I Ask My Mother to Sing: Mother Poems of Li-Young Lee

A chapbook of new and selected mother poems by celebrated poet Li-Young Lee

I Ask My Mother to Sing contains five decades of poems by the acclaimed Asian-American poet, Li-Young Lee about his own mother and the many meanings of motherhood. This collection follows Lee’s entire career, from his debut Rose (BOA, 1986) to his most recent book, The Invention of the Darling (W.W. Norton, 2024). The chapbook also includes seven new and previously unpublished poems.

LI-YOUNG LEE is the author of six books of poetry. He has received many honors for his writing including the 2024 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a Lannan Literary Award, a Whiting Award, the American Book Award, and more. OLIVER EGGER is a poet, editor, and journalist.