English Department Faculty
Suzanne Matson
Professor
Suzanne Matson
Ph.D.
Contact
Stokes Hall S437
Telephone: 617-552-3716
Email: suzanne.matson@bc.edu
Education
- B.A., Portland State University
- M.A., University of Washington
- Ph.D., University of Washington
Department
Biography
Suzanne Matson is the听co-director of the Creative Writing Concentration and a writer across genres, with听three books of poetry, four novels, and a book of nonfiction. She teaches听poetry and fiction workshops at all levels, and Topics in Nonfiction courses听including Writing about Place and Writing Spiritual Autobiography. She鈥檚听received fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Massachusetts听Cultural Council, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and was named the听Finlandia Foundation Lecturer of the Year in 2023. Her author鈥檚 website is at听.
Publications
Books
Nonfiction:
- Winnowing. Durham, NC: Duke UP, forthcoming fall 2026.
Poetry:
- As Creatures. Corvallis, OR: Cloudbank Books, forthcoming fall 2026.
- Durable Goods. Cambridge: Alice James Books, 1993.
- Sea Level. Cambridge: Alice James Books, 1990.
Novels:
- Ultraviolet. New York: Catapult, September 2018.
- The Tree-Sitter. New York: W. W. Norton, February 2006.
- A Trick of Nature. New York: W. W. Norton, April 2000.
- The Hunger Moon. New York: W. W. Norton, July 1997.听
Poetry in Periodicals
- 鈥淭he One in Philipsburg, Montana,鈥� 鈥淭he One in Garibaldi, Oregon,鈥� , (6/11/2026).
- 鈥淩econciliation,鈥� 鈥淕hazal for Flight,鈥� 65:2 (Spring 2026).
- 鈥溾�� Poetry Magazine 227.4 (January/February 2026): 330.
- 鈥淏one Songs,鈥� The Southern Review 60.4 (autumn 2024): 615-19.
- 鈥淚 Thank the Sheep,鈥� The Threepenny Review 179 (Fall 2024): 8.
- 鈥淎s Creatures,鈥� Cloudbank 18 (2024): 5.
- 鈥淢issionary, 1920,鈥� 鈥淲ent into a Bar,鈥� 鈥淐elia,鈥� 鈥淭o Genda,鈥� 鈥淟ittle Deaths,鈥� 鈥淐alling Her,鈥� Re-Markings (Special Number: A World Assembly of Poets) 16.4 (November 2017): 163-66.
- 鈥淲补迟肠丑.鈥澨�听73 (11/6/16).
- 鈥淒ivision Street,鈥� 鈥淪tory,鈥� 鈥淩ishikesh.鈥� 听听(2/27/14).
- 鈥淔ound Haiku, Missing Beat.鈥� Washington Square Review (winter/spring 2009): 26.
- 鈥淏irds at Six O鈥機lock鈥�; 鈥淔rom SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS鈥�; 鈥淩eading Lesson at a Farm Workers鈥� Community School, Woodville, California, 1942.鈥� Kippis! 1:1 (winter 2009): 29-31.
- 鈥淗oneymoon Snapshot: Diptych.鈥� Boston College Magazine 66.4 (fall 2006): 61.
- 鈥淢ysore Pantoum,鈥� 鈥淏allroom Dancing, A Vision,鈥� 鈥淧hotographing Debra.鈥� Kestrel 18 (2005): 54-58.
- 鈥淎lligator Country鈥� (reprinted), 鈥淏ackyard Soil, c. 1960,鈥� 鈥淩enovation.鈥� Salamander: Then and Now 10th Anniversary Issue 9.1-2 (2003): 134-8.
- 鈥淒esert Botanical Garden.鈥� 厂辞耻鈥檞别蝉迟别谤 31.1 (fall 2002): 92.听
- 鈥淎 Nickel Sun.鈥� New England Review 23.2 (spring 2002): 145.
- 鈥淯nreasonable Fears.鈥� Boston College Magazine 62.2 (spring 2002): 5.
