novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...
and
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
writer.
Biography
Matt Briggs was born in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
, which he still calls home. He grew up in the
Snoqualmie Valley
The Snoqualmie Valley is a farming and timber-producing region located along the Snoqualmie River in Western Washington, United States. The valley stretches from the confluence of the three forks of the river at North Bend to the confluence of t ...
raised by working-class, counter-culture parents who cultivated and sold
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
. Briggs has written two books set in rural Washington chronicling this life. Critic
Ann Powers
Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publicat ...
wrote of Briggs first book in the ''New York Times Book Review'', "Briggs has captured the America that neither progressives nor family-value advocates want to think about, where bohemianism has degenerated into dangerous dropping out."
After high school Briggs joined the
US Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
History
Origi ...
and his unit was deployed to the
Gulf War
, combatant2 =
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, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. Briggs served as a laboratory technician in
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
. This experience became the basis for his novel ''The Strong Man''. After he returned to the States, where he studied writing at the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
and at the Writing Seminars at
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
. He returned to the Seattle area where he continues to live.
He has been involved with
zines
A zine ( ; short for ''magazine'' or ''fanzine'') is, as noted on Merriam-Webster’s official website, a magazine that is a “noncommercial often homemade or online publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject ...
, literary magazines, and performance series. He worked as an editor at ''The Raven Chronicles'' from 1997 to 2003. He produced The Rendezvous Reading Series from 2001 - 2003. Briggs served as The Writer in Residence at
Richard Hugo House
Hugo House is a non-profit community writing center in Seattle, Washington.
About
Hugo House was founded in 1997 by Linda Jaech, Frances McCue, and Andrea Lewis. These three writers believed Seattle needed a center for local writers and reade ...
from 2003 to 2005 where he has taught writing classes for the chronically ill at
Gilda's Club
]
Gilda's Club is a community organization for people with cancer, their families and friends. Local chapters provide meeting places where those who have cancer, their families, and friends can join with others to build emotional and social suppor ...
and the Polyclinic, a zine class to teenagers in
Redmond, Washington
Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. The city h ...
, produced literary events, and offered open hours to the community. In April, 2005,
Clear Cut Press
Clear Cut Press was a small press based in Astoria, Oregon.
About
Clear Cut Press was founded by novelist Matthew Stadler and Up Records co-founder Rich Jensen in 2002. Jensen began talking to Stadler while taking a poetry class in 1997. The ...
editor Matthew Stadler and Briggs organized the Unassociated Writers Conference and Dance Party as "part party, part architectural experiment, part performance, part song and dance," the conference promoted an alternative literary culture of zines, micro presses and project-based publishing."Silver, Nate "Art News: Free Associating in Vancouver" ''
The Stranger (newspaper)
''The Stranger'' is an alternative news and commentary publication in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1991 by Tim Keck and cartoonist James Sturm, it has a progressive orientation. The paper's principal competitor was the '' Seattle Weekly'' ...
'', 4/13/2005 In 2007, Briggs curated the Jack Straw Writers series.
Briggs' first two book-length works of fiction, ''The Remains of River Names'', a collection of linked stories, and the novel, ''Shoot the Buffalo'', belong in the tradition of
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...
Literature and echo earlier work such as ''The Honey in the Horn'' by HL Davis, ''
Sometimes a Great Notion
''Sometimes a Great Notion'' is the second novel by American author Ken Kesey, published in 1964. While '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1962) is more famous, many critics consider ''Sometimes a Great Notion'' Kesey's magnum opus. The stor ...
'' by
Ken Kesey
Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and Counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies o ...
, and ''The Egg and I'' by
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald (born Anne Elizabeth Campbell Bard; March 26, 1907 – February 7, 1958) was an American author who specialized in humorous autobiographical tales, and is best known for her book ''The Egg and I''. She also wrote the '' Mrs. Piggl ...
. Writer
Ray Mungo
Raymond A. Mungo (born 1946) is an American author, co-author, or editor of more than a dozen books. He writes about business, economics, and financial matters as well as cultural issues.
In the 1960s, he attended Boston University, where he ser ...
wrote of Briggs’ work, "Briggs as the language, cadence, and rain-shrouded soul of the Northwest honed to perfection in his candid and haunting style." ''Shoot the Buffalo'' won a 2006
American Book Award
The American Book Awards are an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "t ...
and was a Finalist for the 2006
Washington State Book Award
The Washington State Book Awards is a literary awards program presented annually in recognition of notable books written by Washington authors in the previous year. The program was established in 1967 as the Governor's Writers Awards. Each year, u ...
in Fiction.
In addition, Briggs was awarded a Genius Award for literature from '' The Stranger'', a weekly newspaper in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. He has published work in magazines, including ''5_Trope'', ''The Clackamas Review'', ''The Seattle Review'' and ''
Zyzzyva
''Zyzzyva'' is a triannual magazine of writers and artists. It places an emphasis on showcasing emerging voices and never before published writers in addition to the already established. Based in San Francisco, it began publishing in 1985. ''ZYZ ...
'', and has performed at
Bumbershoot
Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day (United States), Labor Day weekend (leading up to and ...
Clear Cut Press
Clear Cut Press was a small press based in Astoria, Oregon.
About
Clear Cut Press was founded by novelist Matthew Stadler and Up Records co-founder Rich Jensen in 2002. Jensen began talking to Stadler while taking a poetry class in 1997. The ...
Ann Powers
Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publicat ...