Dr. Michael Lund, Professor Emeritus of English at Longwood University, is a native of Rolla, Missouri, and lives in Virginia. In addition to having published scholarly books and articles about 19th- and 20th-century British and American literature, he is the author of novels inspired by Route 66, America’s Mother Road. An Army veteran, he writes about the American Dream.
Sample and buy copies here.
On August 17 Michael began serializing, for free, a novel, Route 66 Spring, Second Edition, on Substack–10 pages every weekday. You can subscribe and catch up here: \https://substack.com/@marklandon1?utm_source=top_search. The novel continues until September 11
He is also working on a novel series set in a small coastal Carolina village under the pen name TAYLOR CURTIS.The Persimmon River Novels chronicles the decline of another American small town; yet individuals are drawn together—instinctively? mysteriously? magically?—to rebuild a community and a tradition.
Michael Lund’s “Ventail” was one of the stories included in the Military Writers Society of America’s 2025 Anthology, Reflections: Service to our Country, which was awarded third Place in the Anthologies category of The BookFest® Awards. The BookFest announced Reflections: as a winner in its Spring 2026.
Two of Lund’s poems have been accepted for publication in the Veterans Poetry Project’s anthology, Perseverance & Resilience, which has been supported by the Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship 2025-2026 awarded Virginia’s poet laureate Mattie Quesenberry Smith, as well as other contributors, such as the Poetry Society of Virginia and the Richmond Visual Arts Center. The anthology is set to be published by the end of next month, June 2026.
An excerpt of the third Persimmon River novel, The Wingapo School: Lost and Found is available here.
Kindle and Paperback editions now available on Amazon:
.
http://www.mwsadispatches.com/library/2025/independence-dancing-with-time
This novel captures a unique sense of place while providing a challenging timeline and intricate relationships. Readers should prepare for a roller-coaster ride with surprises at every turn.
Review by Peter Young (July 2025)
0Sample and purchase here.
Lund also directs Home and Abroad, a free writing program for military, veterans, and family, in rural central Virginia.
In the 30 April issue of Time magazine the Virginia Museum of History and Culture hosted an exhibit panel titled, “Remembering the War” which reminded us about the contentious legacy of Vietnam and how many veterans found it difficult to process their experiences amidst a home front that just wanted to move on. The exhibit features a Vietnam Veterans of America hat lent by Michael Lund. An Army war correspondent in Vietnam (1970-71), Lund hid his service for 30 years but when the U.S. went to war with Afghanistan and Iraq, he wanted to lend a constructive voice. An English professor and published author, Lund founded “Home and Abroad,” a free program that offers workshops and consultations to veterans, active duty military, and families wanting to write their stories. One participant, Thomas Bragg, discovered how to talk about his friendship with Eddie Lama, who was killed in action. Lund’s hat symbolizes his coming out as a Vietnam veteran and connection to the veterans’ community.”
in