Literature, poetry, writing, rhetoric, education, theater
Besides literature and writing, he is interested in other forms of entertainment (especially movies, TV shows, and computer games), scientific and technological innovation, politics, and religion. Matthew also enjoys traveling around the globe and to national landmarks; he is most fond of visiting and hiking through National Parks and Forests.
Matthew joined Susquehanna University as a Creative Writing Major, as part of the honors program. When he began, his ambition was to become a fantasy novelist -- a dream that has not entirely died -- but not long after his first fiction workshop, he realized that his deeper passion and greater proficiency was for poetry, the study of which he focused on for the remainder of his writing workshop classes, taking the three poetry workshops available in his junior and senior years. In his second year at Susquehanna, Matthew picked up his second major in Theatre with a performance emphasis, for which he played in such roles as Friar Lawrence in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Lt. Brannigan in "Guys and Dolls." During senior year, he was president of the school's Shakespeare Club and directed a low-budget performance of "Twelfth Night" in the Spring before his graduation.
Matthew first began as an educator in High School by tutoring algebra and continued during his undergraduate degree by working as a teacher’s assistant for a first year writing course. After graduation, Matthew moved to Ukraine for a year to teach English language and literature to middle school and high school students at a private international school. Now, during his Master’s program, he works once again with a first year writing course, both residentially and online, preparing presentations for class, providing detailed feedback on student writing, and communicating with students via email.
Matthew believes that entertainment is an essential part of the human experience, learning, and growth, so he has dedicated his life to understanding it. His specialties are fiction, poetry, and theater, which he has studied and written extensively on throughout his university education. He also practices the arts he studies, having written hundreds of poems and hundreds of pages of fiction, having acted in many plays before, during, and after college, and having directed several performances. He also has experience and training in the production aspects of theater. Though Matthew’s specialties are found in a book or on a stage, he is also interested in the crafts of film and music.
Over the years, Matthew has served in a number of church ministries with the purpose of aiding in spiritual growth; in particular, he has helped run multiple Vacation Bible Schools, worked as a counselor at a Christian Summer camp, and served as a leader for his church’s youth group. He has also written dozens of sonnets and accompanying blog posts on matters of religion and spiritual development which he publishes to his personal website.
Matthew has regularly maintained a personal blog featuring original poetry and reflections on spiritual topics as well as newsletters informing readers of recent activity and upcoming projects. His writing voice is casual and personable but sophisticated in diction and form, so the reader feels welcomed into a thought-provoking discussion.
As a graduate assistant for an undergraduate writing course, Matthew regularly creates visually engaging PowerPoints that will clearly and concisely explain rhetoric and composition principles and guide students through writing projects. Presentations for class include detailed notes on estimated time needed for each slide, expanded explanations on content, and answers to potential student questions.
As an honors student and double major at a liberal arts university, Matthew has researched and written about many topics both within and without his area of expertise including pieces on the moral philosophy espoused by advertising, the sociology of racism, and U.S.-China relations. He is adept at navigating complex topics and new terms and making them accessible and interesting to the common reader.