About Matt, The Traveling Typist:

Hi! I’m Matt, The Traveling Typist. I’m 24 years old and am first and foremost a fan of all things analog. I’ve been a fan of typewriters since 2018, when I purchased my first machine, a 1965 Olympia SM9. I immediately fell in love with it and this began my passion for typewriters.

Since then I have collected more than 100 typewriters from various brands and years, as well as an incredible collection of historic ephemera such as ribbon tins, typing manuals, and other typewriter related objects. I have been incredibly lucky to procure some truly amazing machines in my search. One such example is my 1963 Cursive Typeface Hermes 3000, which I purchased from the highly respected “California Typewriter” before it’s unfortunate closure. Living in Portland has also offered me remarkable opportunity to find unique machines and gain knowledge and insight on repairing and preservation, as the city is fortunate to have several typewriter shops, a rarity in today’s world. This includes the longtime Ace Typewriter in Saint Johns, Pacific Typewriter in Southwest, and the more recently opened Typespace in Southeast, all of which are incredible resources to the Portland typewriter community.

I began my journey as The Traveling Typist in 2019, when I became interested in the idea of public typing. I had seen other street poets before online and thought it might be interesting to try it myself. However, it was not until 2022 that I finally got the courage to actually try street typing. My first street typing experience was not actually writing poetry, but asking strangers at the Northwest String Summit music festival which I was attending to share a bit of wisdom with me. The incredible outpouring of support that I received led me to discover the amazing power that typewriters had to create something unique sparking joy and positivity. In the Fall of 2022 I tried On the Spot poetry for the first time, and fell in love with creating poetry. Since then I have been incredibly honored to preform typing On the Spot poetry at so many unique places, including Mike Bennett’s Wonderwood, Gallery Go Go, The Museum of Museums, the Portland Night Market, and the Bend Night Market. I have also had the opportunity to share the joy of typing with others at Wonderwood and OMSI After Dark.

When I first created The Traveling Typist, I didn’t intend it to become anything more than a passion project, and this stands true today. I create with my typewriters because I love using them, discovering the amazing ways which I can create using them and what I can share with others. Every opportunity I have to type at an event is an honor for me, and having the chance to type at so many amazing places has truly been a dream come true.