Taking a quote from \;Macbeth \;as the starting and end point for this collection\, the poems consider what makes our world wonderful and worrying\, hope-filled and hopeless\, inspir ing and daunting. Environmental anxiety permeates the collection\, and man y poems stand witness to the tragedy of what is unfolding\, though there i s the possibility for redemption. There are poems that look back to a na&i uml\;ve past\, that study the concerns of a worried now\; and consider the future both create. Throughout\, there are poems that celebrate inspiring role models in the natural world.
\nThe poems invite the reader to wonder about their role in the writing of our future. We still have time t o decide on the outcome. Is our participation going to be heroic or tragic ? Are we the masters of our own fate or were we charmed\, like Macbeth? Su rely we can be more accountable for our actions and celebrate the wonders around us. What the &lsquo\;be-all and the end-all&rsquo\; will look like is still up to us.
\nMatthew James Friday is a writer and teacher from England. He has several degr ees from the UK\, including being a public school teacher. He has taught K -8 students in schools all around the world. He met his Bend-born wife Jil l in Germany! Matthew is also a professional storyteller for children. As a storyteller\, he has visited schools in three different continents. He d eveloped an interactive model of storyteller that can be used in classroom teaching and to inspire students to become storytellers.
\nAs a poe t\, Matthew has had many poems published in US and international journals from all over the world. He created and taught many workshops for conferen ces\, colleges and training events to equip teachers with the skills to te ach the reading and writing of poetry\, and become storytellers. Matthew i s a regular contributor to edutopia.org\, writing articles about poetry an d storytelling.
\nSince arriving in the US\, at the height of the CO VID pandemic\, Matthew has become a father\, run half-marathons\, learned to drive a car for the first time\, and had a book published! He now lives with his wife and daughter in Bend\, Oregon. \;
\nMore of his w riting can be found at: http:/ /matthewfriday.weebly.com
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Questions? Contact beccar@dpls.lib.or.us\, 541-312 -1063
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