IAN LI

writer | poet | economist | developer

About

Ian Li in a blazer, laughing at a social event

Ian Li is a Chinese-Canadian writer and poet, who started writing in late 2023 after a lifetime of believing he could never be creative. Find his writing published or forthcoming in Nightmare Magazine, Small Wonders, Strange Horizons, and many other venues.

He graduated summa cum laude from Columbia University with a degree in Operations Research & Financial Engineering. He leads project teams as an economist and consultant, and has extensive expertise in antitrust, market microstructure, valuation, and large-scale data analysis.

He also enjoys developing games, building websites, and solving brain teasers.

Select Poetry

Old Brooklyn Magic, Nightmare Magazine
Visions of Manhattan, Eye to the Telescope
  • 2025 Rhysling Award finalist
The Sail, Orion’s Belt
Traveling at Lightspeed is Easy, Returning to Earth is Hard, Small Wonders
Astrometric Love, Heartlines Spec
not tied down, Strange Horizons, forthcoming

More poetry

Select Short Stories

The Memory Technician, Small Wonders
Light of My Life, Astrolabe
  • nominated for Best Microfiction 2025
Have You Eaten Yet?, Worlds of Possibility ($)
The Drowned, Apex Pocket Hell Microfiction Contest, 1st place
If I Have Defects, Am I Defective?, Short Édition
Poured from the Stars, Saros SF

More short stories

Other Projects

Brain Easer

Curated collection of 200+ interesting and challenging puzzles, with detailed explanations of how I solved them.

BrainEaser Screenshot

Eltera

Web development, design, and digital marketing services.

Eltera Digital Consultancy

Contact

I love to receive notes, but I’m not very active on social media, so you can send me a message via the form below.

Contact