Matthew Mejia

Matthew Mejia is an American poet and an award-winning professor whose work and research explore trauma, fear, grief, epistemology, pedagogy, and the self. He is driven and inspired by his Japanese, Mexican, and Indigenous ancestry: "I am my ancestors' dream, and their bones are mine." Through art, he continues to heal generations of violence and abuse in order to unify his communities. In the classroom, he advocates for student success and truly believes that students are the foundation on which academia stands. Matthew began a 501c3 arts advocacy nonprofit, Nervous Ghost Press, with the fundamental idea that writing saves lives. All people deserve to experience the beauty and power of the arts, and he will always fight to illustrate that our voices carry power and strength.

Updated May 2024

Stories from This Author

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Nikkei Uncovered: a poetry column

Remembering through Fire

May 16, 2024 • Matthew Mejia , traci kato-kiriyama

Recognizing the intersectionality and many-layered aspects of our community, we’re excited this month to present poet, educator and writing warrior, Matthew Mejia. Based in Hacienda Heights and hailing from Indigenous, Mexican, and Japanese ancestry, Matthew takes us through two streams of consciousness, orienting us to the gifts of dreaming, of surviving beyond the fire of struggle, of remembering all of it. Enjoy… — traci kato-kiriyama * * * * *  Matthew Mejia is an American poet and an award-winning professor …

literature Matthew Mejia poetry poets