Brennen Matthews
Brennen Matthews is the editor of ROUTE Magazine, the leading Route 66 and classic Americana magazine, and the former Editor-in-Chief of Destination Magazine, East Africa’s premiere lifestyle publication. After obtaining his Master of Arts in International Development Studies with a minor in Creative Writing, and bachelor's degrees in Sociology and Community Development Studies with a minor in Literature, Brennen worked with some of the world's largest nonprofit humanitarian organizations, including World Vision, CARE, Red Cross, and Tearfund UK. Brennen’s first book is Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America along Route 66, the unique story of a foreign family's great American road trip featuring vignettes of Americana — one-of-a-kind vintage roadside attractions and insightful encounters with locals and fellow travelers — culminating in a vision of America as a land defined by diversity, individuality, and possibility. Originally from Mombasa, Kenya, Brennen lives with his family in Toronto, Canada.
Twitter: @BrennenME and @ROUTEMagazine66
Instagram: @brennen.matthews and @routemagazine
Is there a genre of music that influences your writing/thinking? Do you listen to music while you write?
I am deeply passionate about music and moved by it. When I write, I do not listen to music, but the music that impacts my work will be music like the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Arlo Guthrie, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and the like. I love acoustic guitar. It somehow feels right out on the open quiet highway.
What period of history do you wish you knew more about?
I already know quite a bit about it but the period post the Civil War, up to the late 1960s. There was so much happening in the world and especially in the United States. Railroad culture was beginning, and the country was rapidly opening up. It was the expansion into the West, which led into Fred Harvey and the time of the great railroad hotels. This led to the early 18th Century development of highways and resulting automobile travel in America. This of course led to Route 66. It is a 100-year odyssey that still fascinates people (myself included) from around the world.
Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person?
I love most of the historic wall murals and midcentury mediums of roadside advertising found on Route 66. I’ve visited them all! I think.
What brings you great joy?
My wife, Kate, and son, Thembi, road trips down long quiet dusty roads, a warm summer day, the African savannah… I also love a great book or movie that moves me.
Do you speak a second language? Do you think differently in that language? Does it influence your writing?
I am fluent in Swahili and am somewhat comfortable in French. I lived in Mali and Burkina Faso for a few years for work – a lifetime ago – and had to learn it to survive. French is a beautiful language. I often think in Swahili. I would say no, neither impact my writing, but I do believe that they both allow me to express myself differently.