- 鈥淐ruelty,鈥� 鈥淔lorida Wake.鈥� The Seattle Review 20.1 (fall 1998): 117-18.
- 鈥淔or Frances, Who Can鈥檛 Stop Dreaming of Danger, Even When the Children Are Safe at Home.鈥� Poetry Northwest 38.4 (winter 1997-98): 40.
- 鈥淣icholas, Refusing to Sleep,鈥� 鈥淭hen, Nicholas.鈥� Salamander 4.1 (spring 1996): 7-8.
- 鈥淟ove Poem.鈥� The Madison Review 17.2 (fall 1995): 54.
- 鈥淢颈濒办/尝辞惫别.鈥� Harvard Review 9 (fall 1995): 88.
- 鈥淭he Oath of Happiness.鈥� Boston College Magazine 54.4 (fall 1995): 14.
- 鈥淎lligator Country,鈥� 鈥淓legy,鈥� 鈥淭his Distance.鈥� Salamander 3.1 (winter 1995): 65-7.
- 鈥淣ot Talking About God in America.鈥� Red Brick Review 1995: 14.
- 鈥淧latia Talo,鈥� Wifery.鈥� Berkeley Poetry Review 27 (1993-94): 90-1.
- 鈥淗辞尘别迟辞飞苍.鈥� Boston College Magazine 52.3 (summer 1993): 25.
- 鈥淔濒补驳蝉迟补蹿蹿.鈥� Harvard Review 4 (spring 1993): 36-7.
- 鈥淭he Wreck of Days.鈥� Indiana Review 16.1 (spring 1993): 186-90.
- 鈥淐补蹿别.鈥� 厂辞耻鈥檞别蝉迟别谤 20.3 (winter 1993): 29.
- 鈥淔arm Animals.鈥� Christian Science Monitor 85.62 (25 February 1993): 16.
- 鈥淭he Beach.鈥� Sojourner 18.1 (Sept. 1992): 37.
- 鈥淲辞谤谤测.鈥� Sojourner 17.12 (Aug. 1992): 6B.
- 鈥淕谤别别办.鈥� Shenandoah 42.2 (summer 1992): 85.
- 鈥淧etty Crime.鈥� Dominion Review 10 (spring 1992): 22.
- 鈥淲oman with Distaff.鈥� Iris 24 (fall-winter 1990): c. 1989): 25.
- 鈥淓legy for Neil.鈥� Southern Poetry Review 29.2 (fall 1989): 23.
- 鈥淒ebussy,鈥� 鈥淭here Was a Temporary Accident.鈥� The American Poetry Review 17.2 (Mar.-Apr. 1988): 21.
- 鈥淭he Artist and His Model,鈥� 鈥淭he Bohemian Wedding,鈥� 鈥淭he Wound-up Girl Ice Skater.鈥� Fine Madness 3.2 (fall 1986): 6-9.
- 鈥淚n Rovaniemi, Finland.鈥� Poetry Northwest 27.1 (spring 1986): 11-12.
- 鈥淐oyotes,鈥� 鈥淟etters,鈥� 鈥淭ravelers.鈥� The Seattle Review 9.1 (spring 1986): 听79-82.
- 鈥淐entralia Stop,鈥� 鈥淛ackson County Census.鈥� The Seattle Review 7.1 (spring 1984): 17-18.
- 鈥淎fter 鈥楥harming,鈥欌�� 鈥淭he Sunbather,鈥� 鈥淭he Sunday Drunk.鈥� Poetry 142.2 (May 1983): 90-3.
- 鈥淔ossils,鈥� 鈥淟eaving Garibaldi.鈥� Poetry Northwest 23.4 (winter 1982-83): 听39-41.
- 鈥淟ove in the Coal Mine,鈥� 鈥淪cotch Coulee,鈥� 鈥淣ewspaper Pictures out of Poland,鈥� 鈥淲idow Aunts.鈥� Poetry Northwest 23.2 (summer 1982): 26-9.
Nonfiction Essays
- 鈥淭he Cookie Fortress,鈥� in 鈥淐onnections,鈥� Globe Magazine, Nov. 19, 2023: 34.
