Melissa Ren
I'm a Chinese-Canadian writer...
and sometimes, lost soul
of speculative and literary fiction
About
Melissa writes fantasy and science fiction, often drawing upon her cultural heritage for inspiration. Her narratives tend to explore the intersection between belonging and becoming. She is a prize recipient of Room Magazine’s fiction contest judged by Heather O’Neill, a Tin House alum, and the winner of the WriteHive Sponsored Writer Award. She is a senior editor at Augur Magazine and a fiction editor at JMWW.She is represented by Hana El Niwairi of CookeMcDermid.Melissa would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, the Access Copyright Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario for their generous support.
Newsletter
Forthcoming
THE MIDNIGHT DIYU
Pulp Literature Magazine
Forthcoming, Issue 48, Autumn 2025TOMORROW NEVER COMES
Wallstrait
Forthcoming, December 13, 2025THE PERMISSION IS ALL MINE
On Spec
ForthcomingCONTENT FIRST
An Honour and a Privilege
a collaborative fiction / nonfiction anthology
Stanchion
Forthcoming, 2025CHEMISTRY
IF THE SHOE FITS
The Sunlight Press
ForthcomingEPILOGUE LOVE
Exposed Brick Literary Magazine
Forthcoming, January 2026FOR YOU, I WOULD
Storiaverse
ForthcomingTHE FORCE OF A DRAGON
Martial Hero: Wuxia and Xianxia Stories of the 21st Century and Beyond
Forthcoming
Short Fiction
ONE LAST LOOK
takahē magazine
Issue 114, August 29, 2025THE SAME KIND OF
Grain Magazine
Volume 52.3, Spring 2025THE NUMBER DEATH
SUSPECT, Singapore Unbound
February 7, 2025MOON & STARS
The 50-Word Stories of 2024 Anthology, Vine Leaves Press
November 26, 2024WE PLAY IN MEADOWS, WE HOP OVER DREAMS
DreamForge Magazine
Issue 17, September 6, 2024BURN, BOW, BREATHE
Qwerty Magazine
Issue 48, September 2024A HÚLÍJĪNG ALWAYS KEEPS ONE TAIL HIDDEN
Triangulation: Hospitium Anthology 2024, Parsec Inc.
July 27, 2024THE LOOK OF SECONDS
Wyldblood Magazine
July 12, 2024THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
Big Wing Review
May 2024 IssueWHITE FLOWERS
The Sunlight Press
April 9, 2024THE MIDNIGHT DIYU
Factor Four Magazine
Issue 34: April 2024MOON & STARS
50 Give Or Take, Vine Leaves Press
March 25, 2024OF INTERSTICE
JOURN-E: The Journal of Imaginative Literature
Issue 3.1, March 19, 2024THE MEMORY SHOP
Fusion Fragment
FF#20, February 29, 2024Reprint in Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness
April 30, 2025Reviewed in Haven Spec Issue 14, March 2024Reviewed in Amazing Stories, March 4, 2024MÍZHÙ
Twenty-two Twenty-eight
November 24, 2023Reprint in Peach Fuzz Magazine
Issue 29ALWAYS GRACEFUL, ALWAYS DELICATE
Resurrection Magazine
Inaugural Issue: Illumination, November 2, 2023EQ
Martian Magazine
October 9, 2023Reprint in Programmed Hearts, Shacklebound Books
April 12, 2024HER RIGHTFUL PLACE
Solarpunk Magazine
September 30, 2023THROUGH THE TUNNEL
Olit Magazine
Volume 3: Issue 5 • Summer 2023, September 27, 2023WAITING ROOM
Microfiction Monday Magazine
September 25, 2023BE LIKE WATER
Door is a Jar Literary Magazine
Issue 28 Fall 2023MANY FACES
Where the Meadows Reside
Issue 1.1, August 31, 2023UNTRADITIONAL
The Heduan Review
August 15, 2023Reprint in Wizards in Space Literary Magazine
Issue 09: Chapters, April 2024SEASONS CHANGE
Room Magazine
Prize Recipient of the 2023 Fiction Contest
judged by Heather O'Neill
August 14, 2023Reprint in Short Story Substack
July 15, 2024BELOVED
50-Word Stories
July 19, 2023WHEN IT RAINS
Scribes MICRO Fiction, Fairfield Scribes
Issue 31, July 18, 2023BE BREATHING
Deadly Drabble Tuesdays, Hungry Shadow Press
July 11, 2023Reprint in MetaStellar
November 15, 2023IRREGARDLESS
Friday Flash Fiction
July 7, 2023BESOTTED
50-Word Stories
June 6, 2023CREATURES AMONG US
Trembling With Fear, Horror Tree
June 4, 2023Reprint in The Book of Drabbles, Shacklebound Books
July 1, 2023Reprint in Martian Magazine
December 1, 2023LOST IN TOKYO
Friday Flash Fiction
May 19, 2023PENDULUM
Roi Fainéant Press
Power Issue: An Ode to BIPOC Excellence
May 13, 2023Reprint in MetaStellar
July 31, 2023DEAR POH POH
Factor Four Magazine
Issue 23: May 2023NEVER BEEN
The Nassau Review
Annual 2023 Issue, May 2023TURNING BACK
Metonym Literary Journal
Volume XI, Spring 2023MA KNOWS BEST
Visual Verse
Volume 10 • Chapter 6, April 2023IF ONLY WE COULD
