Matt Daly

Matt Daly grew up in Wilson, WY. Upon graduating from Jackson Hole High School, he took off for Lewis and Clark College in Oregon and swore he would never live in Jackson Hole again. Fortunately, he learned that the dramatic pronouncements of a young man usually end up sounding naive once he has gained a little more experience. It took ten years of school and travel and more school, before Matt made the quieter and better decision to return to the valley in 2000 with his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Cindy. He and Cindy have lived in Rafter J ever since. They like looking for long-eared owls and the other wild inhabitants of their neighborhood. They are less fond of lawn care. For about a decade now, their son Frank has kept them on their toes.

Matt has had many jobs, almost all of them in an educational settings, since returning to the valley. He currently teaches 9th and 10th grade English at the Journeys School of Teton Science Schools, a job he loves. In addition, he is a poet and writer whose work has been published in various print and online journals. He has taught creative writing to folks of all ages and in many places, including Orvieto, Italy, where he works as a faculty member for a Harvard Medical School CME course on reflection and resiliency practices for clinicians. He is a resident faculty member at the 2016 Jackson Hole Writers Conference. Matt collaborates regularly with other artists on creative projects, including both years of FoundSpace programming for the Land Trust. He is also a board member of the Wyoming Arts Alliance.

With forty years of his life connected to the valley, Matt feels deeply honored to serve on the Open Space Council. The landscapes he loves most in Jackson Hole are often those that remind him of the ragged pasturelands he tromped through as a boy. Thanks to the Land Trust, those rough-around-the-edges places still exists and keep the whole valley feeling a little bit wild. He hopes he can contribute something useful to the good work of the Land Trust.

When not writing or teaching or spending time with family, Matt avoids yard work by being an avid fly fisherman. His love of moving water that is cold and clear enough for trout usually keeps him at lower elevation, looking up at the mountains instead of zipping down them.