Michael Croland is a versatile writer and editor with a penchant for quirkiness. He has seven books to his name, and his eclectic focuses include poetry, Jewish punk, Celtic punk, and air guitar.

Michael is the editor of three poetry collections published by Dover Publications: Poems by Presidents: The First-Ever Anthology (2023), Acrostic Poetry: The First-Ever Anthology (2023), and There Once Was a Limerick Anthology (2022).

Michael is the author of Air to the Throne: A Poetry Chapbook about Air Guitar (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2020). He began writing poetry as a teenager, and his poems were published in Teen Ink, Ballads of Our Lives, Celebrate! Young Poets Speak Out, and his high school literary magazine, Pegasus. Years later, when Michael was an associate editor at Scholastic, he worked on children’s poetry collections by Calvin Trillin and David Greenberg as well as numerous picture books written in verse. These experiences inspired him to resume writing poetry, especially about air guitar, in 2014.

Michael is the author of Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk (Praeger, 2016), plus two books about punk rock published through Kindle Direct Publishing: Punk Rock Hora: Adventures in Jew-Punk Land (2019) and Celtic Punk Superfan: Recaps & Reflections Chapbook, 2002–22 (2022). Michael has written about Jews and punk for the Forward, JTA, Jewcy, Hevria, New Voices, and his former blog, heebnvegan. His chapter, “Vegetarianism and Veganism among Jewish Punks,” was published in Jewish Veganism and Vegetarianism: Studies and New Directions, edited by Dr. Jacob Labendz and Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz (SUNY Press, 2019). He has been quoted as an expert on Jews and punk in The Wall Street Journal, JTA, The Times of Israel, and Moment, among others. He has given presentations about Jews and punk at Limmud NY, LimmudBoston, the Toledo Jewish Book Festival, the Jewish Museum of Maryland, the New York Public Library Mid-Manhattan Library, the Brooklyn Public Library Gravesend Library, Word Up Community Bookshop, the Brooklyn Jewish Art Gallery, and numerous synagogues.

Michael received a BA in professional writing and a minor in religious studies from Carnegie Mellon University as well as an MS in publishing from New York University. He won the Genesis Award for Outstanding Student Media from The Humane Society of the United States as well as the Alan and Gloria Siegel Award for Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. Michael has been active with many projects in the Jewish community, including formerly serving as the communications coordinator and a board member for an independent minyan, and he has spoken about vegetarianism in the Jewish tradition at several universities and synagogues. He works as a senior editor for books.

Michael lives in New York. You can reach him at MCroland@gmail.com.