Arts & Culture
Giving Back: Matt Wolf
Making a difference in the lives of others.
“People have supported me so much, and now, in turn, I have the opportunity to give of myself, to help others, to bring them together. And the wheel of influence keeps turning."
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN Matt Wolf around. At the Ice House, running the Experimento benefit show; or behind the reference desk at the Bethlehem Area Public Library, where he’s an information technician. Or in Bethlehem’s cultural scene, reading a poem or enjoying the vibe, a deep lover and supporter of local arts.
The Northwest Bethlehem native and Liberty High grad honed his skills as a poet and arts enthusiast for eight years in San Francisco. Then he came home, and was drawn to hosting and booking shows, creating opportunities for new and seasoned artists to perform and collaborate. The Ice House Tonight Poetry night event, which he’s overseen since 2015, highlights a wide variety of artists, from writers to dancers, painters to musicians.
Matt considers the Bethlehem Area Public Library his “home base.” His earliest memories are of the library, where he won a poetry contest in the second grade. Now a portion of the proceeds from A Journey, his first book of poetry—published by the library’s new BAPL Books imprint— goes to support the library. “There’s so much that connects,” Wolf says. In life, in the arts, in Bethlehem, and that mindful wholeness allows him to create and to give. “People have supported me so much, and now, in turn, I have the opportunity to give of myself, to help others, to bring them together. And the wheel of influence keeps turning.”
You can purchase Matt’s book “A Journey” online at www.bapl.org/bapl-books.
