“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.
Previous recipients include Robin and Hilda
Neihardt, Ron Hull of Nebraska Public Television, former Gov. And Mrs. Charles
Thone, teacher Joe Green, folklorist Roger Welsch, Nebraska poets Bill Kloefkorn,
Ted Kooser and Twyla Hansen, college president Mryv
Christopherson and his wife Anne,
Authors Tim Anderson and Joe Starita, Professor and Photographer Don Doll,
Author and Former Neihardt Site director Chuck Trimble, singer/sonwriter Bobby
Bridger, and television personality Dick Cavett.
This year we present this award to a
publisher, whose mission is to extend the University
of Nebraska mission of teaching, research, and service by promoting,
publishing, and disseminating works of intellectual and cultural significance
and enduring value.
The University of Nebraska Press has been in operation since
1941. During those 77 years the Press has grown to be the largest university
press located between Chicago and California with nearly 3000 books in print. The
press is a nonprofit scholarly and general interest press that publishes 160
new and reprint titles annually under the Nebraska and Bison Books imprints
along with 25 journals.
The press is best known for publishing works in indigenous
studies, western American history, literary translation and sports history.
In 1961, Bison Books republished John G. Neihardt’s “Black Elk
Speaks.”
Despite critical acclaim, the cloth book version of “Black Elk
Speaks” was not a huge seller.
Then in 1971, talk show host Dick Cavett interviewed Neihardt,
and sales of “Black Elk Speaks” surged. Twice UNP lost the publishing rights,
but in 2013 Shear brought the book back to UNP with a 10-year promotional
plan."Black Elk Speaks" has surpassed all other UNP books in sales.
This year it reached a milestone, selling its millionth copy.
Accepting the award, is Executive Director of the University of
Nebraska Press, Donna Shear. Donna has served as Executive Director since 2009,
having worked at Northwestern Press in Evanston Ill. She has been to many of
the Neihardt Foundation events and we appreciate her support.
This year we celebrate the sale of over 1 million copies of
Black Elks Speaks and recognize the publishing company that helped make that
happen.
