About Matthew Van Meter

JOURNALIST | EDITOR | EDUCATOR

Matthew tells stories that turn conventional wisdom on its head. He has written about a forgotten chapter in the Civil Rights Movement, the Black lumberjacks of the Gulf South, and the struggles of a factory town in Ukraine's rust belt. His reporting has appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic, Texas Observer, The Awl, and elsewhere.

As a researcher and editor, Matthew has worked with first-time authors, acclaimed professors, and longtime veterans of publishing to help deepen their research, develop their ideas, and polish their manuscripts.

He has more than fifteen years of experience in secondary and post-secondary education, both in the United States and Russia. Currently, he is Chair of the Academic Research Program and Director of the Liggett Shakespeare Project at University Liggett School.

For many years, Matthew was co-facilitator and Assistant Director of Shakespeare in Prison, supporting the work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people as they used the exploration of Shakespeare's plays to empower themselves and each other.

An experienced wilderness canoeist, he can often be found in his battered wood and canvas boat on the waters of Ontario, Michigan, Maine, or wherever he is reporting.

Raised Quaker on the East Coast, he makes his home in Detroit, Michigan, where he lives with his partner on the city's east side.

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