Matthew Sidney Parsons
Matt Parsons is a poet and farmer from eastern Kentucky. He has been published in
print and online journals such as Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, Rattle, and Still: the Journal, among others. His debut poetry collection from Pine Row Press, Mountain Roosters, explores themes of masculinity in rural Appalachia. Matt is a professional musician and songwriter, touring domestically and internationally with such acts as The Price Sisters, The Local Honeys, and his family band, Whistle & Fish. He has served as an editorial intern at the University Press of Kentucky, teaching assistant to New York Times best-selling author, Silas House, and director of the Carter County Public Library system. Matt is currently working at home farming, creating new music, writing poetry and fiction, and enjoying the company of his wife and children.
THE WORKS
Below are the featured materials of Matthew Sidney Parsons:
Mountain Roosters
Title: Mountain Roosters
Author: Matthew Sidney Parsons
Publisher: Pine Row Press
Publication Date: Projected February, 2024
Description: Mountain Roosters is the debut full-length book of poetry by Matthew Sidney Parsons being published by Pine Row Press. The book addresses social issues such as gender, cultural identity, poverty, politics, and generational succession with a clear dialectic voice supported by strong images and quick wit. Mountain Roosters examines the modern Appalachian man through the lens of the author’s ever-evolving relationship with the men he has known – featuring poetic sketches of the characters as you move through the collection. In a bit of beautiful irony, Mountain Roosters pries open the hard shell of the country man using the acutely emotional communication range of the poetic form.
Holy Land
Title: Holy Land
Author: Matthew Sidney Parsons
Publisher: Bottlecap Press
Publication Date: November 2023
Description: Modern, commercial Christian doctrine prizes the prosperity gospel, televangelist preachers with mansions and million-dollar salaries, and praying away poverty. This collection of poems is aimed at the heart of this western capitalist religious dogma. It re-imagines that distorted iteration of Christianity as a defunct theme park, complete with with a “Red Sea Wave Pool,” a sprawling roller coaster that will put the fear of God in you, and a board walk over a lake of fire.
Holy Land™ pulls together biblical stories and characters in a surreal environment, exposing the crisis of faith at the heart of materialistic religiosity. We get to know the doubts and fears not only of believers, but of the biblical characters themselves who are caught in a wage-labor trap reminiscent of today’s retail and services industries. Written in a plain, but nuanced and original voice, this is an educated essay in poetry form on the shortcomings of the Church of Greed.
The Living Mysteries Creative Writing Journal
Title: The Living Mysteries Creative Writing Journal
Author: Matthew Sidney Parsons
Publisher: ISBN Services
Publication Date: July 19, 2023
Description: The human brain has a remarkable aptitude for deduction. With little information, our imaginations can make connections, generate hypothetical scenarios, and draw potential conclusions. This is the essential work of the writer: to elucidate, in written word, the connections between the seemingly unrelated experiences of our many lives. This journal is designed to activate the writer's imagination, offering a brief description of the book's intended use, a little narrative exposition to get the fun started, 25 refreshingly unique and thought-provoking photographs with creatively stimulating captions, and at least 3 pages per picture of beautifully designed writing space.
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