It was February 1999, and I had just returned to Hingham, Massachusetts, from Phoenix, where my uncle Matt—my namesake—had gotten married. The sun-drenched desert felt like another world. While I had spent the past few days basking in 80-degree temperatures, Massachusetts had other plans. A late-season snowstorm loomed, and I was back to the grind […]
How The Blizzard of ’99 Changed Everything Read More »
I woke up to another rejection email today. It was polite, almost too polite: Thank you for responding to us. We appreciate your platform and mission. However, after delving a bit more into the market, we could see this project isn’t quite a fit for us. We decline with the greatest respect and deepest regret.
Rejection, Walt Disney’s Swamp, and My Own Crossroads Read More »
The following is an excerpt from, The Dog Story: How Faith, Family, and a Puppy Helped Me Rediscover Hope by Matt Cavallo It was July 15, 1982—my 6th birthday. The past year had been busy, even for a five-year-old. My dad had just finished building our new home in Hingham, and my sister had been
Footprints in the Sand Read More »
On a flight home from Boston, I found myself watching Bill & Ted Face the Music. It was Thanksgiving, and Jocelyn and I had just spent the holiday with my family, catching up with old friends and reminiscing about the past. As I settled into my seat and let the movie play, something about Bill
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Lesson in Collaboration Read More »
The conference room buzzed with tension. Five round tables filled the space, each packed with five team members hunched over stacks of documents, their voices rising over one another in an unproductive back-and-forth. Papers rustled, pens tapped against notepads, and someone let out an audible sigh of frustration. I stood at the front of the
There’s No Such Thing as Good Writing—Only Good Editing Read More »
When I first encountered Spalding Gray’s Monster in a Box, I was struck by the absurd yet deeply relatable concept of wrestling with an unfinished manuscript. For Gray, the “monster” was a daunting novel he couldn’t seem to finish. For me, it wasn’t just one manuscript—it was a scattered web of digital and physical fragments:
Monster in a Box: Taming the Digital Dilemma of Unfinished Work Read More »
The nurse handed me a cane. A standard-issue black cane with a soft Styrofoam grip. As soon as it touched my palm, something inside me shifted. The hospital room, the nurse’s voice, the weight of my diagnosis—they all faded. Because I had seen this cane before. Not this exact one, but one just like it.
A Turn-of-the-Century Immigration Story Read More »
The mariachi band played just outside the open window, their melody drifting up and over the bustle of Faneuil Hall. Jim and I sat in our corner office, suite 720 at 84 State Street, with sandwiches from Al’s unwrapped on the desk between us. The energy of Boston—vibrant, chaotic, alive—surged below. It was our favorite
Can the Tom Wolfe Approach Work Today? Read More »
In the Multi-Purpose Room (MPR) at Summit School in Ahwatukee, the air buzzed with excitement. Rows of chairs were filled with proud parents, siblings, and friends, all there to celebrate the 8th-grade graduation. The graduates, clad in crisp shirts and dresses, fidgeted with a mix of anticipation and nerves as they awaited their moment to
Breaking Free from Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) Read More »
It was 8AM, and I was late. Again. The Education Lecture Hall at Arizona State was already buzzing with over 150 students, the sound of chatter and rustling notebooks echoing through the vast room. I hurriedly locked up my bike outside, still catching my breath from the ride. It had been a late night—probably too
The Boiling Frog: A Lesson in Perseverance and Growth Read More »