Matt Briggs
Encyclopedia
Matt Briggs is an American
novelist, and short story
writer.
, which he still calls home. He grew up in the Snoqualmie Valley
raised by working-class, counter-culture parents who cultivated and sold cannabis (drug)
. Briggs has written two books set in rural Washington chronicling this life. Critic Ann Powers
wrote of Briggs first book in the New York Times Book Review, "Briggs has captured the America that neither progressives nor family-value advocates want to think about, where bohemianism has degenerated into dangerous dropping out."
After high school Briggs joined the US Army Reserve and his unit was deployed to the Gulf War
. Briggs served as a laboratory technician in Riyadh
, Saudi Arabia
. After he returned to the States, where he studied writing at the University of Washington
and at the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University
. He returned to the Seattle area where he continues to live.
He has been involved with Zines, literary magazines, and performance series. He worked as an editor at The Raven Chronicles from 1997-2003. He produced The Rendezvous Reading Series from 2001 - 2003. Briggs served as The Writer in Residence at Richard Hugo House
from 2003-2005 where he has taught writing classes for the chronically ill at Gilda’s Club and the Polyclinic, a zine class to teenagers in Redmond, Washington
, produced literary events, and offered open hours to the community. In April, 2005, Clear Cut editor Matthew Stadler
and Briggs organized the Unassociated Writers Conference and Dance Party as "part party, part architectural experiment, part performance, part song and dance," the conference promoted an alternative literary culture of zines, micro presses and project-based publishing." In 2007, Briggs curated the Jack Straw Writers series.
Briggs first two book-length works of fiction, The Remains of River Names, a collection of linked stories, and the novel, Shoot the Buffalo, belong in the tradition of Pacific Northwest
Literature and echo earlier work such as The Honey in the Horn by HL Davis, Sometimes a Great Notion
by Ken Kesey
, and The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald
. Writer Ray Mungo
wrote of Briggs’ work, "Briggs as the language, cadence, and rain-shrouded soul of the Northwest honed to perfection in his candid and haunting style." Shoot the Buffalo won a 2006 American Book Award
and was a Finalist for the 2006 Washington State Book Award
in Fiction.
In addition, Briggs was awarded a Genius Award for literature from The Stranger (newspaper)
, a weekly newspaper in Seattle. He has published work in magazines, including 5_Trope, The Clackamas Review, The Seattle Review, Zyzzyva (magazine)
and others, and has performed at Bumbershoot
and What the Heck Fest
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novelist, and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer.
Biography
Matt Briggs was born in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, which he still calls home. He grew up in the Snoqualmie Valley
Snoqualmie Valley
The Snoqualmie Valley is a farming and timber-producing region located along the Snoqualmie River in Western Washington, United States. The valley stretches from the confluence of the three forks of the river at North Bend to the confluence of the Snoqualmie River and the Skykomish River, forming...
raised by working-class, counter-culture parents who cultivated and sold cannabis (drug)
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
. Briggs has written two books set in rural Washington chronicling this life. Critic Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
wrote of Briggs first book in the New York Times Book Review, "Briggs has captured the America that neither progressives nor family-value advocates want to think about, where bohemianism has degenerated into dangerous dropping out."
After high school Briggs joined the US Army Reserve and his unit was deployed to the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. Briggs served as a laboratory technician in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. After he returned to the States, where he studied writing at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
and at the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. He returned to the Seattle area where he continues to live.
He has been involved with Zines, literary magazines, and performance series. He worked as an editor at The Raven Chronicles from 1997-2003. He produced The Rendezvous Reading Series from 2001 - 2003. Briggs served as The Writer in Residence at Richard Hugo House
Richard Hugo House
- About :Hugo House was founded in founded in 1997 by Linda Jaech, Frances McCue, and Andrea Lewis. These three writers believed Seattle needed a center for local writers and readers to find a community and create new work...
from 2003-2005 where he has taught writing classes for the chronically ill at Gilda’s Club and the Polyclinic, a zine class to teenagers in Redmond, Washington
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, produced literary events, and offered open hours to the community. In April, 2005, Clear Cut editor Matthew Stadler
Matthew Stadler
Matthew Stadler is a writer and editor who lives in Portland, Oregon. He has written four novels and received several awards and fellowships in recognition of his work. More recently, he has compiled four anthologies about literature, city life and public life...
and Briggs organized the Unassociated Writers Conference and Dance Party as "part party, part architectural experiment, part performance, part song and dance," the conference promoted an alternative literary culture of zines, micro presses and project-based publishing." In 2007, Briggs curated the Jack Straw Writers series.
