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 Rhysling-nominated 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 more 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

Visions of Manhattan, Eye to the Telescope
– nominated for the 2025 Rhysling Award

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

Old Brooklyn Magic, Nightmare Magazine, forthcoming

More poetry

Select Short Stories

The Memory Technician, Small Wonders
– featured in Myna Chang’s “Flash Roundup * March 2025

If I Have Defects, Am I Defective?, Short Édition

Light of My Life, Astrolabe
– nominated for Best Microfiction 2025

Have You Eaten Yet?, Worlds of Possibility ($)
– featured in Alex Brown’s “Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: February 2025

Poured from the Stars, Saros SF

The Halfling Tree, Solarpunk Magazine

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