Human potential at its best is turning a personal tragedy into a human triumph. - Viktor Frankl
When I was little I couldn’t pronounce my name, it came out Mongo DePotato. Wearing my mom-made cape and mask, fist held high, I declared, “I am Mongo! Mongo De…Potato.” It always made mom laugh. Making mom laugh is the best. Eventually I could pronounce my name, but I always kept my alter-ego close by. I would come up with tall tales about Mongo DePotato and tell them to my friends. The stories made me feel like I had special magic inside.
Then I turned big kid and my stories got replaced with soccer balls and surfboards. I forgot about my special magic. Then in 2004, my whole life broke into a gazillion pieces. I hurt my neck diving into a shallow swimming pool. I still remember the bottom, all brittle and bone pile. I was twenty years old, paralyzed, and afraid. For the next 6 months I was in the hospital figuring out this new life on wheels. I remember re-learning how to scribble the alphabet. I started scribbling my little stories again to pass the time, to make mom laugh. Making mom laugh is still the best. My special magic helped me through the dark and I’ve been holding on to it ever since.
Hi! My name is Mario DeMatteo. I’m a storyteller, a comic book creator, an entrepreneur, a poet, an educator, a farmer, and a motivational speaker. I write comic books and poems and sometimes whisper them into crowds as loud as possible. I teach kids and adults how to write their important stories. I tell my story to crowds of people hoping to inspire them to seek out their unique purpose. I grow tasty organic veggies in the backyard and conspire about changing the world through backyard farming. I believe God still performs miracles because I see them every day in the classroom and the garden. And I collect stuff, like comics and garage sale trinkets, but mostly small animals (weiner dog, long-legged jack russell, tortoise, fish, worms), and spiky cacti. I live my wonderfully talented poet wife, Karla Cordero in San Diego, California.
Education :
BA and MA Degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing from CSU San Marcos
Employment:
Beartruth Collective LLC, Publisher and Writer, Jan 2015 - Present
The Agrarian Institute, President, Jan 2021 - Present
Graphic Story Bible, Creator