The new book, Night Watch, winner of the 2025 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, is a collection of short stories that explores longing, unease and hidden lives.

This collection of literary fiction is the first book published by Mathew Goldberg, associate teaching professor of English and technical communication at Missouri S&T. The book is published by Willow Springs Books.

“I have been writing short fiction for years and selected these more recently written stories because I believe they represent who I am right now,” says Goldberg. “The inspiration for them has accumulated throughout the years and I am always writing down new ideas.”

Night Watch includes stories about a retired engineer trying to romance a neighbor, a woman dealing with the aftermath of her father’s stroke, and a young child who finds a dead body at the local park.

“All of these stories are about dealing with failure or expectations, and how to do a good job despite that,” says Goldberg. “The book looks at how fragile trust is and how what we experience shapes our world view.”

Goldberg worked as an engineer for approximately five years before he decided to switch careers and follow his passion for writing. He currently teaches creative writing, composition and contemporary literature at Missouri S&T.

“My creative writing classes are always full – I love that about teaching here at S&T,” says Goldberg. “The students are so passionate and want to create these massive worlds, and my advice to them is to always start with the basics and start exploring your characters first.”

Goldberg’s writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Shenandoah, and American Short Fiction. Goldberg’s short story collection placed as a finalist for the Iron Horse Literary Review Book Prize, and he received a special mention for a Pushcart Prize. 

Goldberg earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical and biomedical engineering from Duke University in 1999, and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Arkansas in 2008.

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit  www.mst.edu.