Micah Goodrich

Micah Goodrich [he/they] is assistant professor of English at Boston University. Their book manuscript, “Chronic Bodies: Transforming Nature in Medieval Literature,” details a literary history of body transformation within medieval discourses of nature. He is interested in how medieval authors invoke the cultural power of Nature and “the natural” to highlight the possibilities and presumed limits of the body’s transformative potential and capacity to self-create. Micah’s other interests include trans studies, queer theory, alchemy, Chaucer, Langland, Lollards, leprosy, and mysticism. His work is forthcoming in Diacritics, A Cultural History of Gender, 500-1400 CE, and The Companion to Sexuality in the Medieval West, as well as a special issue on “Medieval Trans Natures” in Medieval Ecocriticisms. Currently, Micah is co-editing with J.D. Sargan A Cultural History of Trans Lives, 300-1450. 

Micah teaches courses on a variety of medieval genres – including poetry, scientific and medical texts, and histories – literary theory and criticism, and classes on trans and queer studies. In the classroom, Micah is inspired by alternative medias (self-published zines, informational pamphlets, and independent presses) and DIY histories to center creation and communication. As they tell their students, “DIY” in this mode does not mean “Do It Yourself” in the sense of isolated work; rather, it is a process of equipping the self with the tools needed to enact a creative vision. It is the practice of creating without the aid of professionals and with limited or differently sourced resources. As a trans literary scholar, Micah is fascinated by and indebted to this underground textual moment.

Teaching and Research Interests

Medieval and early modern literature

Literary theory

Literary history of the body

Gender, sexuality, embodiment

Trans and Queer Studies

Premodern transgender studies

Premodern critical race studies

Premodern women writers