Matthew Mercier is the author of Poe & I (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2024) which is loosely based on his time spent as head docent and caretaker for Poe Cottage, the last home of Edgar Allan Poe, located in The Bronx. He’s also performed true stories about his time with Poe live on stage with The Moth, and he’s been heard on NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour. He’s spun various other tales on Tenx9 out of Belfast (founded by Paul Doran and the poet Padraig O Tuma) The Story Collider, RISK and The Truth.
For his fiction, he’s been awarded the Leon B. Burstein scholarship from the New York chapter of the Mystery Writers of America and a residency from the Saltonstall Foundation in Ithaca, NY. He earned an MFA from Hunter College where he taught writing, Shakespeare, and children’s literature. His work has appeared in various magazines such as Creative Nonfiction, The Fairy Tale Review, Shotgun Honey, and Mystery Tribune. Most recently, he wrote, directed, edited and sound designed a radio drama entitled Poe’s Basement for Radio Free Rhinecliff in Rhinecliff, NY
He’s worked as a tour guide at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, run a youth hostel in New Mexico, been slimed as a salmon packer in Alaska, gone blind on a mountain in California, provided showers for homeless men on the Bowery, and now lives in the haunted Hudson Valley on wild patch of forest and wetland that he’s working to restore. He's happy to be here. More info at matthewmercier.com