Michael M. Levy, a scholar of science fiction and longtime Publishers Weekly reviewer, died of cancer on April 3. He was 66.
Levy earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota in 1982, and began teaching literature at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 1980. He remained there his entire career.
A professor of English literature and former department chair, his focus was on sci-fi and fantasy; he was known, in particular, for his work on children's fantasy. His reviews were published in PW and other outlets, including The New York Review of Science Fiction. He was also an editor for the journal Extrapolation.
In 2016 a book he co-authored, Children’s Fantasy Literature: An Introduction, was released by Cambridge University Press. Earlier books included 1991's Natalie Babbit and 2000's Portrayal of South East Asian Refugees in Recent American Children’s Books.
Levy also served as the first division head for the Children’s Literature group at the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts, and later as both v-p and its president. He also served as president of the Science Fiction Research Association.
Levy is survived by his wife, the poet Sandra J. Lindow, and their two children, Scott and Miriam.
