Featured Writer

Matthew Cottrell

Writing workshop participant at New Avenues for Youth.

“I try to gain as much perspective as possible,” Matthew Cottrell said in a recent interview. "I'm not grounded to one concept of reality; I tend to grab little bits of others' reality as I walk through the world." This is how Matthew, a 21-year-old, homeless young man, absorbs his world, which hasn’t presented him with the kindest of circumstances, and still remain open to creating a positive future for himself.

Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Matthew moved out of his home at age 15 when his mother was ill with lung cancer. He took a job as a live-in housekeeper and stayed in school to graduate. His mother recovered and moved to Chico, California, but Matthew remained in his home town. When he lost his job at age 18 and couldn’t afford housing, he took to the woods for three months to live in a treehouse. When asked why he didn’t call on his family to help him, he said he's just not someone who takes handouts.

“Actually, the time in the woods by myself was a really good experience—hard, but good. I couldn’t be around people very much at that time and it made me realize I wanted to get involved with helping homeless youth.” He took the initiative to come to Portland in 2006 to check out New Avenues for Youth, an organization that provides services and programs to help homeless and at-risk kids develop skills to get off the streets.

You can read more about Matthew's life experience and his writing, which was featured in our spring 2008 anthology, A Rare and Necessary Time, below.

Julie Andrews/A Free Thought

By Matthew Cottrell

Winds

Brass

Strings

Percussion

Drums that run in circles,

Horns that blow out tones of metal; I expect sparks.

The blues are heavy, but on the street they lift me higher.

The slide guitar is an instrument that has always confused me,

I think of playgrounds filled with musical children

Like the little Austrian kids in the sound of music,

But the slide guitar sings

Sad, rough, and soulful

Where-as the Austrians just follow around Julie Andrews

like heroin junkies with piggy banks full of Do, Re, Mi.

Winds that blow and brass that sounds, strings hum and reverberate minor cords

composed of notes, which in reality are only sounds, that we can appreciate thrown together.

But those sounds; however indefinable,

Or completely definable in measures and keys,

Make us think, make us feel, make us weep, make us smile.

How can something as simple as the bang of a drum draw something so complex as a soul from a body?

Furthermore, how did she make those curtains into clothes?

Interview with featured writer Matthew Cottrell

Biography writer and interviewer: Paige Pancratz, Volunteer (pictured with Matthew, above)

Matthew has been participating in New Avenues for Youth programming for the past couple years which has allowed him to pursue professional internships and, more importantly, take advantage of opportunities in the arts such as Write Around Portland and the Circus Project. He’s currently pursuing his dream of performing with Cirque du Soleil as one of six students chosen by the Circus Project to study the circus arts for the next year. His specialty will be the Spanish web, an acrobatic rope technique that’s too terrifying to describe. Here are some of his reflections on his Write Around Portland experience:

Had you written much before you joined the Write Around Portland workshop?

Yeah, I’ve been writing for a while. I’m an ocean writer, you know, it comes in waves. I’ve always loved writing, but it depends on what mood I’m in. Communication is hard for me and often feels out of control when I’m face to face with people, so writing is a good way for me to have some control over what I say. Putting something down on paper is like building your own reality. Once you write it down, no one can call it a lie anymore. Writing is what I make it.

What was your experience like participating in a Write Around Portland workshop?

It was great. It was interesting because our group didn’t necessarily like writing, so it engaged people in a new way. I’ve been writing off and on for years, but this workshop forced me to try different writing styles. Like the Julie Andrews piece that got chosen for the anthology came from an exercise where we had to listen to music while we wrote. I’d never done that before and never thought I’d like it.

We listened to three songs. The first two didn’t have lyrics which I could get into, but when the third song came on with lyrics I had to tune it out, kind of let my mind wander away from the words. In writing the piece, I realized the expression, “But I digress” is a really positive statement. When my mind wanders, I see it as progress. There’s more honesty in free thought.

What did you get out of the workshop?

