Matt Abbott
Matt Abbott is a poet, educator and activist from Wakefield. His debut one-man stage show Two Little Ducks explored the working-class Leave vote, volunteering at the Calais Jungle and life in Northern tumbleweed towns. It earned a hat-trick of 5* and 4* reviews during a full Edinburgh Fringe run in 2017 and during a 22-date UK theatre tour in 2018. The show’s content was published as his debut poetry collection by Verve Poetry Press in 2018.
His debut kids’ poetry collection A Hurricane in my Head was published by Bloomsbury in 2019. It was one of National Poetry Day’s selected titles, which led to a live appearance on Blue Peter. He was also named as one of five of the UK’s leading “new poets” in The Guardian earlier in 2019.
From 2016-2020 he starred in national TV ads for Nationwide Building Society. He’s also written for Mercedes-Benz UK, Kellogg’s UK, Leeds United FC, Jeremy Corbyn and many more. Matt is an ambassador for Eureka! The National Children’s Museum. He also fronts indie band Skint & Demoralised and co-hosts Roaring 20s Radio on Soho Radio.
My debut First Story residency was at Woodside High School in Wood Green, North London. This meant a lot to me as I used to live in nearby Manor House, and regularly had writing days around Wood Green as I found a lot of inspiration in its multicultural environment and small independent businesses. The pupils at Woodside have been incredibly brave and forward-thinking in their response to my sessions. Their anthology My Words to the End of the World is a razor-sharp insight into life as a young teenager, growing up in North London in 2020.
Matt Abbott
