Your Poetry Menu and American Life in Poetry Column 493

[Matt Mason]

It's another fantastic month for literary happenings around this big, beautiful state, so support local poets!  Speaking of, this week's American Life in Poetry column supports a VERY local poet... as in, me. So I'm trying to be humble but, well, maybe tomorrow, read the column!

• 9/1, M-- 7pm, Open Mic at the Moon, at Crescent Moon Coffee (140 N 8th St #10 Lower Level, Lincoln). For more information, contact cresce...@inebraska.com and check www.crescentmooncoffee.com/. (every Monday)

• 9/2, Tu-- 7pm, Tuesdays with Writers at The South Mill (4736 Prescott, just west of 48th and Prescott, Lincoln). Featured readers TBA. There is an open mic following the feature. For more information, contact Deborah McGinn at dmc...@lps.org (1st Tuesday of the month)

• 9/3, W-- 8pm, Travis Davis invites you to "Poet Show It" at 1122 D St. (Lincoln). Local writers come and read. Local people come and drink. Coffee, Booze, Poetry, Fiction. Discovery. Discovery. Discovery. Go here for the FaceBook link: Facebook.com. (1st and 3rd Wednesday)

• 9/3, W-- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007. (every Wednesday)

• 9/7, Su-- noon-2pm, slam poetry writing workshop at Tomorrow at Chapter Two Books (409 W Mission Ave, Bellevue). Run by Louder Than a Bomb: Great Plains coach Fernando Montejano, Join a group of teens and adults interested in writing and performing slam poetry. Your guides will give you writing prompts to help you write and develop your own poetry. Teens and adults are welcome - bring a notebook, a pen, and a love for creative expression! (every Sunday)

• 9/7, Su-- 7-9pm, TAPESTRIES at The Sydney (5918 Maple St, Omaha). A showcase featuring 4 poets, spoken word artists, storytellers and rappers performing conscious edutaining original sets. (1st Sunday).

• 9/7, Su-- 9pm-1:30am, it's Shoot Your Mouth Off at The Shark Club (2808 S 72nd St, Omaha). Online sign ups on our FB 24/7 for priority stage time: facebook.com/Shootyourmouthoff. Check myspace.com/shootyourmouthoff for interviews with features and more information. Mandy Morgan and Jim Morrison will be your hosts as open mic poetry and comedy, featured readers from Omaha's slam scene and free drinks prizes await you. The best free show in Omaha! (every Sunday)

• 9/8, M-- 7pm, Open Mic at the Moon, at Crescent Moon Coffee (140 N 8th St #10 Lower Level, Lincoln). For more information, contact cresce...@inebraska.com and check www.crescentmooncoffee.com/. (every Monday)

• 9/9, Tu-- 7pm, The Roux at Love's Jazz & Art Center (2510 North 24 St, Omaha). Young poets, spoken word artists, wordsmiths or slam poets, come share your words in this freely expressive space. Or just come with your youth groups to experience the hearts of young people. The cost is only $1 and the money goes to the youth who work the event and snacks. This is a youth run event for the entire family presented by VeRBal GuMBo& organized by Ms. Felicia (Withlove, Felicia). See more on the Facebook Event Page.

• 9/10, W-- 8pm-12am, Acoustic Open Mic for musicians and poets at Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St, Lincoln). Hosted by Spencer. For more information call 402-477-2007. (every Wednesday)

• 9/12-13, F-Sa, The 10th (downtown) Omaha Lit Fest at the Omaha Public Library (215 S 15th St, Omaha). A great event each fall featuring writers of all stripes from around the country for readings, panels, shenanigans! See the Facebook page for the full schedule: Facebook.com.

• 9/12, F-- 7pm, Open Mic Poetry Night at A to Z Books (507 North Jeffers, North Platte) -- ultra large bookstore. It's a fun, funny, widely varied group. Poems can be short or long, funny or touching, rhymed or free verse. Musicians too. George Lauby of The North Platte Bulletin emcees and makes you feel comfortable. (2nd Friday, 4th Saturday).

• 9/13, Sa-- 7:30pm, the OM Center Poetry Slam and open mic (1216 Howard, Omaha). It's the longest-running slam in Omaha, often featuring some of the best performance poets in the nation. Open mic starts at 7:30 followed by the slam; sign up BEFORE 7:30 as signup is limited. Hosted by Zedeka Poindexter. $7 suggested donation. Call 402/345-5078 or go to OmahaSlam.com for more information. (2nd Saturday of every month)

• 9/14, Su-- 9pm-1:30am, it's Shoot Your Mouth Off at The Shark Club (2808 S 72nd St, Omaha). Online sign ups on our FB 24/7 for priority stage time: facebook.com/Shootyourmouthoff. Check myspace.com/shootyourmouthoff for interviews with features and more information. Mandy Morgan and Jim Morrison will be your hosts as open mic poetry and comedy, featured readers from Omaha's slam scene and free drinks prizes await you. The best free show in Omaha! (every Sunday)

• 9/15, M-- 7pm, Open Mic at the Moon, at Crescent Moon Coffee (140 N 8th St #10 Lower Level, Lincoln). For more information, contact cresce...@inebraska.com and check www.crescentmooncoffee.com/. (every Monday)

• 9/16, Tu-- 7pm, poetry reading/book signing at Mr. Toad's (1002 Howard Street, Omaha). Michael Skau reads from his new book Me & God.

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American Life in Poetry: Column 493

BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

Stories read to us as children can stay with us all our lives. Robert McCloskey’s Lentil was especially influential for me, and other books have helped to shape you. Here’s Matt Mason, who lives in Omaha, with a book that many of you will remember.


The Story of Ferdinand the Bull

Dad would come home after too long at work

and I’d sit on his lap to hear

the story of Ferdinand the Bull; every night,

me handing him the red book until I knew

every word, couldn’t read,

just recite along with drawings

of a gentle bull, frustrated matadors,

the all-important bee, and flowers—

flowers in meadows and flowers

thrown by the Spanish ladies.

Its lesson, really,

about not being what you’re born into

but what you’re born to be,

even if that means

not caring about the capes they wave in your face

or the spears they cut into your shoulders.

And Dad, wonderful Dad, came home

after too long at work

and read to me

the same story every night

until I knew every word, couldn’t read,

                                                                              just recite.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2013 by Matt Mason from his most recent book of poems, The Baby That Ate Cincinnati, Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2013. Poem reprinted by permission of Matt Mason and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2014 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

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American Life in Poetry provides newspapers and online publications with a free weekly column featuring contemporary American poems. The sole mission of this project is to promote poetry: American Life in Poetry seeks to create a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. There are no costs for reprinting the columns; we do require that you register your publication here and that the text of the column be reproduced without alteration.

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          Executive Director, Nebraska Writers Collective: newriters.org
                            My homepage: Matt.MidVerse.com
                    Find Nebraska poetry info at: PoetryMenu.com