Airea Dee Matthews

Airea Dee Matthews

Spoken Word Poet


There's a great weight that's there when you are not doing what you should actually be doing-some form of satisfaction that's not met by not committing to it.

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Airea Dee Matthews

Milestones

My road in life has been direct.
Initially thought she wanted to be a psychiatrist because she liked to "read" people.
Realized she didn't like the science of psychiatry at all, but still loved studying human nature.
Grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father, but her mother was too afraid to leave him.
Went to college and grad school for economics / public administration after her mom advised her to find a sensible career.
Spent eight years in corporate America but knew she wasn't doing what she was meant to be doing.
Thought she'd write and perform poetry on the side, loved it but considered it a hobby.
Performed for the first time at a coffee shop, got positive feedback, realized her writing could captivate others.
Was always fascinated by language "as a symbol," loved how putting words together made them meaningful.

Career

Spoken Word Poet

Writer*Performer. Totally in love with poems. Obsessed with containers, memory, history, mythology, and thought.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Acting & Theatre
Writing
Communicating / Sharing Stories

Hurdles

Challenges I Overcame

Drugs / Addiction

Interviewed By

Rounding the Bend

Rounding the Bend

The road-trippers interview writer Beverly Donofrio at her home in Long Island before they head on to Detroit, where they talk to spoken word poet Airea Dee Matthews about possibility and growth in an unlikely place. In Chicago, Tele'jon reconsiders his reservations about going back to school when the team interviews Professor David Stovall.