- 鈥淢y Barbie, my self.鈥� The Boston Globe July 30, 2023: K3.
- 鈥淏oston: Dispatches from a Pandemic,鈥� Harvard Review, Nov. 20, 2020.听
- "Winnowing," in "Connections," Globe Magazine, Jan. 6, 2019: 31.
- 鈥�,鈥� in 鈥淭ies,鈥澨�New York Times, Nov. 23, 2018.
- "For parents, gridiron isn鈥檛 just fun and games.鈥� The Boston Globe Oct. 31, 2009: A11.
- "笔谤辞蝉辫别肠迟蝉.鈥� Boston College Magazine 68:3 (Summer 2008): 50-1.
- "Fellow Workers. . . .鈥� The Seattle Times June 27, 2005: B5.
- 鈥淎 Thank-You Note.鈥� Child February 2000: 104.
- 鈥淟ove Among the Ruins.鈥� Child February 1999: 111-12.
- 鈥淒ays Like These.鈥� Child August 1998: 19.
- 鈥淢颈濒别蝉迟辞苍别蝉.鈥� Child May 1998: 119. 听听
- 鈥淲hen Nick Met Henry.鈥� Child Dec.-Jan. 1998: 151-2.
- 鈥淗e鈥檚 Not Heavy, He鈥檚 My Baby.鈥� New York Times Magazine Jan. 12, 1997: 听54.
Short Fiction
- 鈥淐onvention Center,鈥澨�Harvard Review听48: (Dec 2015).
- 鈥淢补苍驳别谤,鈥� Pangyrus (September 4, 2015) . Print version, Pangyrus 2 (fall 2016): 36-40.
- 鈥淧ie,鈥澨�Ploughshares Solo听3:1 (August 27, 2014).
- 鈥淵our Best Yet,鈥澨�Harvard Review听45: 92-108 (May 2014).
- 鈥淏oys鈥� Choir.鈥澨�Carolina Quarterly听62.3 (winter 2012):听 60-5.
- 鈥淯濒迟谤补惫颈辞濒别迟.鈥� Mussoorie Writers (inaugural launch; June 4, 2012) Ed. Stephen Alter. . [No longer archived after website redesign.]
- 鈥淧ersephone at Boylston.鈥� BostonNOW 1.5-1.11 (April 23-May 1, 2007), serialized in seven installments.
Column
- 鈥淒isquieting Muses: The Politics/Poetics of Looking.鈥� Harvard Review 7 (fall 1994): 125-8.
- 鈥淒isquieting Muses: Mnemosyne.鈥� Harvard Review 5 (fall 1993): 20-2.
- 鈥淒isquieting Muses: Sylvia Plath and the Problem of Relation.鈥� Harvard Review 4 (spring 1993): 32-5.
Articles in Journals
- 鈥淭he Liberty Committee: Finns, Sedition, and Montana Vigilantes during World War I.鈥� Journal of Finnish Studies 13:1 (summer 2009): 67-74.
- 鈥淪trange Cities.鈥� Harvard Review 13 (fall 1997): 47-50. A special issue devoted to the poetry of Charles Simic.
- 鈥溾�榃ithout Relation鈥�: Family and Freedom in the Poetry of Louise Gl眉ck.鈥� The Mid-American Review 14.2 (1994): 88-109.
- 鈥淔lowery Codes: Sandra McPherson鈥檚 Poetics of Gender and Naturalism.鈥� Denver Quarterly 28.2 (fall 1993): 86-92 .
- 鈥淥n Reclaiming the Universal.鈥� River City 13.2 (spring 1993): 118-124.
- 鈥淧lease Don鈥檛 Call it the New Confessionalism.鈥� Harvard Review 2 (fall 1992): 164-66.
- 鈥淭alking to Our Father: The Political and Mythical Appropriations of Adrienne Rich and Sharon Olds.鈥� The American Poetry Review 18.6 听(Nov.-Dec. 1989): 35-41.