18: Turning an MFA Thesis into a Book – A Conversation with Mary Simmons

Mary Simmons is a queer poet from Cleveland, Ohio. Her first collection, Mother, Daughter, Augur, was published by June Road Press in October of 2025. She’s also placed work in The Baltimore Review, ONE ART, trampset, Moon City Review, Variant Lit, The Shore, and elsewhere. Mary earned her MFA from Bowling Green State University, where she also served as managing editor of The Mid-American Review. She now lives with her cat, Suki, at the edge of the woods.