Unstamatic
October 23, 2022
Poetry
EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING
rainy weather days
Volume 4, May 2025HER HAND IN MINE, ALWAYS
The Christian Science Monitor
April 1, 2024COME WITH ME
The Christian Science Monitor
January 15, 2024
Nonfiction
TO LEAD WITH DESIRE: ON CHUNGKING EXPRESS
High Femme
April 16, 20255 UPCOMING FANTASY BOOKS INSPIRED BY
WUXIA, XIANXIA, AND EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGIES
MetaStellar
May 12, 2023
Voice Narration
THE MEMORY SHOP
Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness
April 30, 2025THE NUMBER DEATH
Written by Melissa Ren | Narrated by Melissa Ren
SUSPECT, Singapore Unbound
February 7, 2025COME IN, CHILDREN
Written by Ai Jiang | Narrated by Melissa Ren
Cast of Wonders
July 21, 2024
Editing Services
$30 USD
flash fiction
up to 1000 words$0.04 a word
short stories
over 1000 wordsCAD rates for Canadian clients available upon request
Why work with me?
I'm a senior editor at Augur Magazine and a fiction editor at JMWW where I provide editing services.I approach editing with the author's intention at the forefront. I am an avid practitioner of word economy and specialize in flash.Heather O'Neill said about writing, "This story was so elegant and perfect. There was not a spare word."
Melissa has a great eye for what a story needs. She’s my go-to person whenever I’m struggling to finish a story. She can pinpoint pacing issues and where a plot or character needs further development. She’ll help you figure out what areas to cut and where the emotional core of a story is. She’s worked extensively as a magazine editor, slusher, and also as a novel beta reader, and it shows in the dedication and insights she brings to each project. I always appreciate how she gives actionable feedback that immediately improves the story. Can’t recommend her enough!
- Angela Liu, Nebula, Rhysling, Ignyte-nominated author
Melissa Ren has a strong eye for story structure and pacing, especially in short fiction, without sacrificing character and mood. I really feel that my stories are more vibrant for having Melissa look at my work and help me balance elements like interiority with the snap pacing that shorter fiction requires. She also chill AF.
- A.D. Sui, author of The Dragonfly Gambit
It is a privilege and delight to work with such an astute, enthusiastic, and thoughtful editor as Melissa. At every step of the process, it was clear that she saw and understood my vision for the piece, its emerging throughlines, and opportunities for further development. I learned so much from our dialogue, and her input and guidance were instrumental in pushing the story closer to what I had hoped to achieve and truly making it shine. From start to finish, it was a wonderful experience. I can't recommend her highly enough!
- F.E. Choe, author of "Cordelia’s List of Things Not to Ask/Say Around Bea on Our Birthday"
Melissa will always be my go-to reader for feedback. I am blown away by her empathy and care for my work without sacrificing intentional and constructive feedback. I can’t wait to work on my story now and implement some of the notes she suggested, and I am more encouraged than ever to start subbing my flash around. I would work with Melissa again in a heartbeat!!
- Kelley Tai, editor and Aurora Award-nominated author
I was so lucky to work with Melissa. She has a keen eye for detail, as well as story structure and pacing; her input left me with a new understanding of my own work that I can apply to new pieces. I was amazed by the way she connected with the heart of the story and the care she showed throughout the process. Melissa helped bring out the story I had wanted to write, and I can't recommend her highly enough.
- Diana Dima, author
Melissa is a talented writer and gifted editor. She has a sharp eye for grammar, a musical ear for rhythm, and a skilled hand for prose that always benefits her authors. She has the sensitivity and emotional nuance to both tease out and amplify the heart of a story and to honor and uplift the author’s vision without compromising or erasing their intent. I had a wonderful time working with Melissa and I cannot say enough good things about her.
- Nicole Balsamo, writer and editor