Dee Matthews was raised one of seven children on a small family farm in central Massachusetts. Her love and respect for the land and nature comes through from her father, paternal grandmother and great-grandmother, all of Mohawk Native American heritage. Her poems have appeared in Avocet, a Journal of Nature Poetry, Cider Press Review and The Worcester Review. Dee was awarded Third Place in The Frank O'Hara Poetry Prize judged by Mr. Lloyd Schwartz for her poem "Souvenirs" as well as Honorable Mentions (Writer's Digest Writing Competition, Pat Schneider Poetry Contest, Patricia Dobler Poetry Award and New Millennium Writings 37th Awards). Her poems have appeared in two separate anthologies (Little Red Tree International Poetry Prize and Mother Nature's Trail). Dee is a member of The Worcester County Poetry Association. In her leisure time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking and gardening. She is celebrating her 38th year of teaching Physical Education to public school children and is looking forward to retirement soon.
