neighboring country. One of the poems about the flood itself, "Not Like This," is due to appear in Apex Magazine in August, and a third poem from the group, Dread, appeared in December in Mirror Dance.

My poem "Widow" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. It is part of the epic fantasy, but about King Xau's sister rather than King Xau.

30 March 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Interregnum has been reprinted in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review; this poem first appeared in Star*Line. (It's the opening poem in The Sign of the Dragon, and as such is also in "Crowned".)

28 March 2016: Uppagus

My poems "The Cat Vet" and "When King Xau Was Gone" have both been accepted by Uppagus :-) "The Cat Vet" is -- surprise, surprise -- a poem about my cats' vet, and "When King Xau Was Gone" is -- another surprise here -- a King Xau poem, one written recently (last month).

25 March 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem Papa has been reprinted in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review; this poem first appeared in Uppagus.

8 March 2016: Book Signing + Main Street Rag

I will be at a book signing this Saturday evening, here in Pittsburgh, and would be happy to chat to any and all.... In other news, my poem "School Library" has been accepted by Main Street Rag :-)

24 February 2016: Pittsburgh Poetry Review

My poem "House Hunt" is in the new issue (#2) of the Pittsburgh Poetry Review :-)

22 February 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poems "Homecoming" and "Polar Bears" have been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. "Homecoming" is a poem about King Xau from the perspective of his elderly stablemaster, and "Polar Bears" is about a visit to the Pittsburgh Zoo with my daughter.

20 February 2016: Mirror Dance

My poem "Further Extracts from the Recollections of Artoch, Senior Advisor to King Xau" has been accepted by Mirror Dance :-) It may have the longest title of any of my accepted poems, but I do have a (published) story with a still-longer title!

19 February 2016: Open Mouse

My poem "Returning" (a Xau poem) has been accepted by The Open Mouse :-)

15 February 2016: Rhysling nominations

I discovered that three poems from "Crowned" have been nominated for the 2016 Rhysling Award :-) :-) The poems are "The Washerwoman's Daughter," which was later reprinted in Star*Line, "Dragonslayer," which was later reprinted in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, and "Training: Stances." This means that a total of five poems in the book have been nominated for the Rhysling Award. ("Interregnum" won the 2014 Rhysling Award for best long poem and "The Matter of the Horses" was nominated for the 2015 Rhysling Award.)

12 February 2016: Star*Line

My poem "Conversations with Household Items" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

11 February 2016: Star*Line

My poem "The Hobbit" has been accepted by Star*Line :-)

10 February 2016: Mike Hanlon

I learned today that Mike Hanlon died. Mike was a high school friend of Andrew's and the best man at our wedding.

9 February 2016: Uppagus

My poem "At the Sign of the Dragon" has been accepted by Uppagus. This is a poem about the bookshop that my epic fantasy is named after. The owners were always very kind to me when I was growing up.

8 February 2016: Ship of Fools

My poem "Letters" is in the latest issue of Ship of Fools. Moreover, the editor, Jack Hart, wrote a one-page review of "Crowned", which appears at the end of the issue. I particularly appreciated his comment that "Ms. Lee uses a very clear, direct, and simple diction nearly free of idiom or verbal mannerism, so that the language is on one hand clear and readable, and on the other dignified and reserved. It works very well for the author's purposes." I am aware that many of the poems border on prose, and yet in my mind they are not prose, partly because they are more condensed and partly because I attempt to make them sound well (I may not succeed). It is is a relief to know this worked for Mr. Hart. N.B. I am grateful to Mr. Hart not only for his review, but for publishing my poetry and encouraging me for twelve years.

2 February 2016: Uppagus + Main Street Rag

I have two poems about my grandparents in the latest issue of Uppagus, and a poem titled "National Museum of Ireland" in Main Street Rag :-)

30 January 2016: Ship of Fools

My poems "Bowl" and "On Vacation" have been accepted by Ship of Fools :-) "Bowl" is a King Xau poem and "On Vacation" is about my addictive delight in reading.

29 January 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review

My poem "Another Week" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. The poem is about King Xau and his eldest son.

25 January 2016: Songs of Eretz Poetry Review + Louisiana Literature

I am delighted to report that I am the poet of the week at Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. Today's poem is "Grandmothers," and is partly about my mother.... Also today I received my contributor's copy of Louisiana Literature containing my poem "Holding You" (a poem about Lucy).

24 January 2016: Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

My poem "Inheritance" has been accepted by Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, and will be my third poem from The Sign of the Dragon to appear there. "Inheritance" features King Xau, his eldest son Keng, and the dragon.

21 January 2016: David Hartwell

David Hartwell, a giant in the science fiction field, died yesterday. I knew him a little, not well, and admired and liked him very much.

20 January 2016: RHINO

My poem "Words" has been reprinted online by RHINO (who published it in print last year).

18 January 2016: Elgin Award nomination

"Crowned" has been nominated for the 2016 Elgin Award :-) :-) :-)

16 January 2016: Verse Envisioned

My poem "Succession" has been reprinted in Verse Envisioned, an anthology of poems from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, plus artwork inspired by twenty of the poems. I am honored to be included in the anthology, and doubly so as my poem appears on the facing page to Samuel Hazo's wonderful poem "And the Time Is." "Succession" first appeared in Red Rock Review.

15 January 2016: Songs of Eretz

Another acceptance from Songs of Eretz Poetry Review, this time for a Xau poem titled "Fault" :-)

14 January 2016: Songs of Eretz

My poem "Roasted Chicken" has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. The poem is about cooking with my daughter Lucy.

8 January 2016: Concho River Review

My poem "Blaze" has been accepted by the Concho River Review :-)

7 January 2016: Pittsburgh Poetry Review

I am delighted to report that my poem "House Hunt" has been accepted by the Pittsburgh Poetry Review . The poem is about (surprise) our house hunt and also about my daughter Lucy.

6 January 2016: Songs of Eretz + 2015 summary

A belated Happy New Year to anyone reading this.... My poem "Micha" (a King Xau poem) has been accepted by Songs of Eretz Poetry Review. Also, I am happy to report that I will be one of the Songs of Eretz Poetry Review Frequent Contributors, which means that I will typically have two poems published there a month.

Looking back over 2015, I see that I wrote 106 new poems, had my first poetry book published (Crowned), and had 57 poem publications in addition to those in the book.