Workshops |
Between them, they have taught writing workshops and performed for high schools and junior highs in Omaha; Albuquerque; Chico, CA; Holdrege, Ralston, Bellevue, Lincoln, Ashland, La Vista, South Sioux City, and Cambridge, Nebraska; Council Bluffs, Iowa; libraries in Omaha and Council Bluffs; and much more. They've taught courses, workshops and/or performed at Bellevue University, Briar Cliff University, the University of California at Davis, Creighton University, Iowa State University, Metro Community College, Midland Lutheran College, Mills College, Morningside College, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of South Dakota, Wayne State College, and others. |
Background |
Matt and Sarah base themselves out of Omaha, Nebraska: Matt with an MA from the University of California at Davis and Sarah with a Creative Writing BA from the University of New Mexico. Sarah was part of the 2001 Albuquerque Poetry Slam Team, and both competed in the 2002 National Poetry Slam--Matt as part of Des Moines' team, Sarah as an individual, and Sarah's poem "Paralyzed Night" was one of 50 chosen from the hundreds of poems read there for inclusion in Freedom To Speak, the anthology representing the event. They both made the 2003 Omaha Poetry Slam Team which earned the semi-finals at Nationals. Not only did McKinstry-Brown make numerous Top 10 lists of highlights from that Nationals, both poets were among the 50 with a poem chosen for the event's anthology, From Page to Stage and Back Again. Both again made the 2005 Omaha Slam Team. The two read at events like the Nebraska Book Festival, the Nebraska State Fair, the Western Literature Association's Annual Conference, the Plains Writers Series, and more.
The two have won poetry slams all around the country, including at the Uptown Slam in Chicago, where poetry slams began; and both have toured the US from coast to coast, featuring at colleges, literature festivals, and other poetry events. Sarah has even had her poetry featured on Albuquerque's mass transit as part of Magnifico's Tumblewords Project and both have poems featured on bus benches in Omaha as part of the Bench Marks Project. Matt also appears on the cover and both appear in the cover story of Omaha Magazine's March/April, 2005 issue. |
Publications
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Mason and McKinstry-Brown have a total of 1 book, 9 chapbooks and 3 CD's available, including Mason's Things We Don't Know We Don't Know, winner of the 2007 Nebraska Book Award for Poetry, A Blessing And A Curse which made the Omaha World-Herald's "Recommended Reading" list for 2000, and Slamma Lamma Ding Dong, co-edited by Mason and winner of the 2006 Nebraska Book Award for Anthology.
Recently, poems of theirs have been accepted by Prairie Schooner, Green Mountains Review, The Laurel Review, Poet Lore, Mid-American Review, Rhino, Chiron Review as well as numerous anthologies. |
| Upcoming Appearances (events with times are open to the public) |
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| 4/4/08, Liberty Elementary School, Poet's Cafe; Omaha, NE
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| 4/4/08, Creighton University Poetry Slam, Omaha, NE
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| 4/5/08, 1pm and 3pm workshops, reading at 7:30pm, Right Next Door Coffee Shop, "Got Poetry?" Poetry Festival; Tekamah, NE
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| 4/11/08, 7:30pm, Omaha Healing Arts Center, Poetry Slam; Omaha, NE (and 2nd Saturday of every month)
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| 4/12/08, Mahoney State Park, Nebraska Writers Guild Conference; Ashland, NE
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| 4/15/08, Hitchcock Nature Center, Ralston Poetry Festival; Crescent, IA
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| 4/16-17/08, Nathan Hale Middle School; Omaha, NE
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| 4/19/08, 9-10:30am (registration required), Embassy Suites Hotel; Death, Murder, and Mayhem conference; Omaha, NE
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| 4/22/08, Noon and 7pm, Central Community College; Grand Island, NE
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| 4/23/08, Noon and 7pm, Central Community College; Hastings, NE
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| 4/24/08, 7pm, Central Community College; Columbus, NE
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| 4/28 and 30/08, 5/6 and 12/08, South Sioux City Middle School; South Sioux City, NE
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| 6/9-20/08, ESU 11 Summer Honors Program; Holdrege, NE
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| 7/10/08, 7pm, Bellevue Public Library, Bellevue Teen Poetry Slam; Bellevue, NE
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| 7/28/08, Nebraska Writing Project, Celebrating Rural Poetry; Nebraska City, NE
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| 9/14/08, 1pm, Omaha Public Library's Poetry Bash for Teens; Omaha, NE
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| 9/18/08, 7pm, Lexington Public Library; Lexington, NE
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| 9/19-20/08, emcee for The Great Plains Poetry Pile-Up in Fremont, NE
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| 9/27-28/08, TBA, Festival of the Arts; Columbia, MO
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| 10/10/08, Plum Creek Literary Festival; Seward, NE
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| 10/11/08, Nebraska Language Arts teachers meeting; Seward, NE
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