John G. Neihardt ,

John G. Neihardt was an American author, poet, and historian best known for his epic poem 'A Cycle of the West' and his influential book 'Black Elk Speaks', which recounts the visions of the Lakota holy man Black Elk. His work focused on the American frontier and Native American spirituality, earning him recognition as Nebraska's first poet laureate. He spent much of his life in Nebraska, where he wrote and taught.