Daphne Lee is a Malaysian editor, writer, folklorist, and creative writing coach based in Kuala Lumpur.
She was Consulting Editor at Scholastic Asia for sixteen years and helped establish and manage the Scholastic Asian Book Award and Scholastic Picture book Award, which aimed to celebrate excellence in the creation of Asian stories by Asian authors and illustrators for Asian readers.
For twelve years, Daphne wrote Tots to Teens, a long-running column on children’s and YA books in The Star newspaper. She later penned Localise, a monthly column on the Malaysian publishing industry.
Daphne now freelances as a manuscript editor, creative writing coach, and mentor for emerging writers. She also writes fiction inspired by Asian folklore, myths, and supernatural traditions. Her editorial projects include Malaysian Tales: Retold & Remixed (ZI Publications, 2011) and Remang: An Anthology of Ghostly Tales (Terrer Books, 2018). Her debut short story collection, Bright Landscapes, was published by Malaysian indie press Laras 99 in 2019. A new edition of that book will be published in November 2026, alongside a companion collection called Dark Portraits. A Malaysian Spirit Guide, which explores Malaysian supernatural beliefs is out in October 2026.
She is currently working on her first novel.
