Matthew Burgess is a poet, educator, and the author of many celebrated children's books, including Fireworks, Words With Wings and Magic Things, and Drawing on Walls: A Story of Keith Haring. He edited an anthology of visual art and writing titled Dream Closet: Meditations on Childhood Space, as well as a collection of essays titled Spellbound: The Art of Teaching Poetry. More books are forthcoming, including Mungo On His Own (HarperCollins, January 2026), Serafina Makes Waves (Penguin/Dial, March 2026), and If The Moon (Sourcebooks, August 2026). An Associate Professor at Brooklyn College, Matthew lives in New York City and Berlin.