Matthew O'Brien
About Me
Award-winning Author, Editor, & Story Coach | Investigative & Narrative Nonfiction Specialist
Matthew O’Brien is a writer, editor, and teacher who lived in Las Vegas for twenty years and is currently based in San Salvador, El Salvador.
Over his thirty-year writing career, Matt has published three creative-nonfiction books: Dark Days, Bright Nights: Surviving the Las Vegas Storm Drains; My Week at the Blue Angel: And Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas; and Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas. He has also published fiction and poetry in a variety of books, magazines, newspapers, and literary journals.
Matt’s work has been reviewed or covered positively by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Wired, Der Spiegel, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Al Jazeera, NPR, the BBC, USA Today, and many other media outlets worldwide.
He has won numerous major statewide awards in Nevada, including the Silver Pen, two Nevada Arts Council fellowship grants, and several Nevada Press Association awards, including Outstanding Journalist and Journalist of Merit. He has been nominated for a Pulitzer prize and a Pushcart Prize.
Matt has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of West Georgia and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has taught writing and literature at UNLV and Escuela Americana in San Salvador and currently teaches and mentors teachers at Highlands International School San Salvador.
He is the founder of O’Brien Editing Services and Shine a Light, a nonprofit organization that provides housing, counseling, and other services to the people living in the underground flood channels of Vegas, which he has written about extensively.
🧭 What He Brings to Uptales
- Deep experience in narrative nonfiction, investigative storytelling, and character- and setting-driven narrative
- Editorial excellence in developmental editing, structural feedback, copy editing, and revision strategy
- A compassionate approach that helps writers strengthen voice, focus, and impact
- Practical tools from journalism, creative nonfiction, and storytelling for writers aiming to deepen connection with readers
- Mentor-level, one-on-one guidance
🛠️ Background & Experience
- Author of Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas, My Week at the Blue Angel, and Dark Days, Bright Nights — books acclaimed for their narrative depth and human insight
- Founder and editor of OES, a boutique editorial service dedicated to helping authors strengthen manuscripts and stories
- Former staff writer, news editor, and managing editor of Las Vegas CityLife, where his investigative reporting uncovered hidden human stories
- Has taught literature and writing at multiple institutions, including the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and currently teaches at a top international prep school in Central America
- Experienced narrative coach and manuscript consultant for writers at all stages of the craft
🏆 Awards & Honors
- Nevada Writers Hall of Fame — Silver Pen Award, which recognizes substantial achievement in writing
- Two Artists Fellowship Grants from the Nevada Arts Council
- Multiple first-place awards in the Nevada Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including Journalist of Merit and Outstanding Journalist
- Has been nominated for a Pulitzer prize and a Pushcart Prize
🎤 Matt’s Guiding Philosophy
Editor Arthur Plotnik said, “You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” In short, that is Matt's mission: to infuse your words with clarity and meaning and let the essence shine through.
✅ Work With Matt On
- Narrative development and manuscript clarity
- Structural and developmental editing
- Story coaching for nonfiction
- In-depth feedback on voice, pacing, thematic coherence, etc.
- Transforming research and reporting into a reader-ready narrative
- Guidance for authors seeking craft depth and emotional resonance