Li Qingzhao (1084–1151), also known as Yi’an Jushi, is considered the greatest woman poet in Chinese history. During her lifetime, she defied cultural expectations for women by writing and persevering through war, exile, imprisonment, and the loss of her fortune.

Wendy Chen is the author of the novel Their Divine Fires (Algonquin) and the poetry collection Unearthings (Tavern Books). Her poetry translations of Song dynasty woman writer Li Qingzhao are published in a collection titled The Magpie at Night from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She is the editor of Figure 1, associate editor in chief of Tupelo Quarterly, and prose editor of Tupelo Press. Her poetry, translations, and prose have appeared in Freeman’s, A Public Space, Lit Hub, and elsewhere. She earned her MFA in poetry from Syracuse University and her PhD in English from the University of Denver. Currently, she is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.