Matt Ferrence On How Stories Offer A Way Forward In Politics

At first glance, Matt Ferrence might not strike you as your typical political candidate. He’s a mustachioed creative writing professor as likely to discuss the works of Mary Ruefle as he is policy reform. Yet in 2020 he was motivated to run for State Representative, an experience that gave him a profound new insight to the community in which he lives. Ferrence’s memoir, I Hate It Here, Please Vote For Me: Essays On Rural Political Decay, details his ill-fated campaign while examining the complexity of political life in rural spaces, the issues that confront these communities, and how the various needs of the community are (and are not) being met by their representatives. The result is a fascinating exploration of a Quixotic political campaign that also perceptively investigates the role geography plays in one’s identity. Ferrence spoke with us about lessons learned on his campaign and how stories offer a better way to achieve a more effective governance.