Professor Sally Wen Mao Pens One of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2024
January 3, 2025

Sally Wen Mao, an assistant professor of English and creative writing, received multiple accolades for her debut fiction collection, Ninetails (Penguin Books).
Sally Wen Mao has long been known for her visceral and lyric poetry, much of it ranked among America’s best of the past few years. Her latest work, which is quickly garnering equal acclaim, ventures into uncharted territory and takes up new forms.
The newly appointed Assistant Professor at Baruch College’s Weissman School of Arts and Sciences has just earned a spot on The Washington Post’s “11 Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2024” as well as Electric Literature‘s “Best Short Story Collections of 2024” with her debut fiction collection, Ninetails (Penguin Books). Blending that special variety of textual precision congenital to poetry with mythic storytelling, Mao’s new work explores themes of identity, transformation, and cultural heritage through the lens of the nine-tailed fox, a multivalent archetype culled from East Asian folklore.
Mao, whose three published poetry collections include Oculus (Graywolf Press, 2019) and The Kingdom of Surfaces (Graywolf Press, 2023), began writing Ninetails during her fellowship at the Cullman Center of the New York Public Library.
“I gave myself a goal: to draft one short story a month for the nine months that the fellowship ran,” Mao explained. “By the end of it, I realized I was weaving an interconnected collection that was deeply rooted in mythology while also exploring contemporary human experiences. Also, the pun on ‘Nine Tales’ was just too good to pass up.”
The collection has captured the attention of readers, including fans of anime and video games where the nine-tailed fox is a recurring motif. “I’ve always been a poet and entering the speculative fiction space felt both thrilling and surreal,” Mao said. “It challenged me to adapt my style to narrative fiction while also thinking about world-building in new ways. Books like this require so much world building; that all happens off the page.”
Bringing Themes of Her Work to the Classroom
In the English Department, Professor Mao’s teaching also reflects her engagement with such fabulist themes. In her “Great Works II” class, for instance, she commonly incorporates forms such as Gothic horror and magical realism.
“Teaching these genres allows students to connect with the many meanings inherent in fantastical narratives,” she said. “I think my experience as both a poet and now a fiction writer helps me guide them through exploring the complex intersection between mythology, personal experience, and creativity. It’s been really exciting for me.”
In addition to Ninetails, Mao has recently curated a reading list for The New York Times and collaborated with filmmakers on a short animated film adaptation of her poem “The Diary of Afong Moy,” which was recently released by PBS Independent Lens. With this uniquely broad creative range, Mao nicely encapsulates Weissman’s commitment to interdisciplinary education and fostering creative exploration and application. Her ability to move seamlessly between poetry and fiction—from myth to contemporary social commentary—models an education where students are encouraged to see connections across disciplines, occupations, and art forms, inviting them to engage with literature not only as a kaleidoscopic reflection of the world, but as a tool to imagine and build new ones.
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