Briggs first two book-length works of fiction, The Remains of River Names, a collection of linked stories, and the novel, Shoot the Buffalo, belong in the tradition of Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
Literature and echo earlier work such as The Honey in the Horn by HL Davis, Sometimes a Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion is a 1964 novel by the American author Ken Kesey.Sometimes a Great Notion may also refer to:* Sometimes a Great Notion , a 1970 film adaptation of the novel...
by Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
, and The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald was an American author who specialized in humorous autobiographical tales, and is best known for her book The Egg and I. She also wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series of children's books...
. Writer Ray Mungo
Ray Mungo
Raymond Mungo is the author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books. He writes about business, economics, and financial matters as well as cultural issues...
wrote of Briggs’ work, "Briggs as the language, cadence, and rain-shrouded soul of the Northwest honed to perfection in his candid and haunting style." Shoot the Buffalo won a 2006 American Book Award
American Book Award
The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
and was a Finalist for the 2006 Washington State Book Award
Washington State Book Award
The Washington State Book Awards are presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year.This literary awards program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. The program was based at the Washington State Library in Olympia...
in Fiction.
In addition, Briggs was awarded a Genius Award for literature from The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger (newspaper)
The Stranger is an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington, USA. It runs a blog known as Slog.-History:The Stranger was founded by Tim Keck, who had previously co-founded the satirical newspaper The Onion, and cartoonist James Sturm. Its first issue came out on September 23, 1991...
, a weekly newspaper in Seattle. He has published work in magazines, including 5_Trope, The Clackamas Review, The Seattle Review, Zyzzyva (magazine)
Zyzzyva (magazine)
Zyzzyva is a triannual magazine of writers and artists. It places an emphasis on showcasing emerging voices and never before published writers in addition to the already established. Based in San Francisco, it began publishing in 1985. ZYZZYVAs slogan is "The Last Word," referring to "zyzzyva", the...
and others, and has performed at Bumbershoot
Bumbershoot
Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day weekend at the 74-acre Seattle Center, which was built for the 1962 World's Fair. Seattle Center includes indoor theaters,...
and What the Heck Fest
What the Heck Fest
What the Heck Fest is an annual festival in Anacortes, Washington, coinciding with a citywide rummage sale called Shipwreck Day. It began in 2001. The festival takes place at various locations all over town in a week in the middle of July. Performers present music, movies, literature, and art...
.
Works
- The Remains of River Names (Black Heron Press, 1999)
- Misplaced Alice (StringTown Press, 2002)
- The Moss Gatherers (StringTown Press, 2005)
- Shoot the Buffalo, a novel (Clear Cut PressClear Cut Press- About :Clear Cut Press was founded by novelist Matthew Stadler and Up Records co-founder Rich Jensen in 2002. Jensen began talking to Stadler while taking a poetry class in 1997. Their mutual interest in cultural movements and the role of books lead to a discussion resulting in the press...
, 2005) - The End is the Beginning (Final State Press, 2008)
Reviews
- Shoot the Buffalo: A life in Northwest haunted by death of sister, review in The Seattle Times
- Review in Portland Mercury
- http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=12768Northwest Energy: Reservoir Bumping with Matt Briggs by Rebecca BrownRebecca BrownRebecca Brown may refer to:* Rebecca Brown , aka Ruth Bailey, Christian author* Rebecca Brown , former Australian breaststroke swimmer* Rebecca Brown , fictional character from the Australian drama, Sea Patrol...
in The Stranger] - http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/12/12/reviews/991212.12powerst.html?_r=1&oref=sloginGrunge Novel by Ann PowersAnn PowersAnn Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
in The New York Times Book Review]