[7] Mathews began her career in progressive politics at a public-affairs firm in Washington D.C.[8] She quit her job to pursue an MFA in writing.
[8][9] She lost work and income when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, causing her to go on unemployment and putting her process of becoming a naturalized US citizen at risk.
[1] The novel centers a South Asian queer protagonist who is navigating love, friendship, and career in Milwaukee during the Great Recession and the Obama presidency.
[1] She wrote it at the same time that she was launching a mutual aid organization called Bed-Stuy Strong.
[8][1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mathews helped to create Bed-Stuy Strong, a grassroots mutual-aid organization that raised $1.2 million to serve its Brooklyn-based community.
[8] The organization ultimately helped 28,000 people living in Brooklyn who were suffering from food crisis during the pandemic.