Lincoln Michel

Lincoln Michel (born 1982) is an American short story writer, novelist, and editor. He is the author of Upright Beasts, The Body Scout, and Metallic Realms.

Early life and education Lincoln Michel grew up outside of Charlottesville, Virginia. He received an MFA in Writing from Columbia University, where he studied under writers Sam Lipstye, Ben Marcus, and Rebecca Curtis. He has received awards and residencies from The Millay Colony, VCCA, LMCC, The Mastheads, and Lighthouse Works.

Career Michel was the co-founder and co-editor of Gigantic. From 2014 to 2017, he was the Editor-in-Chief of Electric Literature. He is known for his "genre-bending" stories. His short stories have been published in Noon, The Paris Review, Granta, Tin House, Fantasy and Science Fiction, The Believer, and Lightspeed Magazine. He won a 2015 Pushcart Prize.

His debut novel, The Body Scout, was published in 2021 and received critical acclaim. The New York Times named the novel one of the ten best SFF books of 2021. The New York Times also called it “timeless and original" and "a wild ride, sad and funny, surreal and intelligent.” Boing Boing described the book as "a modern cyberpunk classic." Esquire named it one of the 50 Best Science Fiction Books of All Time and called it: "A breathlessly paced techno-thriller characterized by stunning, spiky worldbuilding."

His third book, Metallic Realms, was named one of "The 35 Best Books of 2025" by Esquire.

Michel teaches fiction writing at Columbia University School of the Arts and Sarah Lawrence College. He lives in Brooklyn.