Profile of Michael Livingston

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This profile moderated by Michael Livingston.

Bio

Born in 1975 in Colorado, Dr. Michael Livingston holds degrees in History, Medieval Studies, and English. 

In his fiction life he is a winner of the prestigious international Writers of the Future Contest and a proud member of Codex Writers. 

In his academic life he has published articles on Tolkien and Joyce, discovered European maps of America that pre-date Columbus, and is working on his third book, an edition of The Middle English Metrical Paraphrase of the Old Testament. 

He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of English at The Citadel, and he is completing his first novel.

Bibliography

Fiction

(Excerpts of all fiction available at www.michaellivingston.com)

Short Story: "Purging Cocytus."  Black Gate Magazine.  Forthcoming.

Anthology: Prime Codex: The Hungry Edge of Speculative Fiction.  Ed. Lawrence M. Schoen and Michael Livingston.  Philadelphia: Paper Golem Press.  Forthcoming.

Short Story: "The Catch of the Day."  Shimmer Magazine.   Forthcoming.

Short Story: "The Worth of an Eye in the Hand." In Until Someone Loses an Eye: Tales of Disturbing Humor.  Ed. Jeff Strand and John McIlveen.  Bradford, MA:  Twisted Publishing.  Forthcoming.

Poem: "The Waters of Normandy." In On Our Way to Battle: Poetry from the Trenches.  Ed. Samantha Henderson.  Carnifex Press, 2006.  P. 6.

Short Story: "Dr. Williamson and the Master Speed."  Nature Magazine 4443, no. 7109 (21 September 2006), 370.

Short Story: "Gnome Season."  Shimmer Magazine 1.4 (2006), 46-59.

Novelette: "The Hand That Binds."  Black Gate Magazine 9 (2005), 82-106.

Novelette: "The Keeper Alone." In L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume XXI.  Ed. Algis Budrys.  Hollywood: Galaxy Press, 2005.  Pp. 472-517.

Non-fiction

a. Books

Middle English Metrical Paraphrase of the Old Testament.  Medieval Institute Publications. Forthcoming.

In Praise of Peace. In The Minor Latin Works of John Gower, ed. and trans. R. F. Yeager, with In Praise of Peace, ed. Michael Livingston. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2005. http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/ryppintro.htm

Siege of Jerusalem. Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute Publications, 2004. http://www.library.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/livint.htm

b. Articles

"Reinventing the Hero: Gardner’s Grendel and the Shifting Face of Beowulf in Popular Culture" (with John William Sutton). Studies in Popular Culture 29 (2006), 1-16.

"The Line of the Lover’s Lament: Chaucer’s Use of Lamentations in Troilus and Criseyde." The Chaucer Journal. Forthcoming.

"The Shellshocked Hobbit: The First World War and Tolkien’s Trauma of the Ring." Mythlore: A Journal of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature 25 (2006), 77-92.

"‘Dividends and Divisors Ever Diminishing…’: Joyce’s Use of Mathematics in ‘Ithaca.’" James Joyce Quarterly 41 (2005), 441-54.

"A Sixth Hand in Cambridge, Trinity College MS R.3.19." Journal of the Early Book Society 8 (2005), 229-37.

"More Vinland Maps and Texts: Discovering the New World in Higden’s Polychronicon." Journal of Medieval History 30 (2004), 25–44.

"Misconceptions about Medieval Medicine: Humors, Leeches, Charms, and Prayers." Strange Horizons. March 2003. http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030317/medicine.shtml

"Modern Medieval Map Myths: The Flat World, Ancient Sea-kings, and Dragons." Strange Horizons. May 2002. Rpt. in The Best of Strange Horizons: Year Two. Ed. Kelli Carlson. Male Shade, NJ: Lethe Press, 2003. Pp. 108–18. http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/20020610/medieval_maps.shtml

"Wulf and Eadwacer: A New Edition." Old English Online Editions. July 2001.

"The Seven: Hebrews, Hellenists, and Heptines." Journal of Higher Criticism 6 (1999), 32–63.

Reviews

James Enge
replying to Smith's review on the Tangent boards

The story makes a nice complement to the original Beowulf and also to John Gardner's Grendel.

Jason Sizemore of Tangent Online
on "Gnome Season"

Michael Livingston contributes the dark, endearing story, "Gnome Season." To tell the truth, Livingston did much more with a story about hunting live garden gnomes than I expected. Wrapped around an intense (and often amusing) urban hunt for gnomes is a wild treatise about parenthood, expectations, and the scars of a lifelong resentment. . . . This is an effective, weird story that is the hallmark of what makes Shimmer good.

Sherwood Smith of Tangent Online

"The Hand That Binds" by Michael Livingston is my favorite story of the issue.... I am no early English scholar, but I found this tale convincing, beautifully told, and moving. To my eye, Livingston found that balance between being comprehensible yet avoiding anachronism, and although the Geats' and Danes' customs seem almost alien, the emotions still rang true.

From amazon.com
regarding Writers of the Future Volume XXI

Michael Livingston provides what I thought was the best story of all in "The Keeper Alone." In a story reminiscent of Robert Heinlein's "Orphans of the Sky," what happens when the sole keeper of a space ark saves someone whose pod has malfunctioned? It is stories such as these that keep me reading science fiction. . . . . This book is worth purchasing. There are a few stories that I was less enthused about, but the winners in this book, particularly the last story, ["The Keeper Alone,"] will make you feel good about the purchase.

Sam Tomaino of SFRevu
on "Gnome Season"

The new issue of Shimmer is an excellent one with a very good crop of stories. It is also very nicely designed for a small press publication. . . . In "Gnome Season," Michael Livingston gives us a story about a young boy who finds out his grandfather isn't crazy after all. . . . Shimmer really stands out in the small press magazine field and is well worth subscribing to.