Matt Wilven was born in Blackpool in 1982. After receiving an MA with Distinction in Literature Studies and Creative Writing from the University of Leeds in 2006, he spent the next ten years honing his craft. His part-time jobs in this time included: bingo caller, ice-cream man, fishmonger, paintball operative, camel derby caller, soap seller, copywriter, rollercoaster operator, warehouse packer, criminal record checker, old people feeder and DJ workshop coordinator.
In 2016, he emerged as a debut novelist with a distinct, accessible voice and an eye as keen for reality as it was the surreal. His follow up in 2019 was a vivid and nightmarish exploration of first love and lost freedom. Now, he is devling into a multi-generational, state-of-the-nation family saga.
He lives in London with his partner and two children, working full time as a content manager for a healthcare organisation and writing when everyone else is in bed.