English you can
live in.

I’m Matt Martynenko, an English teacher and the editor of American Journal.

My father comes from a broadcasting background. We share a passion for helping people understand things better—for finding a way to explain something that lets it finally make sense. That impulse sits at the heart of what I want to do here.

When I was a child, he worked a lot, and I rarely saw him at home. I would listen to his voice on the radio and television to feel that he was close. After the weekends we spent together, I carried his voice with me in my head. I think that may be where my interest in speech began.

American Journal brings together my interest in speech, narration, music, and Americana. I’m drawn to how language sounds and what it does: how a pause gives a sentence room, how phrasing carries intention, how a voice invites you into a story.

Those interests shape the way I approach English. I want to help people hear more clearly, understand what a speaker means, and find words they can use with confidence in their own lives.

Here, that takes the form of short fiction, observations about everyday English, and close attention to the phrases people actually reach for. You can settle into a story, listen to its rhythm, or spend a few minutes with a Field Note and try something for yourself.

My hope is that you leave with something you understand a little better—and a clearer sense of where to go next.