Back in time

Before publishing his first memoir, Wausau native Matt Sem spent most of his time instructing tennis.

His debut release, The ‘86 Kids, covers a year in Sem’s life growing up in Wausau in the 1980s, featuring humorous anecdotes, old polaroid photos and glimpses into a Wausau from days gone by.

“It’s kinda like the Wonder Years meets Seinfeld: got some nice stuff, takes some jabs at some things. It’s all about Wausau and John Marshall [Elementary School] and a lot of places around the Wausau area.”

While he initially wrote the book for the enjoyment of family and friends, he said that he was encouraged to publish it due to the surge of ‘80s nostalgia in recent years. The book is about his own favorite period in his life, so he was more than happy to share, enlisting the help of a self-publishing company based in Chicago to edit his transcript, get it printed and provide him with marketing materials.

“It’s been a process,” he said. “It’s been a whirlwind.”

The ‘86 Kids is Sem’s first foray into publishing a book, but he doesn’t intend for it to be his last. Currently, he has two other books in the works: Catch and Release, a fictionalized memoir that will mix real events with imaginary ones; and Glimpses, about Sem’s experiences recovering from benzodiazepine addiction.

“Glimpses is five-minute-a-day glimpses where I feel like I’m here, and then it’ll go back [to feeling disconnected,]” Sem explained. A large part of his recovery has involved regaining his sense of connection with his body and the world around him.

“It’s written not just for me, but for people struggling,” he said. “It’s called Glimpses because I still, to this day, have glimpses of, I can look at you and talk to you, but it’s like you’re not even there.”

Sem also has a collection of vignettes that he’s completed called Monsters Among Us.

“Those are factual stories, kinda saying we are all kinda monsters, all of us…” Sem said. “Sometimes you do something in your life that is kinda out of character… not necessarily bad, but nobody is flawless.”

For now, however, Sem is eager for more readers to get their hands on his current release.

"It’s a great feeling to have somebody else you know read it and then say that they like it,” he said. “...Hopefully someone else can read that book and love those times and the ‘80s.”

The ‘86 Kids can be purchased locally and in person at Janke Book Store, the Story Cellar and Barnes & Noble, or you can pick it up online on Amazon. If you pick up a copy locally, Sem promises that you’ll receive a free ‘86 Kids bookmark with your purchase.

For more information on Sem or the ‘86 Kids, visit Sem’s website, https://mattsembooks.com/, or reach out to Sem directly at semmatttennis1@gmail.com.