Matt Forrest Esenwine

Matt’s debut picture book "Flashlight Night" (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2017) received national critical reviews and was selected by the New York Public Library as one of 2017’s Best Books for Kids.

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The Most Important Thing About Poetry

...is not how to write it. What am I talking about? Although it's true one needs to understand grammar, spelling, meter, and all that other "poetry stuff" they teach you in school, the MOST important thing about writing poetry has nothing to do with the craft of writing it. (Or does it?)

Matt Forrest Esenwine

45 Minute Program

$130

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Don't Ask a Dinosaur - Ask Matt!

Dinosaurs might not be able to put a birthday party together - but they're still pretty awesome! Children will learn about the process of how "Don't Ask a Dinosaur" came together, cool facts about the dinosaurs included (and some that didn't make the cut!), and how a 7-year-old child "saved" the book before it went to press!

Matt Forrest Esenwine

45 Minute Program

$130

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The Birth of a Book

Think it's easy to create a picture book? Well, it's not - but it IS a lot of fun! Using my picture book "Flashlight Night" as a foundation, I will share how a manuscript is conceived, written, and revised; how an illustrator approaches the project; and the role editors play in pulling it all together!

Matt Forrest Esenwine

45 Minute Program

$130

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During his time as a Vermont and New Hampshire radio broadcaster, Matt spent a good part of his time writing and producing commercials and comedy bits. He also wrote poetry, which was published in various national journals and anthologies including the Donald Hall tribute, "Except for Love" (Encircle, 2019). Little did he know all this short-form writing would lead to his debut picture book, "Flashlight Night" (Boyds Mills & Kane, 2017), which received numerous positive reviews including a Kirkus star, and was selected by the New York Public Library as one of 2017's Best Books for Kids. Others include "Once Upon Another Time" (Beaming Books, 2021), co-authored with Charles Ghigna; "Don’t Ask a Dinosaur" (Pow! Kids Books), co-authored with Deborah Bruss; and many more.

Meanwhile, Matt's children's poetry can be found in numerous anthologies including "The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry" and "The Poetry of US" (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2015/2018), "Night Wishes" (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2020), and "Construction People" (Wordsong, 2020), as well as 'Highlights for Children' magazine.

Feel free to connect with Matt at MattForrest.com.