Calendar of Events

May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
October |
November |
December |
Ongoing

Dates, locations, and times are subject to change. Some workshops or events may charge a fee. Contact us to submit your event.

May

May 8, 2025 Lies and Evasions: How Subtext Increases Reader Engagement in Every Genre of Writing
Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave.
Kearney, 12:00 - 2:30 pm
Join poet Bruce E. Whitacre in a writing workshop about "subtext", a key feature of dramatic writing. It is defined as the unstated or implied meaning of a passage of dialogue. Words that imply but do not directly express meaning leave room for actors to deepen their interpretations of the moment, and for readers to put themselves more vividly in the shoes of the speaker or character. Examples from film, poetry and prose, exploration and discussion of the technique, and a brief writing exercise will help bring new tools to writers in every genre.
May 8, 2025 Visiting Author: Liese Greensfelder with Roger Holmes — "Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway"
Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S. 13th St.
Lincoln, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
In May 1972, twenty-year-old Liese Greensfelder arrived in a small Norwegian town prepared for her first summer farmhand job, only to learn the startling news that she’d need to singlehandedly watch over the centuries-old farm while its owner recovered from a stroke. Confronted with dangers and obstacles for which she was utterly unprepared, she tells a story of remarkable resilience and records the fascinating but rapidly vanishing traditions of the community that took her in in her newly released book Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway. Liese will be in conversation with Lincoln woodworker, writer, and editor Roger Holmes. Book signing to follow the conversation.
May 8, 2025 Resonance Beat Poetry Jam
Razor Wire Productions Art Gallery & Tattoo, 1808 Vinton St.
Omaha, 7:00 pm
Wanna try your hand at pairing your writing with music? Or maybe you’ve just never had the sublime experience of hearing the fusion? Either way, we would like to invite you! Named The Resonance for the beautiful ways these artforms play off one another. Sponsored by the Nebraska Poetry Society.
May 9, 2025 Poetry Readings at The Lion: a Poetry Feature and Open Mic with Julie S. Paschold
St Mark's on the Campus, 1309 R St.
Lincoln, 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Guests may study, write, read, relax, sit, talk, and generally socialize with friends over coffee, tea, and other beverages from opening at 5:30 pm until 6:00 pm when Julie S. Paschold will feature. If time remains, Open Mic will follow until closing.
May 10, 2025 Nebraska Warrior Writers: Lincoln Workshop with Tina Le
Pius X High School, Conference Room, 6000 A S. (West Entrance 11)
Lincoln, 9:00 - 11:00 am
Nebraska Warrior Writers is a program designed to help veterans and active duty military personnel express their thoughts and feelings in words. Participants need only be interested in writing in any form – they do not need to have any previous writing experience to benefit from the workshops. Facilitated by professional writing instructors Tom Seib and Terri Dimon, the workshops consist of 6-8 biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Model texts are read and discussed by the group to help participants identify how good writing is built and to allow writing practice with immediate feedback. Writers develop a strong bond as they encourage each other. All Nebraska Warrior Writers, past and present, are welcome to attend and each week alternates a guest presenter. This week has Tina Le, Nebraska Writers Collective Core Teaching Artist and member of the Nebraska Writing Project advisory board.
May 10, 2025 Therapy Session Poetry and Live Music Night: "Down But Not Defeated"
Sozo Coffeehouse, 1314 Jones St.
Omaha, 6:30 - 10:00 pm
Join us for a poetry experience like no other-where sobriety, healing, and artistry collide. This is more than a show-it's a safe space for emotional release, creative expression, and connection with community. Expect a night filled with Spoken word performances, Vendor Lounge, Live music artists, Crafted mocktails, Sound bowl meditation and more. $15. Limited seats.
May 10, 2025 Omaha Poetry Slam
The Local Art Plug, 1722 St. Marys Ave. Suite 110
Omaha, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Nebraska Writers Collective proudly presents the Omaha Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Saturday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We will start at 7 p.m. with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! Sign up at the event. (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)
May 13, 2025 Writers' Workshop with Sarah McKinstry-Brown
Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave.
Kearney, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Join us for this writing workshop led by award-winning Nebraska Poet, Sarah McKinstry-Brown. She will inspire you to experience, love, and write poetry. Registration is required. The workshop fee is $15 and will include lunch.
May 13, 2025 Poetry Reading with Sarah McKinstry-Brown
Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave.
Kearney, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Enjoy an evening of poetry with award-winning Nebraska Poet Sarah McKinstry-Brown. She will inspire you to experience, love, and write poetry. Free and open to the public.
May 13, 2025 Common Senses Festival Presents: Voices Untethered
Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple S.
Omaha, 7:30 - 9:30 pm
