Writer · Poet · Public Speaker · Photographer · Musician

MattPelicano

Words to stir the soul

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About Matt Pelicano

Matt Pelicano

Matt Pelicano was born near Syracuse, New York and by age 10 was already writing poems, lyrics, music, and short stories. At the age of 17, Matt published his first compilation of poetry, followed by a second compilation a year later. At age 18, Matt's poetry was featured in a dedicated, centerfold spread in the New York Span and numerous inclusions in the monthly poetry journal, Omnific.

Matt always seeks to educate his readers, provoke introspection, and — above all — entertain in everything he writes, from poetry and song lyrics to short stories and novels. One example of this approach can be seen in his novel, A Butterfly in Paris. The result of almost two years' worth of onsite research and set in Paris, France, A Butterfly in Paris is an adventure story, a travel guide, a treatise on love, and a French language primer all rolled into one.

One of Matt's young adult novels, Tabouli: The Story of a Heart-Driven Diabetes Alert Dog, seeks to raise awareness of diabetes alert dogs and the vital work they perform, while encouraging those suffering with juvenile diabetes to always "follow the adventure" and live life to the fullest.

Recommended by world-renowned dog trainer, Debby Kay, "Tabouli perfectly captures the spirit and journey of a remarkable service dog." Tabouli was nominated for three awards by the Dog Writer's Association of America.

Striving always to explore the human condition in all its diversity, his adult novel, The Woolems of Averlune is an allegorical journey through the five stages of grief and back to hope and healing. The Woolems of Averlune has been hailed by many readers as the first step toward healing after experiencing losses of different kinds.

Matt's public speaking style is engaging and personal. At home with large audiences of 500 or more teenagers, as well as more intimate book clubs, Matt makes connections with compassion, delivering a positive message and challenging others to impact the world around them for the good.

Matt Pelicano has received nationwide media attention for his writing. Some of this press coverage can be viewed in the Media section of this website.

From his youth, Matt has always loved the poetry of E.E. Cummings, Shel Silverstein, TS Eliot, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and William Shakespeare. His literary heroes include JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Oscar Wilde, Agatha Christie, and David McCullough.

In 2023, with gratitude to those publishers with whom he worked in the past who were essential in helping him achieve global distribution, Matt launched his own publishing company, Averlune Press. The mission of Averlune Press is to offer young and undiscovered writers an opportunity to see their work in print. Averlune Press now publishes all of Matt's works, as well.

Matt is married to his beautiful wife, Sandra Stanton, and they live in New York and South Carolina.

The Books

Elephant at the Gate
Ages 7 – Adult$18.95 · 38 pp

After an avalanche drives an enormous elephant out of the forests north of Obsidia Lake into a tiny town, the great beast takes shelter in the castle gate. When strength, trickery, and wisdom all fail, an unexpected solution arrives from a most unlikely source.

The Woolems of Averlune
Ages 14 – Adult$19.95 · 492 pp

Annelyse Bellamy thought she knew her mother well. When tragedy strikes and a mysterious young man plants questions in her mind, she sets out to discover the truth about the mythical Woolems — learning that Grief is the most foreign of all countries, but the way home lies hidden where least expected.

Tabouli
Ages 14 – Adult$14.95 · 308 pp

Tabouli is a real-life diabetes alert dog living with 13-year-old Elizabeth Vaughan in Greenville, SC. His love and devotion enable him to surmount challenges, prejudice, and doubt to become a certified service dog. Recommended by world-renowned trainer Debby Kay.

A Butterfly in Paris
Ages 14 – Adult$18.95 · 524 pp

Esmée Délancourt was perfectly happy never to leave Saint-Denis-lès-Chevreuse. But when commuter train doors close, trapping her inside, she becomes an unwilling participant in an adventure through the City of Lights — and discovers the true meaning of home.

Poetry Collections
solitude
Ages 14 – Adult$18.95 · 260 pp

solitude — a collection written over nine months of discovery — forges connections between ancestry and destiny, life and death, questions and answers. In solitude, we better hear purpose; within these pages, the poet learned to listen.

Winter Bloom
Ages 14 – Adult$18.95 · 234 pp

Winter Bloom — a love story in free verse, songs of rebirth marking the passage of long bleak winter into hopeful spring. With echoes of E.E. Cummings' passion and Plath's stark desperation, above all there is joy bursting from these pages.

Seer Shilliness
Ages 7 – Adult$5.95 · 58 pp

Seer Shilliness — a collection of rhymes, rhythms, whimsy, wonderings, wanderings, and ponderings for the youthful heart. Written purely to entertain, and happier still if used as a coloring book!

Children's Stories
Norman Baxter
Ages 7 – Adult$16.95 · 84 pp

Norman Baxter wasn't very good at being a cat. When a terrible thunderstorm drives him far from home, this most un-cat-like of cats finds himself lost and alone. A mostly true story discovering that being yourself makes all the difference.

Tafari and the Rainbow
Ages 7 – Adult$18.95 · 70 pp

"The jungle is never silent. It is too full of memories, too full of stories wanting to be heard." The story of how one young toucan discovered what it means to become all you were created to be — a tale as old as the rainbow itself. — The Black Jaguar

Humphrey the Lazy Hummingbird
Ages 7 – Adult$15.95 · 38 pp

Humphrey the Hummingbird's friends think he's lazy. But as the day grows hotter, they notice something surprising. A heartwarming story proving we all have a unique gift to lighten others' loads and brighten their days.

Philbert LaRue
Ages 7 – Adult$12.95 · 32 pp

A Seussical, lyrical, rhymingly-rhythmical comedy of errors that begins with a hole in a shoe and ends when a wiser Philbert learns a valuable lesson.

With Just An Empty Shoebox
Ages 7 – Adult$9.95 · 24 pp

With Just An Empty Shoebox opens the lid and peeks inside a world of simple wonders and limitless creativity, in which dreams are stored away for a lifetime of happiness.

What Readers Say

Matt's Poetry

matt pelicano — poetry samples

In the Media

Contact Matt

Booking inquiries, school visits, book clubs & press