Fox Cities Book Festival: Connecting writers and readers across our diverse communities.

Jay Matz was born and raised in Northeastern Wisconsin – living in Kewaunee, Two Rivers and Menasha (MHS Class of ’93). Fond memories of that time inspired him to create Nicholas Northwoods, with hopes of producing a series of children’s books, starting with Nicholas Northwoods: An Ode to the Seasons. This book was a labor of love seven years in the making which Jay wrote, illustrated, colored and published himself. The West Allis resident has lived in the Milwaukee area for the past 24 years, but hopes this tale, pulled from his own childhood, will encourage his own two children and countless others to embrace nature, explore their world, stay active and eliminate the phrase “I’m bored!” from their vocabularies. (There’s nothing wrong with boredom, kids just need to learn it’s a wonderful opportunity to expand their horizons!)