About Matt

Matt grew up near Port Isaac in Cornwall. His father was an agent for an import-export business based at the docks, engaged in the import and distribution of grain, seeds, and fish. Their home was in a village close enough to the village school as to allow Matt to walk to classes alone, but often his mother went with him just to be in each other’s company. The mother played a key role in the wider family, as was the custom at the time.

Life changed unimaginably when, as he approached his teens, Matt’s father took on a new, but similar role, based, of all places, given their sheltered lives thus far, in Port Louis, Mauritius. Their home was beautifully situated in the hills around the Trou aux Cerfs’ volcano, offering amazing views, including of the ocean.

Later, the family moved yet again, this time close to Queenstown on the South Island, New Zealand, where Matt continued his education. Then, having been greatly subject to French influence via Mauritius, it was no great surprise that, when the time came, he sought a place at the Sorbonne, whence he studied the Humanities.

Having earned his degree, he stayed in his beloved France, but, not liking and not having been used to city life, he, unsurprisingly, took a home on the Gironde estuary near Bordeaux. There, he built his writing and creative career largely online with occasional travel. It was as a result of his enrolment in an online MA in Creative Writing, similar to the one at  DMU, that he first met Michael and Giovani.

He travels extensively, and some of his columns are inspired by local experiences and observations during those journeys and stays.

Not surprisingly, as much of the work is online, voices are important to the team; Giovanni, with his unique accent and the timbre of his voice that interests ladies, and Matt, with his vague antipodean twang and just a hint of la belle France.