Twyla M. Hansen (born 1949) is an American
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
, currently serving as the
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
State Poet. She is the third Nebraskan and first woman to hold this position, to which she was appointed by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Dave Heineman
David Eugene Heineman (born May 12, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 39th governor of Nebraska from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 39th treasurer of Nebraska from 1995 to 2001 and 37th lieu ...
in November 2013.
Life
Hansen was raised near the town of
Lyons
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...
in northeast Nebraska and currently lives in
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
. She holds a bachelor's degree in horticulture and a master's degree in agroecology from the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. While working as grounds manager and arboretum curator at
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it has approximately 2,100 students including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...
, Hansen took classes from poet
William Kloefkorn
William Charles "Bill" Kloefkorn (August 12, 1932 – May 19, 2011), was a Nebraska poet and educator based in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was the author of twelve collections of poetry, two short story collections, a collection of children's Christmas ...
, who became one of her mentors. Hansen was appointed to replace Kloefkorn as Nebraska State Poet after his death in 2011.
Awards
* 2004
Nebraska Book Award for Poetry (for Potato Soup)
* 2012 Nebraska Book Award -
Nebraska Center for the Book (for Dirt Songs: A Plains Duet)
Selected publications
Books
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* Illustrated by Paul Johnsgard.
* With Linda Hasselstrom.
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Anthologies
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References
External links
Biography at the Nebraska Center for WritersBiography, selected poetry, and scholarly essays at ''Poetry from the Plains''Twyla Hansen and Paul Johnsgard's "Prairie Suite: A Celebration"
1949 births
Living people
Poets Laureate of Nebraska
American women poets
Poets from Nebraska
Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska
20th-century American poets
20th-century American women writers
People from Lyons, Nebraska
21st-century American women
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