Well, like I mentioned before, I was able to experiment with different writing styles which was good. But more importantly, and I know this is going to sound greedy, but I was able to share it with my family. My older brother used to get published all the time and when I went to visit him and my mom with the A Rare and Necessary Time [Write Around Portland] anthology in hand, it was just a really good feeling. My brother told me it was about time someone recognized my words and my mom almost cried when she read it. It was just so amazing to watch my mom read it and respond the way she did.

How was your experience writing in a group? Sharing with others? Hearing other people’s stories?

It was a really safe and open environment. I think what I liked most was that I got insight into these people I see constantly at New Avenues for Youth. I think what we shared with each other made each of us more human in each others' eyes.

Would you recommend Write Around Portland workshops to others?

Yes! Anyone and everyone. I really believe we’re all writers.

What did the workshop help you learn about yourself as a writer?

I think in given the chance to try new writing styles, I made this realization about digression. I know my mind is constantly wandering, but I learned that it’s not as random as I thought it was. Seeing it on paper and having it make sense was really powerful. Like the Julie Andrews piece that was chosen. Just the fact that I submitted three pieces and the piece that was chosen was the one that came so easily by paying attention to my wandering brain and then didn’t require much revision. It was really affirming to know people thought that one was the best piece and not at all random. I realized I could communicate something the way I intended just by the response I got at the reading.

Yeah, I heard you read your piece in front of more than 250 people at the Write Around Portland anthology celebration …what was that like?

Well, I think the best thing about it was that I realized I can be funny. I’ve never been a hilarious person, but people laughed at the heroin junkies line which is what I intended. To me it’s a happy piece. I thought people might not take it that way, but they laughed. That’s exactly what I hoped.

Is there anything you would like to tell your readers about your writing?

Hmmm…that’s a hard one. I guess that all writing is meant to convey concepts; mine just happens to be a little weirder.


