The Appalachian Songwriter, Poet, & Storyteller who lives the stories he tells. 

Matthew Sidney Parsons

From intimate house concerts to major festivals—Parsons offers performances and workshops that honor tradition while sparking meaningful conversations about place and community.

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Through character-driven poetry, prose, and songs, Matt helps diverse audiences understand complex social issues via a distinctly Appalachian perspective .

He's also created workshops and lectures that help emerging writers find their authentic voice in a literary world that too often feels exclusive and intimidating.

Matthew Sidney Parsons is a storyteller who brings lyricism to literature and careful craft to songwriting—creating art that honors Appalachian culture while speaking to universal human experiences.

Get to know Matt

Testimonials

It is rare for such a young writer to possess so much wisdom but it shows up throughout the pages of Mountain Roosters, announcing a bright new voice who is celebrating and critiquing his place and his people in complex, beautiful ways.

It is rare for such a young writer to possess so much wisdom but it shows up throughout the pages of Mountain Roosters, announcing a bright new voice who is celebrating and critiquing his place and his people in complex, beautiful ways.

MARIANNE WORTHINGTON

Matt Parsons’s debut collection untangles the mythos of what it means to be male in Appalachia, and invite us to reconsider our own notions of masculinity, power, and influence THERE.

BRONWYN KEITH-HYNES

Matt Parsons is a once in a Generation songwriter. His writing has a quality to it that feels timeless and also deeply relevant. I had the honor of recording his song I Built A World and it became the title track of my 2024 Grammy nominated album. Matt has something very special to say and
we should all be listening.

SILAS HOUSE

MAURICE MANNING

finely-tuned music playing along with everyday sorrow and expected grief that serves as a believable backdrop to recent Appalachian reality.

Mountain culture deserves sophisticated artistic expression

Rural and mountain voices have been either romanticized beyond recognition or dismissed as "uneducated" for far too long.
Even worse, for centuries now, writers, scholars, and reporters from elsewhere have attempted to define, explain, and even erase our culture.

Our stories—your stories—deserve better than being filtered through an outsider’s lens or stuffed into academic boxes that strip away their power and vibrance.

It's time to stop letting others define what "authentic" mountain culture looks like and start telling our own stories with both heart and craft.

ABOUT HOW THINGS ONCE WAS IT'S ONLY MADE BETTER IF IT'S A LIE. THAT'S ALL I KNOW NOW
IT MAKES ME SMILE TO BE A BOY FROM THE MOUNTAINS WHERE EVERYONE LIKES A GOOD STORY
TILL THE SUN DAPPLES THROUGH OLD LEAN-TREES IN THE EASY-CHAIR BREEZE OF CLEAN AIR
AND LONG-AGO MINDED STRONG WITH THE ROMANTICISM OF HAS-BEEN HEROISM
THE SILVER LINING WAS BIG AS A BARNYARD AND TOUGH TIMES HARDLY HAD ME I'M TEFLON
IN SECONDS FLAT AND BATTERED BRAIN CELLS CAN'T RECALL IT ALL I KNOW IS THE SUN WAS SHINING
EVEN THE STING OF A SWITCHING IS A PLEASANT ONE ALL THE FUN TAKEN OUT OF A DAY
services   services   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES   SERVICES
MY LONGEST AGO MEMORY SEEMS TO BE A PLEASANT ONE
IT MAKES ME SMILE TO BE A BOY FROM THE MOUNTAINS WHERE EVERYONE LIKES A GOOD STORY
TILL THE SUN DAPPLES THROUGH OLD LEAN-TREES IN THE EASY-CHAIR BREEZE OF CLEAN AIR
AND LONG-AGO MINDED STRONG WITH THE ROMANTICISM OF HAS-BEEN HEROISM
THE SILVER LINING WAS BIG AS A BARNYARD AND TOUGH TIMES HARDLY HAD ME I'M TEFLON
IN SECONDS FLAT AND BATTERED BRAIN CELLS CAN'T RECALL IT ALL I KNOW IS THE SUN WAS SHINING

EVEN THE STING OF A SWITCHING IS A PLEASANT ONE ALL THE FUN TAKEN OUT OF A DAY
MY LONGEST AGO MEMORY SEEMS TO BE A PLEASANT ONE

Live performances from intimate solo shows to full-band concerts

Musical Performances

Hands-on songwriting and poetry instruction for writers at every skill level

Educational Workshops

Cultural programming for universities and institutions exploring identity, sustainability, and resilience

Speaking & Lectures

Poetry collections, recorded music, and stories available to read and listen to

Published Works

Learn More
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Your package includes: unreleased music, my chapbook Holy Land, a personal note on faith and resistance, and bonus digital art. Plus updates from the blog Best I Can Tell with new poems, songs, and stories from the mountains.

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A Starter kit for folks ready to question authority and think for themselves--rooted in appalachian identity and reaching toward understanding.

    Built with Kit

    @miraclematts

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    Unreleased music. Prophetic poetry. A little anti-empire propaganda to get you started. Plus updates from my blog, Best I Can Tell. Not for the faint of heart.

    Get your free
    REBEL POET GIFT BAG, sent straight to your inbox.