Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason will lead you in exercises to write a poem, even if you’ve never written one before. Conversation will include what makes poetry meaningful in today’s world, and participants will get some words down and have fun doing it. At the end of the workshop, attendees are welcome to share their work with the group. This is a workshop best suited for ages 12+. Free registration is required, and space is limited.

Matt Mason is the Nebraska State Poet and, through the US State Department, has run poetry programs in Botswana, Romania, Nepal and Belarus. Mason is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the Academy of American Poets and the Nebraska Arts Council. His work can be found in The New York Times, on NPR’s Morning Edition, in American Life in Poetry and more. Mason’s 4th book, At the Corner of Fantasy and Main: Disneyland, Midlife and Churros, was released by The Old Mill Press in 2022.

This event is part of the 14th annual Art & Literary Festival presented by The Castle & Cathedral District and Metropolitan Community College. This year the festival honors Hemingway & the Lost Generation, presenting dramatic excerpts from works by Earnest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Viginia Woolf, and Gertrude Stein. For the first time ever, the Art & Literary Festival is being presented district-wide across the newly-formed Castle & Cathedral District! The festival includes a robust itinerary of poetry workshops, lectures, readings, and of course, a full theatrical presentation throughout the Joslyn Castle. Many of these opportunities are presented free to the community. For full festival information, and to register for or buy tickets to specific events, visit the festival website at https://joslyncastle.com/events/special-events/art-and-literary-festival-2023.html.