September Events and Readings
I’m excited for the readings I have these next few weeks! In addition to a few school and senior center visits, I’ll be at:
- August 31, 7pm, I read with Lydia Kang at the Dundee Book Company. See details here.
- September 8th, 5:30pm, I’m part of a panel discussion for the Nebraska Writers Collective’s screening of the documentary Louder Than a Bomb at Film Streams in Omaha. Here are THOSE details.
- September 10th, 7pm, I am the featured poet for the Omaha Poetry Slam at the Benson Theatre.
- September 11, 3pm, I get to read at the The Allegro Wolf Arts Center in Sutton, NE to promote my new book. See a few details here.
Academy of American Poets 2022 Poet Laureate Fellowship Announcement!
I’m thrilled to announce I was named by The Academy of American Poets as a 2022 Poet Laureate Fellow (along with an incredibly talented list of other poets). It makes a big difference for my work and lets me really dive into what I want to do with this next year!
Thank you, Humanities Nebraska, Nebraska Arts Council, and Nebraska Library Commission for your help with my application and for all your support of me and the things I love in Nebraska.
Most of all, thank you Sarah for your help, your belief, and your patience: I love you.
Book Table at the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet in Seattle
I enjoyed being at the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet. Thank you, everyone who picked up a copy of At The Corner of Fantasy and Main: Disneyland, Midlife and Churros and everyone who stopped by to chat!
First Reading From My New Book
Reading #1 is on Friday, June 10, 2022 from 7-8pm! Poetry book launch at the Florence Mill (9102 N 30th St, Omaha).
This is my 4th book of poetry, just released by The Old Mill Press: At the Corner of Fantasy and Main: Disneyland, Midlife and Churros. I will read from the new book as well as answer questions and autograph books. See more at the Facebook Event Page.
Two More Podcasts
I’m interviewed on 2 more podcasts this week, so check out The Skull Rock Podcast and the All About The Mouse Disney Podcast to hear a few poems and good talk about poetry.
DLWeekly Podcast Interview
I’m on the DLWeekly podcast today, with my interview starting at the 59:50 mark (after a deep dive into the week’s Disneyland news).
Herein, find out more about how when one starts writing a book they think is about Disneyland, they end up writing about a whole lot more. Plus, how it’s good to entertain the hosts so much that they order your book mid-interview.
Click here for the podcast:
https://www.dlweekly.net/231
Featured Poem in the New York Times’ “Morning Update”
It’s been a busy couple of months, and I have another poem featured this morning by the New York Times’ “Morning Update” newsletter (and in the print edition the next day) in response to last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Behind Capitol Violence, Poet Finds ‘a Speech That Caught the Right Ears’
My First Poem in the New York Times
In an odd turn, I had my first poem in the New York Times last week in the Tech section (random call for hammer poems, of course), and my second is today. They’ve published poems by State Poets/Poets Laureate for Thanksgiving. So Happy Thanksgiving everyone, stay safe.
Creative Writing Classes at Abraham Lincoln High School
In this virtual world, I’m doing more class visits via recorded videos and Zoom. It’s especially fun to have questions from students beforehand to incorporate into the presentation, like in this presentation for Creative Writing classes at Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa:
Teacher Kourtney Abbotts sent this kind note after using the video for her classes:
“What an incredible day of presentations! You have given my students a whole new perspective for writing and poetry. Thank you for your hard work to make this happen. My kids LOVED the airplane and tornado poems because of the comparisons that you make. We have been talking a lot about comparisons to create more detailed thoughts and ideas.
I appreciate your help to advance the efforts of creative writing. Your writing routine of Monday deadlines is something the students really want to add to the class. We are going to use Mondays to turn in a piece they have worked on over the week. 🙂“
Kourtney Abbotts, Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa
A Writing Prompt on Guilty Pleasures And 80s Rock
Spending a lot of time at home, I’m grateful for all those being careful out there, not just because I’m a Type 1 Diabetic but for all of us. I ran a writing prompt on guilty pleasures and 80s rock today for the Nebraska Writers Collective which is now available on their YouTube channel, so get to writing!
Support Matt through Patreon at:
https://www.patreon.com/MattMason
And buy his 4th book, At the Corner of Fantasy and Main: Disneyland, Midlife and Churros from The Old Mill Press: https://theoldmillpress.com/product/at-the-corner-of-fantasy-and-main/
Matt Mason is the Nebraska State Poet and has run poetry workshops in Botswana, Romania, Nepal, and Belarus for the U.S. State Department. His poetry has appeared in The New York Times and Matt has received a Pushcart Prize as well as fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and the Nebraska Arts Council. His work can be found in Rattle, Poet Lore, Prairie Schooner, and in hundreds of other publications. Mason’s 5th book, Rock Stars, was published by Button Poetry in 2023.