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Poet and novelist ⁠David Ly⁠ joins the podcast to talk about his debut novel ⁠Not All Dragons⁠, a “cozy fantasy” about an amnesiac boy, a mermaid, and a journey through the magical world of Lanelia.

Jonathan and David discuss character-first fantasy, the anxieties of worldbuilding, and how poetry can shape prose. David also explains dragons as queer monsters, reclaiming monstrosity through the anthology ⁠Queer Little Nightmares⁠, and his new speculative project ⁠Queer Little Daydreams⁠—including how writers can submit their own work.

DAVID LY (he/him; last name pronounced “Lee”) is a writer, editor, poet based in Burnaby, British Columbia.

He is the author of the poetry collections Mythical Man (Anstruther Books, 2020) and Dream of Me as Water (Anstruther Books, 2022), both shortlisted for ReLit Poetry Awards, and the fantasy novel Not All Dragons (Poplar Press, 2026). He is co-editor, with Daniel Zomparelli, of Queer Little Nightmares: An Anthology of Monstrous Fiction and Poetry (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2022).

His poetry and fiction have appeared widely in anthologies and literary journals, and he is the recipient of The Ex-Puritan‘s Austin Clarke Prize in Literary Excellence. He is Poetry Editor at This Magazine and serves on the editorial board of Poplar Press, the speculative fiction imprint of Wolsak & Wynn.

David holds a BA in World Literature, English, and Creative Writing and a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University.

When not writing or editing, he can usually be found reading weird novels, watching horror movies, or daydreaming.

CREDITS
Opening song is “We Got the Poison” by Electric Candles
Podcast production by Dan Vadeboncoeur