Matthew Nienow lives in Port Townsend, Washington with his wife and two sons. Professionally trained as a wooden boatbuilder, he spent over a decade building small boats and custom wooden paddle boards. He is the author of House of Water (Alice James, 2016) and three earlier chapbooks. His poems have appeared in The Georgia Review, New England Review, and Poetry, which awarded him a 2013 Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship. He has also received fellowships, grants, and support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Elizabeth George Foundation, Artist Trust of Washington State, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and 4Culture of Seattle.

He holds a BA in English from St. Olaf College, an MFA in Poetry from the University of Washington, and an Associate degree in Traditional Small Craft from the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. He is pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling, working on several new manuscripts, and serving on the Editorial Board of Alice James Books.