Marge Simon


Marge Baliff Simon is an American artist and a writer of speculative poetry and fiction. Her poems, short fiction, and illustrations have appeared in hundreds of publications, including Amazing Stories, Nebula Awards 32, Strange Horizons, The Pedestal Magazine, Chizine, Niteblade, Vestal Review, and Daily Science Fiction.

Early years

Marge Simon was born in Bethesda, MD, but grew up in Boulder, CO. She received her BA and MA degrees from the University of Northern Colorado, and then continued her studies at the Art Center College of Design. Deciding against a career as a commercial artist, she began working as an art teacher in elementary schools instead.

Writing career

In the mid-1980s, Simon began writing and illustrating for the small press and went on to become an award-winning writer. She received the Rhysling Award's Best Long Poem for speculative poetry in 1996. She won the Bram Stoker Award for her collaborative poetry collection with Charlee Jacob, Vectors: A Week in the Death of a Planet in 2008, and again in 2012 for her collection Vampires, Zombies, and Wanton Souls. Her poetry has also won the Dwarf Stars Award, the Strange Horizons Readers Poll and the Elgin Award for Best Poetry Collection, "Sweet Poison" with Mary A. Turzillo. She was awarded the Science Fiction Poetry Association's Grand Master poetry award in 2015.
Simon is a former president of the Small Press Writers and Artists Organization and the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and a former editor of Star*Line, SFPA's bimonthly journal. In 2013 she began editing the column "Blood and Spades: Poets of the Dark Side" for the monthly newsletter of the Horror Writers Association. She also serves as the Chair of the HWA Board of Trustees.

Personal life

Simon lives in Ocala, Florida, with her husband, writer Bruce Boston, with whom she sometimes collaborates.

Poetry books