Welcome!
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
—Anton Chekhov
News: Ellen’s debut full-length poetry collection, Incidental Pollen, the runner-up to the Arthur Smith Poetry Prize, has been released by Madville Publishing (May 21st, 2025). This button will take you to the ordering site:
INCIDENTAL POLLEN NEWS:
Listen to Katerina Stoykova’s conversation with Ellen Austin-Li on WUKY’s Accents podcast:
Book review of Incidental Pollen on “Sundress Reads,” part of Sundress Publications, Dec. 15th, 2025: https://sundressblog.com/2025/12/15/sundress-reads-review-of-incidental-pollen/
Book review of Incidental Pollen in Pink Panther Magazine, Volume 16, Issue I, 8 March 2025 (by Lisa Sullivan): http://pinkpanthermagazine.com/ *Review posted on Blog*
Book review of Incidental Pollen on Mom Egg Review (by Rebecca Jane): https://merliterary.com/2025/05/27/incidental-pollen-by-ellen-austin-li/
Book review of Incidental Pollen in the Summer 2025 Ohioana Library Association Quarterly (by Bonnie Proudfoot): https://www.ohioana.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Summer-Ohioana-Quarterly.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawMqjRRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuaLRSFayBlEByvKiENVFc_5zvn_ZzuFiHn-o68RMZHXS5sHRENAFHKIgEyp_aem_jE__qJTcpnDaZrBSoiVNQA
Incidental Pollen featured in Sundress Publication’s “Best Dressed”: https://sundressblog.com/2025/04/21/the-wardrobes-best-dressed-incidental-pollen-by-ellen-austin-li/
Virtual Book Event: at The Notebooks Collective, recorded interview about INCIDENTAL POLLEN with Pauletta Hansel here:
https://youtu.be/gni_92fWFwU
Attention: The monthly reading series Ellen hosts has moved from Sitwell’s Coffee House! As of October 7th, 2025, we’re in a new venue: Urban Artifact (in the Northside neighborhood of Cincy, OH). New name: **Poetry at Artifact**
*Poetry at Artifact (formerly Poetry Night at Sitwell’s):
*** Ellen curates a monthly poetry series, Poetry at Artifact. Go to the Events page for information on this series, which meets the 1st Tues. of every month.***
Visit the FB page for monthly feature info & the Zoom registration link (IF the event goes hybrid):
***https://www.facebook.com/poetryatartifact
Open Mic every month!
The readings start at 7 PM! Feature(s) begin @ 7:30 PM ET.
2026:
Jan. 6th: Stefan Washburn (Awaken) & Mechelle Kelly (Fresh)
Feb. 3rd: Iain Haley Pollock (All the Possible Bodies) & Blanche Saffron Kabengele
REGISTRATION (link changes monthly IF the event is hybrid)! We’ve been in-person ONLY since January 2023!
Listen to Ellen Austin-Li’s interview about her poetry collection, “Firefly,” on Cincinnati’s NPR station, WVXU, here: https://www.wvxu.org/post/national-poetry-month-meet-local-poet-ellen-austin-li#stream/0
Publications:
ORDER Lockdown: Scenes from Early in the Pandemic, Finishing Line Press August 6th, 2021:
ORDER Firefly:
Order Firefly from the publisher below. You can also click on the book image to take you directly to Finishing Line Press.
Header photo courtesy of Jolly Li
Ellen Austin-Li 