Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Rodriguez
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey as a poet began unexpectedly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many, I found myself reconnecting with old friends, seeking connection and purpose in a time of isolation. What started as playful challenges among college friends – cooking recipes or watching specific films- evolved into creative prompts that sparked my dormant passion for writing.
The pivotal moment came when I was tasked to write exactly 100 words about something new I’d tried, along with a 6-word logline. Coincidentally, I had just reconnected with my first and only poetry professor, Cecilia Martinez-Gil, mere days before receiving this prompt. This reconnection became the subject of my second poem, titled “Meeting Cecilia.”
This experience reignited my love for writing, which had lain unexplored for years. I was hooked.
‘Meeting Cecilia’
Words kind enough to calm the most frantic minds.
I’m 19, sheepishly putting encyclopedic words into 5-7-5s and devouring anything and everything while struggling to speak.
She returns, 28, giggling as I remember conjugations and usages of Usted.
But she’s Uruguayan, and Latinx people are not a monolith.
Call me Cecilia. Affirmative yet a bit of flattery in her tone.
As voice memos are saved and categorized a wave of relaxation takes me.
A red button is hit, air is taken, and I speak.
Sensory Memory
It came through my Mask
The arrangement was gorgeous
I asked for a pic
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all, I had a writing block for most of 2023 that finally subsided earlier this past January when I traveled to London with my wife and met her extended family.
I struggle with motivation. I find myself responding to inspiration rather than sitting down with the intent to write and it’s something I’ve been working on the last few months as my writing has progressed.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My 9-5 background is in Operations and Human Resources, but my passion is Poetry. I love that I’ve been able to share my words with friends, hear them recite, and discover the inflection in their voice or a certain pause. Each take is different and responses vary on where the reader is or what they’re experiencing. I’m proud that my writing is developing and sticking to it. Each poem is improves on the former and I love that I’m improving.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Instagram! Follow me and read and share my poems. Send me prompts! Send me poems or books you’ve been reading! Media is important to me, and I love learning about that part of people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/benefitofmrmatt
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benefitofmrmatt/