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TAKE A Writing Workshop SIGN UP for Write Around Portland News WRITING RESOURCES	Publications & Writers Featured Writer Matthew Cottrell Writing workshop participant at New Avenues for Youth. “I try to gain as much perspective as possible,” Matthew Cottrell said in a recent interview. "I'm not grounded to one concept of reality; I tend to grab little bits of others' reality as I walk through the world." This is how Matthew, a 21-year-old, homeless young man, absorbs his world, which hasn’t presented him with the kindest of circumstances, and still remain open to creating a positive future for himself. Suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Matthew moved out of his home at age 15 when his mother was ill with lung cancer. He took a job as a live-in housekeeper and stayed in school to graduate. His mother recovered and moved to Chico, California, but Matthew remained in his home town. When he lost his job at age 18 and couldn’t afford housing, he took to the woods for three months to live in a treehouse. When asked why he didn’t call on his family to help him, he said he's just not someone who takes handouts. “Actually, the time in the woods by myself was a really good experience—hard, but good. I couldn’t be around people very much at that time and it made me realize I wanted to get involved with helping homeless youth.” He took the initiative to come to Portland in 2006 to check out New Avenues for Youth, an organization that provides services and programs to help homeless and at-risk kids develop skills to get off the streets. You can read more about Matthew's life experience and his writing, which was featured in our spring 2008 anthology, A Rare and Necessary Time, below. Julie Andrews/A Free Thought By Matthew Cottrell Winds Brass Strings Percussion Drums that run in circles, Horns that blow out tones of metal; I expect sparks. The blues are heavy, but on the street they lift me higher. The slide guitar is an instrument that has always confused me, I think of playgrounds filled with musical children Like the little Austrian kids in the sound of music, But the slide guitar sings Sad, rough, and soulful Where-as the Austrians just follow around Julie Andrews like heroin junkies with piggy banks full of Do, Re, Mi. Winds that blow and brass that sounds, strings hum and reverberate minor cords composed of notes, which in reality are only sounds, that we can appreciate thrown together. But those sounds; however indefinable, Or completely definable in measures and keys, Make us think, make us feel, make us weep, make us smile. How can something as simple as the bang of a drum draw something so complex as a soul from a body? Furthermore, how did she make those curtains into clothes? © Matthew Cottrell and Write Around Portland Interview with featured writer Matthew Cottrell Biography writer and interviewer: Paige Pancratz, Volunteer (pictured with Matthew, above) Matthew has been participating in New Avenues for Youth programming for the past couple years which has allowed him to pursue professional internships and, more importantly, take advantage of opportunities in the arts such as Write Around Portland and the Circus Project. He’s currently pursuing his dream of performing with Cirque du Soleil as one of six students chosen by the Circus Project to study the circus arts for the next year. His specialty will be the Spanish web, an acrobatic rope technique that’s too terrifying to describe. Here are some of his reflections on his Write Around Portland experience: Had you written much before you joined the Write Around Portland workshop? Yeah, I’ve been writing for a while. I’m an ocean writer, you know, it comes in waves. I’ve always loved writing, but it depends on what mood I’m in. Communication is hard for me and often feels out of control when I’m face to face with people, so writing is a good way for me to have some control over what I say. Putting something down on paper is like building your own reality. Once you write it down, no one can call it a lie anymore. Writing is what I make it. What was your experience like participating in a Write Around Portland workshop? It was great. It was interesting because our group didn’t necessarily like writing, so it engaged people in a new way. I’ve been writing off and on for years, but this workshop forced me to try different writing styles. Like the Julie Andrews piece that got chosen for the anthology came from an exercise where we had to listen to music while we wrote. I’d never done that before and never thought I’d like it. We listened to three songs. The first two didn’t have lyrics which I could get into, but when the third song came on with lyrics I had to tune it out, kind of let my mind wander away from the words. In writing the piece, I realized the expression, “But I digress” is a really positive statement. When my mind wanders, I see it as progress. There’s more honesty in free thought. What did you get out of the workshop? Well, like I mentioned before, I was able to experiment with different writing styles which was good. But more importantly, and I know this is going to sound greedy, but I was able to share it with my family. My older brother used to get published all the time and when I went to visit him and my mom with the A Rare and Necessary Time [Write Around Portland] anthology in hand, it was just a really good feeling. My brother told me it was about time someone recognized my words and my mom almost cried when she read it. It was just so amazing to watch my mom read it and respond the way she did. How was your experience writing in a group? Sharing with others? Hearing other people’s stories? It was a really safe and open environment. I think what I liked most was that I got insight into these people I see constantly at New Avenues for Youth. I think what we shared with each other made each of us more human in each others' eyes. Would you recommend Write Around Portland workshops to others? Yes! Anyone and everyone. I really believe we’re all writers. What did the workshop help you learn about yourself as a writer? I think in given the chance to try new writing styles, I made this realization about digression. I know my mind is constantly wandering, but I learned that it’s not as random as I thought it was. Seeing it on paper and having it make sense was really powerful. Like the Julie Andrews piece that was chosen. Just the fact that I submitted three pieces and the piece that was chosen was the one that came so easily by paying attention to my wandering brain and then didn’t require much revision. It was really affirming to know people thought that one was the best piece and not at all random. I realized I could communicate something the way I intended just by the response I got at the reading. Yeah, I heard you read your piece in front of more than 250 people at the Write Around Portland anthology celebration …what was that like? Well, I think the best thing about it was that I realized I can be funny. I’ve never been a hilarious person, but people laughed at the heroin junkies line which is what I intended. To me it’s a happy piece. I thought people might not take it that way, but they laughed. That’s exactly what I hoped. Is there anything you would like to tell your readers about your writing? Hmmm…that’s a hard one. I guess that all writing is meant to convey concepts; mine just happens to be a little weirder.	"Writing has made me brave." Write Around Portland Participant Provide a writer with a writing journal, pen, bus tickets, and an anthology. Featured Writer Matthew Cottrell Click here to read about past featured writers.
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