State Poet doesn't mix metaphors at local library

HARTINGTON – Matt Mason is an award-winning poet – and people across Nebraska know it, especially after they see him present his poems in person.

The Nebraska State Poet stopped by the Hartington Public Library on Sept. 12 during his first-ever visit to Cedar County and performed a poetry reading during a scheduled hour-long stop.

In addition to reading from a few of his five poetry books, Mason talked about poetry and answered questions from the audience, including ones about his own writing – such as how and why he writes poetry – as well as what he sees as poetry and why is poetry important.

'I love things like that because it ends up being a really fun discussion based on what they're most interested in,' Mason said. 'It was a lot of fun. I thought it was a great conversation with everybody there. I really enjoyed it.'

The Omaha man explained he has a goal of presenting poetry publicly in all 93 counties across Nebraska during his five-year tenure as the State Poet. His term will be completed at the end of 2024.

Cedar County marked the 63rd Nebraska county the 55-year-old has visited as part of his ongoing project. He recently made stops in Knox and Pierce counties, too.

'As State Poet, my project is to try to do at least one poetry event in every county of Nebraska,' Mason said. 'I'm just trying to line up different readings all around the state. I've been just trying to get this done before the term is over.'

He noted he loves going into different areas of Nebraska, sharing his experiences with poetry and hearing from others about their experiences with it.

'A lot of people don't know what to expect from poetry,' Mason said. 'I really enjoy making poetry entertaining, so I end up having a lot of fun, and I think the audience does, too.'

He explained he prepares for his public presentations of poetry as if they are performances.

'Choosing the right poems – poems that are both maybe emotional, but also funny, and then delivering them in a way that hopefully gives the poems credit, makes them come alive a little bit,' Mason said of his preparation for his presentations.

He noted he gets inspiration for his poetry every day. 'It's mostly just the things around me in day-to-day life,' Mason said. 'Basically, I have a (personal) deadline of Monday night where I have to have started at least one poem by the end of that week.

'Every week, I'm just looking for things to write about – I've got two daughters, I'm married, things in the newspaper or things that I see (while) driving around the state,' he said.

He noted he never runs out of ideas for his poems. 'There are so many different things,' Mason said. 'In any day, there are enough things that you'll pass that you might forget 10 minutes later, but if you're looking for something to write about, you can really turn it into something.'

He mentioned one of his poems, titled 'Notes For My Daughter Against Chasing Storms,' which he shared with his Hartington audience.

'I used to work for a freelance video-photography crew,' Mason said. 'We were in Kearney, Nebraska, for a weather story, and we were supposed to be doing live shots all day, but then the storm they predicted to come through wasn't all that bad.

'We didn't have a lot of work,' he said. 'We're sitting in a parking lot, only doing a couple shots, so we had a lot of spare time. I didn't have a book. I just started writing – describing the things around me.'

What he wrote on that day more than a decade ago included details such as 'the two-by-four in a roof' and 'a car on a car on a motorcycle.'

'I just started writing a poem about tornadoes and then just followed when it shifted gears and went somewhere else,' Mason said.

He described his personal goal of putting together at least one poem per week as 'the motivation to keep writing,' adding he usually writes 70-80 poems a year.

'Some weeks, it's not great,' Mason said of his poetry. 'It's enough to keep me concentrated on writing and it just keeps me going.'

He has been interested in poetry ever since he was in high school at Creighton Prep in his hometown of Omaha.

'I started writing poetry when I was in high school, even though I really wasn't connecting with the poetry we were studying,' Mason said. 'There's so much going on when you're in high school emotionally.

'I found that if I wrote things down that were poems or at least things in the shape of poems, it helped me understand myself and the world a little bit better,' he said. 'I've just kept up ever since.' He graduated in 1990 from Santa Clara University in California with a bachelor’s degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing, and in 1994 from the University of California, Davis, with a master’s degree in English, with an emphasis in creative writing, specifically poetry.

“I spent a lot of years bouncing from Omaha, moved out to California, moved back, moved to Des Moines, Iowa, for a year, moved back, moved to California, moved back,” Mason said, adding he finally settled back in Omaha to live and raise a family.

Mason – who has two daughters, Sophia and Lucia, with his wife, Sarah McKinstry-Brown, who also is a poet – noted he continues to write poetry because he believes it helps him to live a better life and be a better person.

As far as becoming the State Poet, he noted the process starts with a public call for nominations for the honorary arts position every five years.

It’s done by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Library Commission.

“They take public nominations and then they go through all the nominations, select some finalists based on the recommendations and then pull the finalists in for interviews. At the interviews, you propose a project, and then you read some poems, you answer questions and just have a conversation,” he said. “Then if they select your name and send it to the governor, and if the governor signs off on it, you’re the State Poet.”

Humanities Nebraska’s website describes the State Poet as “a designation that recognizes and honors a Nebraska poet of exceptional talent and accomplishment.”

In addition, the State Poet serves as an advocate for poetry, literacy and literature in Nebraska during a five-year renewable term.

Among the duties of the State Poet are giving public presentations and readings, leading workshops and discussions, and providing other outreach in schools, libraries, literary festivals and various venues in rural and urban areas across the state.

Mason described the experience of being the State Poet as “amazing.”

“It’s been a huge honor,” Mason said. “I’m just grateful for the arts agencies making it happen.”

However, when he thinks of the State Poet, he does not think of himself first. Instead, his mind goes to William “Bill” Kloefkorn, who held that position from 1982 until his death in 2011.

“When I moved back to Nebraska after going to grad school in California, the State Poet was Bill Kloefkorn,” Mason said. “Back then, it was a lifetime position.”

While he has been honored to hold the title since 2019, Mason noted he only wants to serve one term as the State Poet.

“There are so many Nebraska poets that deserve the honor,” Mason said. “I’d love to see them get the same kind of exposure and opportunities I’ve had.

“Even after I’m done being the State Poet, it’s still on my resume,” he said. “I’ll still have poetry work. I’ll still be trying to make it as a poet, but I’d love to see somebody else have the title.”

He hopes his job plans for when after he is done as the State Poet, will be similar to what he is doing now.

“I hope to keep on doing much of what I’ve been doing,” Mason said. “I want to continue doing readings and writing workshops with schools, with libraries, with colleges. It’s the kind of work I love and I think I’m best at, so I want to keep doing this.”

For more information on Mason, people may visit his website at Matt.MidVerse.com.