Wenwen Mao
Asst Professor
Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
Department: English
Areas of expertise: Asian American Studies, Creative Writing, Fiction, Poetry
Email Address: wenwen.mao@baruch.cuny.edu
- Biography
- Teaching
- Research and Creative Activity
- Grants
- Honors and Awards
- Service
Sally Wen Mao's debut short story collection, Ninetails, (Penguin Books, May 2024) was named one of the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books of 2024 from The Washington Post and Elle Magazine, and one of the Best Short Story Collections of 2024 from Electric Literature.
She is the author of three previous poetry collections: The Kingdom of Surfaces (Graywolf Press, August 2023), a finalist for the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Prize, Oculus (Graywolf Press, 2019), a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Mad Honey Symposium (Alice James Books, 2014), the winner of the 2012 Kinereth Gensler Award. Her work has appeared in The Best American Poetry 2013 and 2021, The Paris Review, The Believer, A Public Space, Granta, Poetry, A Public Space, Harpers Bazaar, The Washington Post, among others. The recipient of two Pushcart Prizes and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, she was recently a Cullman Fellow at the New York Public Library, a Jenny McKean Moore Writer-in-Washington at the George Washington University, and a Shearing Fellow at the Black Mountain Institute. She has taught writing at NYU, Cornell, and Sarah Lawrence College, and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Baruch College. She is also currently the Poetry Editor of The Believer Magazine.
Education
M.F.A., Creative Writing - Poetry, Cornell University Ithaca United States
B.A., Creative Writing, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh United States
| Semester | Course Prefix | Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | ENG | 2850 | Great Works of Literature II |
| Fall 2025 | ENG | 4500 | Contemporary American Literatu |
| Spring 2025 | ENG | 2850 | Great Works of Literature II |
| Spring 2025 | ENG | 3645 | Craft Of Poetry |
| Fall 2024 | ENG | 2850 | Great Works of Literature II |
| Fall 2024 | ENG | 3640 | Elements Of Poetry |
Artistic and Creative Activities
Mao, W. (2025). "Willow, Stop Weeping". Academy of American Poets.
Mao, S. (2024). "The Diary of Afong Moy" - The History of White People in America, Episode 4. PBS Independent Lens.
Mao, W. (2024). "The Girl with Flies Coming Out of Her Eyes". Joyland Magazine.
Mao, W. (2024). "A Huxian's Guide to Seduction Revenge Immortality". American Poetry Review.
Mao, W. (2023). "Auction House". The Washington Post.
Mao, W. (2022). "On Silk". Granta.
Mao, W. (2022). "On Porcelain". New England Review.
Mao, W. (2021). "I Will End the Line of My Ancestors" and "Haibun: Spring". The Virginia Quarterly Review.
Mao, W. (2021). "High-rise Syndrome" an essay. The Believer.
Mao, W. (2021). "Cherry Picking Season" and "A Nacreous Woman". The Yale Review.
Mao, W. (2021). "Loquats" a poem. The Paris Review.
Mao, W. (2020). "Nucleation". Poetry Magazine.
Mao, W. (2020). "Ode to Egress," "Playing Dead," "Ode to Emptiness". The Kenyon Review.
Mao, W. (2020). "The Turtle Head Epidemic" a short story. The Georgia Review.
Mao, W. (2020). "The Queen's Room". The New Republic.
Mao, W. (2019). "The Belladonna of Sadness". Poets.org.
Mao, W. (2019). "On Sparrows" a lyric essay. Kenyon Review.
Mao, W. (2019). "Dwarf Empire" a short story. Indiana Review.
Mao, W. (2018). "Ode to Exile," "Ode to Elusion," "Ode to Estrangement," "I will never dance for you" poems. Massachusetts Review.
Mao, W. (2018). "Ode to Eviction," "Ode to Extinction". Washington Square Review issue 41.
Mao, W. (2017). "Aubade with Gravel and Gold". Split This Rock.
Mao, W. (2017). "Inauguration Poem". Poetry Magazine.
Mao, W. (2017). "Resurrection". Academy of American Poets.
Mao, W. (2016). "Anna May Wong Goes Viral," "Electronic Motherland," "The Death of Ruan Lingyu". BOMB Magazine.
Mao, W. (2016). "Ghost Story". A Public Space.
Mao, W. (2016). "Lavender Town," "Anna May Wong Goes Home with Bruce Lee," "After Nam June Paik". The Margins.
Mao, W. (2015). "The Mongolian Sour Yogurt Super Voice Girl". Bat City Review.
Mao, W. (2015). "The Toll of the Sea". Poetry Magazine.
Mao, W. (2015). "Provenance: A Vivisection". Harvard Review.
