Michel Aaij is a Dutch native who received an MA and a Ph.D. with a specialization in Old English language and literature from The University of Alabama in 2003. Before that, he studied philosophy, physics, and English at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. He is co-editor, with Shannon Godlove, of the volume of Saint Boniface in the series Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition. In addition, he has published articles on the veneration of Saint Elisabeth (of Thuringia), on teaching the Old and Middle English versions of the biblical romance of Judith, and on the poetic language used by the Poets of the Confederacy. His interests include the Old and Middle English literature, world literature, the study of saints, and, a recent development, the use of medievalist tropes in the American South. He has taught most all the survey literature and freshman composition classes, Old English language and literature, Chaucer, Beowulf and Film, various linguistics classes including History of the English Language and Advanced English Grammar, and European Post-WW2 novels.

He is currently at work on a study of Sidney Lanier and his adaptation of the matter of King Arthur, and on a biography of Clifford Lanier, Sidney’s brother and at one time a well-known Montgomerian. He has also published book reviews on a wide range of topics including linguistics, review articles on Boniface and Elisabeth, and encyclopedic articles on authors ranging from Bede to Adso of Montier-en-Der, author of a well-known biography of the Antichrist.

Dr. Aaij likes his dog, and he likes food. He plays the air guitar, having hands that are too delicate for the real guitar. He is an administrator on Wikipedia where he acts against commercialization, sexism, online bullying, and ethnic hatred, and has blocked over 34,000 abusive editors and accounts; he is currently ranked 88 on the list of most active editors and has written over 1,600 articles.