Matthew Walz, Neighbor

Matthew Walz grew up in Mahtomedi, MN. He attended the University of Iowa and transferred over to the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis where he received a B.A. in Sociology. He now currently resides in Uptown. He works as a soccer coach for both Mahtomedi and Hill-Murray high school and referees soccer in the summers. Also, he does freelance writing for patch and an online sports magazine, mnsportsgeeks.com, where he writes weekly articles about the Minnesota Vikings. He plans to attend graduate school in the next year or two to study creative writing and comparative literature.

Matthew has a passion for fiction and poetry. He is the author of currently three published fiction short stories and four poems. His prose and poetry can be found in the following literary magazines: <i>Grey Sparrow Journal, A Prairie Journal, Calliope, </i>and <i>Burning Word</i>. He also has recently completed his first novel which he hopes will be published in the following year. He developed a love for literature and an ability to manipulate words and phrases at an early age. His first stint at poetry was in the 7^th grade where he composed a poem that the teacher deemed good enough to individually select and read out loud to the class. He had a knack for rhymes and in high school would often sign his friends’ yearbooks accompanied by short, funny poems. He loves classic literature and poetry and would be willing to discuss them for hours. His favorite writers include Jim Harrison, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Albert Camus, Louise Erdrich, Ernest Hemingway, and Jack London.

If Matthew is not writing or coaching you can often find him outdoors walking around Lake of the Isles or Lake Calhoun in Uptown. He frequents various restaurants around the city and loves finding new areas to dine, always on foot to find them. His plans for the future don’t extend too far, though he knows writing will play a major part in it, and so will his pet Husky he plans to buy when he moves into an apartment that allows pets.