Writer Spotlight: Meet Matthew Wimberley

Matthew Wimberley grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He is the author of two collections of poetry, “Daniel Boone’s Window” (LSU, 2020) selected by Dave Smith for the Southern Messenger Poetry series, and  “All the Great Territories” (SIU, 2020), winner of the 2018 Crab Orchard Poetry Series First Book award, winner of the Weatherford Award. Winner of the 2015 William Matthews Prize from the Asheville Poetry Review, his work was selected by Mary Szybist for the 2016 Best New Poets Anthology and his writing has appeared most recently in the Poem-a-Day series from the Academy of American Poets. Wimberley received his MFA from NYU where he worked with children at St. Mary’s Hospital as a Starworks Fellow. He is an Assistant Professor of English at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC.

JRW: Which genre are you most passionate about?

MW: Poetry.

JRW: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

MW: I’ve always written poetry, well for as long as I can remember, and so, perhaps I’ve wanted to be a writer for that long. I would say it wasn’t until my sophomore year in college that I first understood I could be a writer. Not that you need the academy to be a writer, only that it affords some different opportunities and time. For me, I took an undergraduate workshop in poetry with an MFA candidate, Elizabeth Jackson. That class was the first time I realized people were still writing poetry and it changed my life. I was then fortunate enough to be part of workshops led by John Balaban and Dorianne Laux who both encouraged me to pursue writing.

JRW: How has being an English professor influenced your work as a writer?

MW: As an English professor, I get to spend so much time with language–in the form of works I’m assigning in class and with responses the students bring to class. I’m not much of a literary critic, and I’m often delighted by students who are smarter than me who give me a new way to access a poem. One of my biggest joys is helping students find their voice when it comes to their writing. That energy certainly sustains me, and it’s that energy that helps me carve out space to write.

JRW: What is one of the most surprising things you learned while publishing your work?

MW: Publishing is a part of the writing life, though maybe it should be a smaller part? Certainly, it isn’t the thing I’m thinking about when I sit down to write. I think the best lesson I’ve learned is that publishing is not an indicator of the quality of your work. I’ve had poems rejected dozens of times before finding their way to the right reader, and that’s an important lesson. If you believe in the work, if it compels you, follow it.

JRW: What advice would you offer new writers?

MW: Here is what has helped me: To write by hand. To find even ten minutes every day to write. To read broadly but don’t be afraid to read selfishly deep as well–if you find a voice that really sings, there’s no shame in carrying them with you forever. Finally, write for yourself.