About Me
Originally from Oxford, I am a writer and copywriter now living in Amsterdam. I’m also a mum to two daughters, who are keeping me young and ageing me rapidly.
You can read my professional and socially-acceptable pitch below. But if you want the ‘real’ story, the best place to start is by reading my poems :)
Following a degree in English Literature, I trained in News Journalism (London School of Journalism), Writing Therapy and Journal Therapy. My poetry and prose have appeared in The Times, Popshot Magazine, Acumen, The Rappahannock Review, The Fish Anthology, Eunoia Review, Prairie Fire, Beyond Words Literary Journal, Literary Mama and elsewhere. I was awarded a prize in one of Arvon's poetry competitions and shortlisted for the Creative Ink Poetry Prize in 2023.
Further workshops and study with Bread Loaf (USA), Arvon (UK) and the International Writers' Collective (Netherlands) eventually led me to the MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes (CWTP) at the Metanoia Institute, where I am currently completing my studies. Alongside serving as an Assistant Poetry Editor at Narrative Magazine, I am the author of two poetry chapbooks. Sunlight Later was published by Cathexis Northwest Press in 2025, while Stolen Child, winner of the Beyond Words 2026 Chapbook Award, will be published in early 2027.
Alongside my writing, I work as a coach and CWTP practitioner with individuals and organisations. My copywriting and brand storytelling work has included clients such as Nike, Uber, Uniqlo, Converse, Oxfam, UEFA, IKEA and Booking.com. You can find out more about that work at jo-matthews.com.
About ‘sunlight later’
I am fascinated by the power of words to transform and transcend the often messy experience of being human.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember - journals, poems, scribbles, musings, stories - mostly as a way to make sense of the world and my place in it.
And for as long as I can remember, I have felt a stubborn resistance to sharing what I write. So this website is a modest but determined attempt to share my work (hoping it may speak to you at some level) and to keep that inner self-saboteur at bay (if you know, you know).
Ongoing reflections
Alongside my poetry, I also write reflective prose exploring many of the same questions: how we live, how we change, what we carry, and how writing helps us make sense of our place in the world.
My essays and commissioned pieces have appeared in Yoga Easy, Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, Motherhood Uncensored, Mother’s Day Magazine, and The Times, among others. I also (occasionally) publish new reflections and poems on Substack. You’re welcome to join me there!