Mao, W. (2015). "Anna May Wong fans her time machine," "Anna May Wong blows out sixteen candles," "Anna May Wong meets Josephine Baker," Anna May Wong makes cameos," "Anna May Wong rates the runway". The Missouri Review.
Mao, W. (2015). "Yume Miru Kikai [The Dreaming Machine]". Black Warrior Review.
Mao, W. (2014). "Still Life with Antlers". Boston Review.
Mao, W. (2014). "House Arrest". Mid-American Review.
Mao, W. (2014). "Myopia: A Cartography". Best of the Net 2014.
Mao, W. (2014). "Under the Court of Law or Blood Vernissage". Prairie Schooner.
Mao, W. (2013). "Honey Badger Duet". Guernica.
Mao, W. (2013). "Mad Honey Soliloquies". Beloit Poetry Journal.
Mao, W. (2013). "Electronic Necropolis". Third Coast.
Mao, W. (2012). "Flight Perils" and "Sonnets for Kudryavka". Post Road Magazine.
Mao, W. (2011). "Leaving Amsterdam". Fourteen Hills.
Mao, W. (2010). "The Spring of Terrible Fevers" and "Inviolacy". Rhino Poetry Journal.
Mao, W. (2008). "Yoko". Crab Orchard Review.
Books
Mao, S. (2024). Ninetails: Nine Tales. (p. 288). New York, NY, Penguin Books.
Mao, W. (2023). The Kingdom of Surfaces. (p. 136). Minneapolis, MN, Graywolf Press.
Mao, W. (2019). Oculus. (p. 136). Minneapolis, MN, Graywolf Press.
Mao, W. (2014). Mad Honey Symposium. Alice James Books.
Book Chapters
(2026). "Loquats" a poem. The Pushcart Book of Twenty-First Century Poetry and Prose (p. 118). New York. Pushcart Press.
Mao, W. (2022). "Loquats" a poem. The Pushcart Prize XLVII: The Best of the Small Presses 2023 Edition Pushcart Press.
Mao, W. (2022). "The Fig Queen" a short story. I Know What’s Best for You: Stories on Reproductive Justice San Francisco, CA. McSweeney's.
Mao, W. (2021). "Playing Dead" a poem. The Best American Poetry 2021 Scribner.
Mao, W. (2020). "Batshit" a poem. Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America’s Poets Respond to the Pandemic New York, NY. Knopf.
Mao, W. (2018). "Against Love Stories" a lyric essay. Rookie On Love Razorbill.
Mao, W. (2016). "Anna May Wong Blows Out Sixteen Candles". The Pushcart Prizes XLI: Best of the Small Presses Pushcart Press.
Mao, W. (2013). "XX" a poem. The Best American Poetry 2013 New York, NY. Scribner.
Presentations
Mao, W. (2026, October 27). Reading and Panel: Desert Nights, Rising Stars. Desert Nights, Rising Stars. Arizona State University: Arizona State University Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.
Mao, W. (2026, April 27). "Subverting Empire Through Documentary Archival Poetics". Association for Asian American Studies 2026 Annual Conference. Association for Asian American Studies 2026 Annual Conference: Association for Asian American Studies 2026 Annual Conference.
Mao, W. (2026, May 27). Poetry Reading for Monstrous Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Creative Convening—Monstrous Beauty: A Feminist Revision of Chinoiserie. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mao, W. (2026, May 27). Open Studio: From Bronze to Clay for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mao, W. (2026, November 27). Opening Reading with Tim Weed, Allegra Hyde, and Sally Wen Mao. Brattleboro Literary Festival. Brattleboro Literary Festival: Brattleboro Literary Festival.
Mao, W. (2026, September 27). Visiting Writers: Andrew Porter and Sally Wen Mao. Arizona State University: Arizona State University.
Mao, W. (2026, May 27). Open Studio - Poetry and Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Mao, W. (2026, November 27). Glasgow Reading at Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee University. Washington and Lee University: Washington and Lee Museums.
Mao, W. (2026, October 27). Reading from Ninetails. Cork International Short Story Festival. Cork International Short Story Festival: Cork International Short Story Festival.
Mao, W. (2023, December 1). A Reading and Workshop with Sally Wen Mao. Bard College. Bard College: Bard College.
Mao, W. (2026, November 27). Reading from The Kingdom of Surfaces. Effron Center for the Study of America: Princeton University.
Mao, W. Trees, Blood, and Circulatory Systems: A Poetry Reading by Old Tree. The High Line. The High Line: The High Line.
Mao, W. (2026, September 27). Graywolf Literary Salon: Writing with our Ghosts. Graywolf Press. Graywolf Press: Graywolf Press.
Mao, W. (2026, April 27). Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival: Reading with Donika Kelly and Sally Wen Mao. Sarah Lawrence College Poetry Festival. Sarah Lawrence College: Sarah Lawrence College.
