MATTHEW
SIDNEY
PARSONS
Poetry collections, recorded music, and stories available to read and listen to
Published Works
Cultural programming for universities and institutions exploring identity, sustainability, and resilience
Speaking & Lectures
Hands-on songwriting and poetry instruction for writers at every skill level
Educational Workshops
Live performances from intimate solo shows to full-band concerts
Musical Performances
Offerings
From Solo Songs to Full Lectures—Authentic Mountain Storytelling That Creates Connection
Whether you need intimate performances or educational programming, discover experiences that bridge cultural divides through the power of storytelling.
At the heart of each program are stories that blend song and verse in ways that resonate with audiences of all kinds. My musical performances can be tailored to different settings, from intimate house concerts to festival stages.
Musical Performances
Original songs and poetry that explore themes of masculinity, place, and Appalachian identity
Performance Options
Solo – Mountain Roosters or The Home Run
Mountain Roosters: An intimate performance of original songs and poetry drawn from my published work, reflecting on masculinity and lived experience in Appalachia. Perfect for listening rooms, libraries, and intimate venues.
The Home Run: A performance of music and poetry that explores themes of Appalachian diaspora and deep culture. Personal stories of belonging woven together with original and traditional songs and Jim Wayne Miller's poetic masterpiece, The Brier Sermon. Ideal for intimate concerts, dedicated audiences, literary conferences and professional development events, college and university venues.
Duo as Matt Parsons and the Argillite
With Logan Cooper as support, this show expands with layered instrumentation and harmonies, bringing greater depth and texture to the material while maintaining the storytelling intimacy.
Full Band as Matt Parsons and the Argillite
A collaborative review of original songs through the lens of a curated show mirroring one of the previously mentioned themes, stories of how they came to be, and family harmonies that highlight the ways music and daily life intertwine.
I offer workshops designed to meet participants where they are—from beginners just finding their voice to seasoned writers seeking new tools. Each workshop creates space for authentic expression while building solid craft skills.
Educational Workshops
Hands-on learning rooted in Appalachian traditions, emphasizing creativity, community, and sustainability
Songwriting Workshops
Learning the Lyrics
Beginner-level introduction to lyric analysis and songwriting basics
Participants study examples from traditional and contemporary songs, then draft and share their own verses. No musical experience required.
Songwriting Theory and Application
Intermediate workshop exploring structure, melody, and lyrical economy
Writers learn how to pair strong images with memorable forms, developing songs that stick with listeners.
Advanced Songwriting: Theory and New Tools
For experienced songwriters ready to push further
We dive into advanced forms, collaborative strategies, and methods for creating emotionally resonant songs that connect with diverse audiences.
Community Workshop
Sustainable Living & Creative Community
Talk-and-discussion format sharing practical wisdom
Learn from over a decade of experience in subsistence farming and intentional community. Participants reflect on their own lives and leave with ideas for resilience, creativity, and connection.
Workshop Format: Individual sessions or multi-day residencies for schools, universities, or community organizations
Ideal for: Schools, universities, community arts centers, writing conferences, retreat centers
Poetry Workshops
Rhythm, Rhyme, and Meter
A focused exploration of poetic sound
Discover how traditional forms can open new possibilities in contemporary writing, using the music of language to strengthen your voice.
Nonfiction Poetry & The Power of the Natural Object
A generative workshop drawing on lived experience
Build compelling lyric and narrative poems through attention to memory and the natural world around you.
Poetry and other publications, available collections, and recorded music.
Poetry Collections and Music
words that celebrate the deep culture of the mountains, technical playing that pays respect to the great bluegrass tradition.
Mountain Roosters
Mountain Roosters is the debut full-length book of poetry by Matthew Sidney Parsons being published by Pine Row Press. The book addresses social issues such as gender, cultural identity, poverty, politics, and generational succession with a clear dialectic voice supported by strong images and quick wit. Mountain Roosters examines the modern Appalachian man through the lens of the author’s ever-evolving relationship with the men he has known – featuring poetic sketches of the characters as you move through the collection. In a bit of beautiful irony, Mountain Roosters pries open the hard shell of the country man using the acutely emotional communication range of the poetic form.
Poetry and publications
Holy Land™
Modern, commercial Christian doctrine prizes the prosperity gospel, televangelist preachers with mansions and million-dollar salaries, and praying away poverty. This collection of poems is aimed at the heart of this western capitalist religious dogma. It re-imagines that distorted iteration of Christianity as a defunct theme park, complete with with a “Red Sea Wave Pool,” a sprawling roller coaster that will put the fear of God in you, and a board walk over a lake of fire.
Holy Land™ pulls together biblical stories and characters in a surreal environment, exposing the crisis of faith at the heart of materialistic religiosity. We get to know the doubts and fears not only of believers, but of the biblical characters themselves who are caught in a wage-labor trap reminiscent of today’s retail and services industries. Written in a plain, but nuanced and original voice, this is an educated essay in poetry form on the shortcomings of the Church of Greed.
Selected Publications
https://rattle.com/the-whole-kit-by-matthew-s-parsons/
https://2river.org/2RView/22_4/poems/parsons.html
https://www.stilljournal.net/matthew-parsons-poetrylandscapes.php
https://old.sixfold.org/PoWinter18/Parsons.html
https://cutleafjournal.com/authors/matthew-sidney-parsons
Other publications:
2019. Parsons, Matthew. “Underwood.” Stoveleg Media: Stoveleg IV Igniting Conversation.
2018. Parsons, Matthew. “Hog Lot.” Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel: Appalachia Acting Up, 21.
2014. Parsons, Matthew. “Man Sure is Strange.” Pollen: a Literary Journal 1.
Middle Class by Matthew Sidney Parsons
Single
Track 1
Artist, Author/Composer
I Built a World by Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Track 11 - I Built a World
Author/Composer
Cyanide Queen by Annuet Soehnlen
Track 3 - Even a Loser
Author/Composer
Track 7 - Barrow
Author/Composer
Track 9 - The Astronaut
Author/Composer
Recorded music
These presentations bring Appalachian life and thought into conversation with larger questions of sustainability, identity, and resilience. Each lecture weaves together academic insight with authentic mountain perspective.
Speaking & Lectures
Scholarship, lived experience, and cultural critique for universities, conferences, and community organizations
Available Lectures
Be a Man: Masculinity in the Mountain South
An expanded exploration of themes from my musical and poetic work
This presentation examines masculinity in Appalachia against the backdrop of modern cultural identity crisis. Rooted in story and place, this technical exploration analyzes gender expectations, generational shifts, and the role of music, work, and tradition in shaping manhood.
The Home Run: Definitions of Home in a Changing Cultural Landscape
This lecture reflects on the great diaspora of the Appalachian people and the consequential loss of deep culture and values the people of the region suffered and the commodification of that same culture in other places. Through song, study, poems such as Jim Wayne Miller's The Brier Sermon, the audience is invited to experience authentic Appalachian cultural traditions and reflect on the loss of those traditions. Meanwhile, there is an internal narrative that reflects a journey of hope and loss through the artist's endeavors in and loss of home and community.
Custom Programming Available
Every institution has unique needs. I can develop presentations that address your specific themes while maintaining the authentic mountain perspective and bridge-building approach that defines my work.
Ideal for: Universities, conferences, community organizations, educational institutions, cultural centers