Rising Stars: Meet David Matthews

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Matthews.

Hi David, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I was sixteen years old when poetry became a part of me. I started having uncontrollable feelings running through my body. They were feelings of words that needed to be captured. Because I had no control when these feelings would surface, I found myself writing on scrap paper, napkins, the back of envelopes, just anything I could find to write on. Poetry chooses me; I did not choose poetry. I realized later on in life this was truly my passion and it was meant to be. My high school had a weekly school newspaper called “The Roosevelt Times.” I started a section in that paper called “The Though of The Week’. This gave me a chance to display my poems and get feedback from my peers. This could have turned out to be a very dangerous move. Let’s face it, teenagers can be very curl with their comments. Especially when they don’t like something. I was so very fortunate that they didn’t laugh at me, instead they complimented my work. Some even said the poems gave them inspiration. I began to wonder, where is this poetry thing taking me? You see, I was a basketball player. All I had on my mind since I was five years old when my dad put up a basketball rim in our backyard, was winning a basketball scholarship to college. 

My senior year (1970) that dream came true. I received twenty-three Basketball college scholarship offers. I was the youngest of seven kids, and my parents were up in age and ill at the time. I decide to take a Scholarship close to home. I signed a four-year deal with Urbana University, Urbana, Ohio. If anyone would have asked me at that time, I would have told them my next goal would have been trying to play pro basketball. Since I was still writing, I thought it might be interesting to take a few poetry and creative writing courses. At least I would learn a little more about my burst of writing energy. I also decided to take theatre classes. College is going well until my junior year in February of 1973. It was the last game of the season and in the beginning of the second half, I blew out my knee. They didn’t have the medical technology they have today; therefore this season and next season were going to be over for me. It would take that long for me to heal. I have always been that person that keeps a B & C plan, and it’s a good thing I did. I thought I had a four-year Scholarship at Urbana, but I found out in a meeting with financial aid I didn’t. The little small print on my contract that most of us fail to read said, “As long as you are an active member on the team”. I was no longer an active member on the team. Though, there was a blessing. Because I had a 3.3 Scholastic average, I was able to complete my senior year on an academic scholarship. But there was no more basketball, so what do I do now. “When one door closes, another one opens”. 

I decided to find out if I had what it took to be a professional poet. Nikki Giovanni was a nationally acclaimed poetess at the time. She was working as editorial consultant at Encore magazine. I wrote her a letter and sent her twenty-five of my handwritten poems. I enclosed my address and phone number in the letter. Months went by, then finally on a warm summer day in June, my mother stepped out on the front porch and yelled down the street (David, Nikki Giovanni is on the phone. I tell you my legs were weak as I was walking home. All I could think of was Nikki Giovanni had called me back. I was surprised how long we talked on the phone. I was also surprised she really liked my work. She started encouraging me at that very moment. Later she wrote me letters and started giving me advice on my career. Since then, we have been in each other’s company several times. One of the first questions Nikki asked me was, what is going to make me different than any other poet. I told her, when they see me, they will say, they have never seen anything like me. The next year, I created “An Evening On Broadway Poetry Production’. That production since 1973 -present has performed at over 300 college and university campuses in twenty-one states. I have received numerous creative writing/poetry awards over the years. My most recent was in October of 2023, being recognized by The Ohioana Library Columbus, Ohio as one of “Ohio’s Top Authors”. I realized poetry is as much a part of me as I’m a part of it. In 1973 and in 1976 my poetry was published in the national “Right On” magazine which was published by Flo Jenkins in Los Angles, California. This was the first publication that let people become aware of me on a national leave. I consider myself not just a poet but an injection of an experience to bring about total awareness contact throughout one’s body, mind, and soul. Making each recipient knowledgeable of his or her senses so they may develop their emotions and intellect to a level that function healthfully aware and in perfect harmony with self. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In the beginning, just breaking in the field was difficult. I was an unknown. When I developed the production of musicians and actors, we started traveling. The articles in the newspaper every time we performed really helped promote me to the next level. You have to realize a poetry book is probably the least book sold in a bookstores. 

Therefore, it was a challenge. The key for me was getting myself known on the University/College circuit as a performer of my poetry. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My daughter who went to a performing arts school and had the pleasure of traveling/performing on the road with me, said I was the first spoken word artiest. Presently my wife and I have put on other productions working with other poets. Please view our website: SOULFIRELLC.NET. I have also been a musician for over thirty years. I sometimes mix my poetry with music. I play 19 different African and Latin percussion instruments. 

What am I most proud of? 

1. Being recognized by Nikki Giovanni

2. Become one of “Ohio’s Top Authors” In 2023

3. In 2010 Barns & Nobles quoted the value of my first book “the feel of FEELING’ an autographed copy @ $202.

4. Opening for Nikki Giovanni

5. Opening for recording artiest Gil Scott Heron

6. Opening for recording artiest Grover Washington Jr.

7. Opening for the group WAR

8. Being part of the VoyageOhio magazine “Inspiring Story Series’ 2024

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Believe in yourself and get all the knowledge you can in the field you are pursuing. Be a sponge and learn from others in your field. 

Contact Info:

• Website: SOULFIRELLC.NET