Matt Mason
Encyclopedia
Matt Mason is a poet
based in Omaha
, Nebraska
born in 1962. He has published eight chapbooks and one full-length work of poetry
as well as two anthologies. Mason has written about relationships, religion and the Bible, and themes of Midwest and Great Plains life. Mason's early work focused on cows and earned him a reputation as a humorous poet, but he has written comedy
, drama
, and tragedy
.
Six of Mason's eight chapbooks have been published through his own small press
, Morpo Press. His full-length book, Things We Don't Know We Don't Know (2006), was published by the Backwaters Press
and debuted at #12 on The Poetry Foundation's Contemporary bestsellers list. The anthology Slamma Lamma Ding Dong (2005), which Mason co-edited, was made available through iuniverse
and won the 2006 Nebraska Book Award for Best Anthology.
Mason is notable also because of his work as a poetry
activist in the Omaha area. He operates the Poetry Menu, a website that lists poetry events in Nebraska. He has hosted several events in Omaha, most recently the Healing Arts Center poetry slam. Mason has been a member of the team representing Omaha at the National Poetry Slam in 2003 and 2005 as well as member of the 2002 Des Moines poetry slam team.
Mason is married to the poet Sarah McKinstry-Brown (aka Sarah Mason). They have two daughters, Sophia and Lucia.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
based in Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
born in 1962. He has published eight chapbooks and one full-length work of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
as well as two anthologies. Mason has written about relationships, religion and the Bible, and themes of Midwest and Great Plains life. Mason's early work focused on cows and earned him a reputation as a humorous poet, but he has written comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, and tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
.
Six of Mason's eight chapbooks have been published through his own small press
Small press
Small press is a term often used to describe publishers with annual sales below a certain level. Commonly, in the United States, this is set at $50 million, after returns and discounts...
, Morpo Press. His full-length book, Things We Don't Know We Don't Know (2006), was published by the Backwaters Press
Backwaters Press
The Backwaters Press is a small press based in Omaha, Nebraska that publishes poetry. Many of the authors published by the press are also based in Nebraska....
and debuted at #12 on The Poetry Foundation's Contemporary bestsellers list. The anthology Slamma Lamma Ding Dong (2005), which Mason co-edited, was made available through iuniverse
IUniverse
iUniverse, founded in October 1999, is a self-publishing company, co-located with AuthorHouse in Bloomington, Indiana. Publishers Weekly notes iUniverse has partnerships with The Writers' Club and the Writer's Digest .-History:iUniverse initially focused on business-to-consumer print-on-demand...
and won the 2006 Nebraska Book Award for Best Anthology.
Mason is notable also because of his work as a poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
activist in the Omaha area. He operates the Poetry Menu, a website that lists poetry events in Nebraska. He has hosted several events in Omaha, most recently the Healing Arts Center poetry slam. Mason has been a member of the team representing Omaha at the National Poetry Slam in 2003 and 2005 as well as member of the 2002 Des Moines poetry slam team.
Mason is married to the poet Sarah McKinstry-Brown (aka Sarah Mason). They have two daughters, Sophia and Lucia.
Chapbooks
- Old Froggo's Book of Practical Cows, Morpo Press, 1997.
- Desire for More Cows, Morpo Press, 1998.
- A Blessing and A Curse, Morpo Press, 2000.
- A Still, Small Voice, Morpo Press, 2001.
- Coffee and Astronomy and Other Poems, Morpo Press, 2001.
- Mistranslating Neruda, New Michigan Press, 2002.
- Red, White, Blue, Morpo Press, 2003.
- When the Bough Breaks, Lone Willow Press, 2005.