Mao, W. (2026, October 27). Poetry at Bennington Reading and Craft Lecture. Bennington College. Bennington College: Bennington College.
Mao, W. (2026, September 27). Our Word Writer-in-Residence Reading. Columbia University. Columbia University: Columbia University.
Mao, W. Book Talk and Reading with Sally Wen Mao. Yale University. Yale University: Yale University Asian American Cultural Center.
Mao, W. (2026, March 27). What the Future Holds. University of North Dakota Writers Conference. University of North Dakota: University of North Dakota.
Mao, W. (2026, October 27). The Artist: Anna May Wong, a panel. Chinese American Women in History Conference. Chinese American Museum: 1882 Foundation / Chinese American Museum.
Mao, W. (2026, November 27). Asian American Studies Lecture Series: Ken Chen and Sally Wen Mao. Princeton University. Princeton University: Program in American Studies, Princeton University.
Mao, W. (2026, January 27). Conversations from the Cullman Center: Oculus, Sally Wen Mao and Jenny Xie. New York Public Library. New York Public Library: New York Public Library.
Mao, W. (2026, April 27). Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. Kalamazoo Poetry Festival. Kalamazoo Poetry Festival: Kalamazoo Poetry Festival.
Mao, W. (2026, October 27). Poetry Reading: Timothy Donnelly, Sally Wen Mao, and Jana Prikryl. New York University. New York University: NYU Creative Writing Program.
Mao, W. (2026, September 27). The Jenny McKean Moore Reading Series Presents: Sally Wen Mao. George Washington University. George Washington University: George Washington University.
Mao, W. (2026, September 27). The Philip Freund Prize for Creative Writing Alumni Reading: H.G. Carrillo, Sally Wen Mao, Adam O’Fallon Price, and Emily Rosko. Cornell University. Cornell University: Cornell University.
Mao, W. (2026, November 27). Festival Within: Best of the Best American Poetry, 25 Years. Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site. Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site: Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site.
Other Scholarly Works
Mao, W. (2026). "Close Encounters," a short essay. Poets & Writers Magazine. (March 2026),
Mao, S. (2024). "Read Your Way Through Shanghai". The New York Times.
| Honor / Award | Organization Sponsor | Date Received | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim & Linda Burke Visiting Scholar | Oklahoma State University Doel Reed Center | 2026-06-01 | The Jim and Linda Burke Visiting Scholar/Writer in modern or contemporary literature and/or the arts of New Mexico or the Southwest will interact with students enrolled in Oklahoma State University's Taos class in English. The recipient also will be expected to deliver a public talk and/or demonstration while in Taos and to visit Oklahoma State University to share his/her work, give a public talk, and visit selected classes. |
| MacDowell Fellowship | MacDowell | 2024-12-01 | MacDowell Artist's Residency |
| Millay Arts Residency | Millay Arts | 2023-07-01 | |
| Ucross Residency | Ucross Foundation | 2023-05-25 | |
| Finalist for the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award | Kansas City Public Library | 2023-02-01 | THE KINGDOM OF SURFACES a finalist for the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award |
| National Endowment for the Arts | National Endowment for the Arts (Grants.gov) | 2021-03-02 | National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing/Literature, Poetry Grant |
| Shearing Fellowship | Black Mountain Institute | 2021-01-01 | Shearing Fellowship, a fellowship for writers at the Black Mountain Institute at UNLV |
| Finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Award | Los Angeles Times | 2020-04-01 | OCULUS named a finalist in the poetry category |
| Sister Mariella Gable Series Award | College of St. Benedict | 2020-02-02 | OCULUS awarded the 2020 Sister Mariella Gable Award |
| Lannan Writer's Residency | Lannan Foundation | 2019-12-02 | The Lannan Foundation awards a residency to writers in their Marfa program |
| Amy Award | Poets & Writers | 2016-09-12 | Amy Award is a poetry prize awarded to women poets age 30 and younger, put forth by Poets & Writers Magazine |
| Cullman Fellowship | The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, New York Public Library | 2016-09-01 | The Cullman Fellowship is an international fellowship program open to people (academics, independent scholars, and creative writers) whose work will benefit directly from access to the collections at the New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. |
| Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center | Vermont Studio Center | 2016-03-06 | Received a fellowship to attend Vermont Studio Center. |
| Work-Study Scholarship for Bread Loaf Writers Conference | Bread Loaf Writers Conference | 2013-08-11 | Awarded a work-study scholarship to attend Bread Loaf |
College
| Committee Name | Position Role | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Alliance | Attendee, Meeting | Present |
Professional
| Organization | Position Role | Organization State | Organization Country | Start Date | End Date | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Believer | Poetry Editor | California | United States | 8/1/2022 | Present | International |