Michael Heyman

Michael Heyman is a Professor of Literature in the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department at Berklee College of Music. A scholar and writer specializing in literary nonsense and children’s literature, he brings together literature and music in innovative ways, teaching courses that range from children’s literature and music to poetry, performance poetry, nonsense literature, and even arthropodiatry.

Education:

• PhD in English Literature, University of Glasgow (1999)
• MA in English Literature, University of Oxford (1995)
• BA in English Literature, Franklin and Marshall College (1992)

Research Interests:

Professor Heyman’s research bridges the playful and the scholarly, focusing on literary nonsense as a rigorous aesthetic form that questions the status quo and fosters creative rebellion. He explores how nonsense literature serves as both intellectual exercise and cultural critique. His work in children’s literature and music emphasizes respect for children as cultural creators and aims to prepare students to produce sophisticated, commercially viable content for young audiences.

His creative output includes poetry, short stories, and editorial work, often integrating musical elements and performance traditions. He plays multiple instruments—tenor/baritone saxophone, flute, tabla (studied with Pandit Sharda Sahai), diddlemaphone, and employs throat singing—further blurring the lines between literary and musical performance.

Awards & Honors:

• Four-time judge for The Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry

Editorial & Creative Leadership:

• Head editor, The Tenth Rasa: An Anthology of Indian Nonsense (Penguin, 2007)
• Guest editor, nonsense literature issue of Bookbird (IBBY, 2016)
• Editor and contributor, This Book Makes No Sense: Nonsense Poems and Worse (Scholastic, 2012)
• Founder, Berklee College Writing Center
• Founder, Berklee Slam Poetry program
• Consulting editor, FUSION magazine
• Dramaturge for NIX, The Only Animal, Vancouver, Canada

Professor Heyman’s dynamic integration of scholarship, creative writing, performance, and pedagogy positions him as a leading figure in the interdisciplinary study of literature, music, and children’s culture.