Wes Matthews is a poet and essayist from the westside of Detroit whose work has appeared in 68to05, Gulf Coast, Muzzle, Beloit, TEDx, PBS NewsHour, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of the 2020 College Alumni Society Prize for his poetry and the 2020 Lillian and Benjamin Levy Award for his music criticism. He served as the 2018-19 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate and received congressional recognition for “outstanding and invaluable service to the community.” Wes graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023 with a degree in anthropology and religious studies. He is currently working on a Masters of Theological Studies (MTS) degree at Harvard Divinity School.
Wes Matthews (he/him)
Poet & Essayist