Matthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend,Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and the upcoming novels The Other Motherand Cardboard Knight. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide. He is also the author of the rock opera The Clownsand the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks & Stones, and Summertime. He is a columnist for Seasonsmagazine and has published work in Reader's Digest, The Hartford Courant, Parentsmagazine, The Huffington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. When not hunched over a computer screen, Matthew fills his days as an elementary school teacher, a storyteller, a speaking coach, a blogger, a wedding DJ, a minister, a life coach, and a Lord of Sealand. He has been teaching for 20 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Connecticut Teacher of the Year. Matthew is a 36-time Moth StorySLAM champion and five-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hourand their weekly podcast. Matthew is also the cofounder and creative director of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking to individuals, corporations, and school districts around the world. Matthew is married to fellow teacher, Elysha, and they have two children, Clara and Charlie. He grew up in the small town of Blackstone, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of eighteen and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself. http://www.matthewdicks.com/ ----------------------------------- Early bird pricing for the Afterlife Awareness Conference live stream is going on now for just $99. That price is expected to go up soon. To learn more about the conference and to pre-register for the live stream, visit the website