Matthew Clark Davison

I have known Matthew for a few years now and I can easily say that he is one of the most inspirational teachers I have ever had.  His life revolves around writing; finding inspiration in sculpture, dance, and music.  His attention to the beauty of everyday life is brought to the Douglass Lab classes.  The lab answers the questions every aspiring writer asks "What now?"  "Where do I begin?"  If you are stuck in the middle of a story and need a nudge in the right direction or you are just trying writing out for the first time I highly recommend the Douglass Street Lab to get those creative juices flowing.

 ​—Miya Reekers

Matthew Clark Davison's passion for reading, writing, creativity, and excellence are contagious. I highly recommend The Lab, his 8-week writing program. Expect to be stimulated and enriched by the readings, discussions, and writing prompts. I left every session of The Lab feeling inspired and rewarded, brimming with the possibilities of our words, with the possibilities of the right word at the right moment.

—Ethel Rohan, author of Cut Through the Bone

Matthew is a rare breed in writing instructor. His talent and passion for writing is rivaled by his talent and passion for teaching. It behooves any aspiring or established writer to seek out Matthew's coaching.

—Mark Dungey

Matthew is a treasure. He touches his students with his wit and wisdom…his writing prompts helped me reach deep down to rediscover events I had forgotten, and helped me bring them to the page in surprising ways. The best writing workshop in all the Bay Area!

—Ricky Serbin

Matthew Clark Davison brings the world into The Lab through other mediums, and then invites the actual world to behold the budding fruits of that exchange. I came into The Lab with an imagination and the urge to explore, but Matthew's direction shifts my direction in a way that makes me see humanity in a different light, and lets me be human in a different way. I would have never thought to write the origin of love for my character, or to use architecture to explore the layers of a piece. I found The Lab to be an amalgamation of the craft of story and the instinct of art. I look forward to repeating the experience.

— Lorena Landeros

Matthew Davison has an amazing gift of pulling new and compelling material out of writers with the idea that we simply must take risks with our work - whether in subject matter, form, the editing process, or exposing our work to a larger community. Matthew’s enthusiasm and commitment to the writing process is contagious. Because of his invaluable instruction and feedback, my writing explored new, exciting and provocative depths during his 8-week lab.

— Liz Tucker

After 8-weeks with Matthew, the act and pleasure of writing have woven their way back into my life. The Lab helped me make a direct connection to my creative vision. His facilitation style and creative prompts were invaluable to building confidence and trust in my own voice. Matthew's lab was not just about learning the craft; it was about being in an environment that allowed creativity to flow.

— Jennifer Hasegawa

Receiving instruction from Matthew Davison reaps benefits that work double-time! Not only will you get skilled and effective guidance to strengthen your writing, you will receive it from someone who is whole-heartedly invested and committed to your specific goals and desires. Further, he teaches his students how to read more effectively, which undoubtedly makes us better writers.

— Steve Dershimer

Matthew is an insightful, uniquely personal instructor with an understated yet well-prepared and confident approach. Not only did I improve my writing craft and critical reading skills, but the vibe was devoid of pretension, filled with helpful, supportive discussion, and never devolved into the hollow kum-ba-ya that does no serious writer any good. Beginning to well-seasoned writers are well served by Douglass Street.

— John Yi

The Lab fit in perfectly with my schedule and opened an extremely productive space for my writing. It was great to hear other participants’ interpretations of the creative prompts. Matthew’s facilitation mixed beautiful examples of theory with practical application of concepts, always with a smile. I found it very applicable and looked forward to the workshop each week. This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to explore their own writing in the company of like-minded folks.

— Anne Trickey

The Lab is a warm environment that fosters experimentation and expression. The writing prompts, discussions, and feedback gave me some great ideas; some of the pieces I wrote were quite a pleasant surprise even to myself.

— Candyce Choi

The Lab helped me find my creative voice. Highly recommended.

— Rick Richman

The Lab isn't like taking a class. It's like sitting around your living room talking about your writing with a group of friends. Matthew's exercises were beautifully targeted to the group dynamic - no set curriculum here! Matthew listens to what's going on with the group and responds accordingly. The exercises took me to deep places in my novel and helped me get to the emotional heart of the story I'm telling. Matthew's characterization workshop helped me break through and clarify a scene that I have been trying to get right for more than a year. I left the workshop feeling full of the creative energy I needed to continue working on this piece and push on to its completion.

— Diane Glazman