Matthew Shenoda

Matthew Shenoda is a writer and educator whose poems and writings have appeared in a variety of newspapers, journals, radio programs and anthologies. He has been twice nominated for a Pushcart Prize and his work has been supported by the California Arts Council and the Lannan Foundation among others.

His debut collection of poems, Somewhere Else (Coffee House Press), was named one of 2005's debut books of the year by Poets & Writers Magazine and was winner of a 2006 American Book Award. He is also the author of Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone (BOA Editions Ltd.), editor of Duppy Conqueror: New & Selected Poems by Kwame Dawes, and author of Tahrir Suite: Poems (forthcoming, TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press).

Shenoda lectures widely and has taught extensively in the fields of ethnic studies and creative writing. The former Assistant Provost for Equity & Diversity and faculty in the School of Critical Studies at California Institute of the Arts, he is currently Associate Professor & Interim Chair of the Department of Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. Additionally, Shenoda has served on the Board of Directors of several arts and education organizations and is a founding editor of the African Poetry Book Series. He lives with his family in Chicago.