“Word Sender” was the name given to Neihardt by the Oglala Lakota holy man Black Elk. It describes someone whose words spread far and wide to bring good words of knowledge and inspiration.
The position of Nebraska Poet Laureate was established in 1921 when John G. Neihardt was appointed by the Legislature. In 1982 Governor Thone appointed the first State Poet of Nebraska, a title that has continued to today.
This year we present the Word Sender Award to our State Poet of Nebraska Matt Mason. The Nebraska State Poet is selected based on artistic excellence and exemplary professionalism demonstrated by significant publications and special honors, an established history of community service in the advancement of poetry in Nebraska, and the ability to present poetry and interact effectively with a public audience.
Matt Mason is executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, through which he has run the Louder Than a Bomb: Great Plains youth poetry festival each year since 2011. He is a former board president of the Nebraska Center for the Book and has served as the Nebraska State Coordinator for Poetry Out Loud, a National Education Association program. He also edits PoetryMenu.com, a listing of every poetry event in the state of Nebraska. Matt has been the recipient of the Pushcart Prize and two Nebraska Book Awards for his own works (for Poetry in 2007 and Anthology in 2006).
