Matthew Arnold Stern, Writer and Speaker

A novelist and award-winning public speaker and technical writer.

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With the fiasco that is the 250th anniversary celebration of the United States, I've been seeing a lot of people on social media ask, "What was the Bicentennial like?" As someone who was turned 15 that year, I can tell you.

When we celebrated America

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The latest grandmacore trend expresses a desire to return to a simpler time. We must be careful that nostalgia doesn't lead to even more repressive times. The 1970s can offer us some important lessons.

Grandmacore and the yearning for simpler times

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What does a sewer pipe and a Dr. Seuss story have in common? Both say something important about society.

Sewer pipes, Yertle the Turtle, and society

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As I get older, I think about my responsibilities as an elder in our society. That's why we need to renew a promise our parents and grandparents made to us that our generation has forgotten.

Act your age

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At the Commodore LA Super Show last month, I discovered the power of community.

Commodore and community

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In honor of National Library Week, here are some of my favorite libraries.

My favorite libraries

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How burned hard-boiled eggs forced me to face uncomfortable truths about myself and society, and why healing begins with us.

Can a man be good?

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As Apple marks its 50th anniversary, here's how its products have benefited our family—and humanity as a whole.

What is good technology: 50 years of Apple

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What makes this tax season so egregious this year is watching our hard-earned money being used to enrich the already rich and powerful. But there is a way we can fight back.

We're being robbed

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In a year of mounting horror, the death of a child may seem unimportant. Here's why it matters.

Why we grieve for a child

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Evil doesn’t triumph because good people are afraid to say nothing. It’s because people stop considering goodness as an option.

The banality of evil

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We live in a time of take, take, take, but when we give to others, it always comes back to us. It's a lesson I learned from Weight Watchers.

You get what you give

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The anniversary of my dad's birth, the Super Bowl, and the state of the world got me thinking about masculinity. The halftime shows offered different visions of what it means to be a man. Only one of them is healthy and joyful.

Masculinity and the Super Bowl halftime shows

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In fiction, we seek the justice we don't find in real life. As injustice spreads today, it's especially important that use fiction to uphold the value of justice and inspire others to make it real.

Seeking justice through fiction

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Take a break from doomscrolling and hear about the song that inspired me the most and how I fit it into my novel. Here's the story about "Keep The Fire" by @thekennyloggins.

How I fit an inspirational song into my novel

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When this is all over, what will it be like?

When this is all over

[matthewarnoldstern]

How can we sit and write when the world is going to hell? The answer comes from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

"There are four lights!"