Common Senses welcomes writers of all disciplines to the Benson Theatre for a curated poetry showcase featuring activist, educator, and poet Lateef McLeod along with participants from the Common Senses writing workshop series led by Nebraska Writers Collective Teaching Artists Ben Wenzl and Bridigt Pollpeter. Readers will share their work with powerful themes like voice and identity, and audience members will have the opportunity to engage with writers living and creating at the intersection of ability and poetry. You won’t want to miss this evening of community, joy, and creativity!
May 14, 2025 Virtual Writing Workshop with Ramya Ramana | For ADULTS
Zoom, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
This workshop invites adult writers of all experience levels to explore poetry as a space for reflection and healing. Led by internationally acclaimed poet Ramya Ramana, participants will engage in generative writing and guided prompts that explore personal and collective transformation through the written word. The workshop will focus on the intersection of healing and poetry.
May 15, 2025 Vocal Fry
Shirley Tyree Theater, 2401 N 24th St.
Omaha, 7:00 pm
Prepare to be moved, inspired, and electrified at the only spoken word event in Nebraska dedicated solely to the art of expression. This isn’t just another open mic night—it’s a celebration of storytelling and raw emotion, where voices from all walks of life take center stage. Nathan Lachner and State Poet Jewel Rodgers, MCs.
May 17, 2025 The Others with Kiara Nicole Letcher
Zoom, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Discover the eerie in poetry! This workshop explores poems that deal with the supernatural. We’ll unveil hidden meanings in the seen and unseen, then craft your own paranormal verses. Join us for a journey beyond the ordinary and into the world of peculiar poetry. Led by Kiara Nicole Letcher.
May 17, 2025 Nebraska Warrior Writers: Omaha Workshop with Karla Hernandez Torrijos
Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Center, Conference Room, 9777 M St.
Omaha, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Nebraska Warrior Writers is a program designed to help veterans and active duty military personnel express their thoughts and feelings in words. Participants need only be interested in writing in any form – they do not need to have any previous writing experience to benefit from the workshops. Facilitated by professional writing instructors Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn, the workshops consist of 6-8 biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Model texts are read and discussed by the group to help participants identify how good writing is built and to allow writing practice with immediate feedback. Writers develop a strong bond as they encourage each other. All Nebraska Warrior Writers, past and present, are welcome to attend and each week alternates a guest presenter. This week is poet and workshop facilitator Karla Hernandez Torrijos.
May 17, 2025 Free Museum Day, Featuring Author Tosca Lee and BAT Academy Art Studio
The John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, 306 W. Elm St.
Bancroft, 12:00 - 4:00 pm
Join Nebraska author and New York Times best-seller Tosca Lee in Bancroft at the John G. Neihardt Historical Site for Free Museum Day! Enjoy a celebration of community and books! She will be talking about the history and writing of The Long March Home: a WWII Novel of the Pacific, the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection, followed by the Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools Artwork Opening Reception. Student artwork will be on display at the Neihardt Center through the summer. Light refreshments will be offered at the reception.
May 19, 2025 Battlefield Book Club with Author Tosca Lee
Sump Memorial Library, 222 N Jefferson St.
Papillion, 6:00 pm
Join Nebraska author and New York Times best-seller Tosca Lee and members of the Battlefield Book Club at the Sump Memorial Library to talk about the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection The Long March Home: A WWII Novel of the Pacific – including the stories and history behind the books and its aftermath.
May 21, 2025 Virtual Writing Workshop with Ramya Ramana | For ADULTS
Zoom, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
This workshop invites adult writers of all experience levels to explore poetry as a space for reflection and healing. Led by internationally acclaimed poet Ramya Ramana, participants will engage in generative writing and guided prompts that explore personal and collective transformation through the written word. The workshop will focus on the intersection of healing and poetry.
May 25-31, 2025 2025 New Play Festival
Metropolitan Community College, Fort Omaha Campus, Swanson Conference Center, 5730 N 30th St. Bldg 22
Omaha, 9:30 am - 8:30 pm (time varies by day)
The New Play Festival was founded in 2006 by Metropolitan Community College and continues, now that the GPTC is its own nonprofit, as a vibrant community partnership between the two organizations. During the Festival, local and national playwrights, actors, directors, dramaturgs, designers and Omaha community members, share a week of stories, workshops, readings, meals, performances and celebrations. All public festival events are free to attend. Make sure to check out the schedule and the lineup of featured playwrights, artists, dramaturgs, and directors!
May 31, 2025 Poetry Meets Memoir with Anastacia Reneé
Zoom, 10:00 - 11:30 am
In this genre-bending workshop we will collectively and independently explore and interrogate stories, communal folklore and our archival of memories. We will lay our memories (from multiple points of view) out and jigsaw them to create first drafts of The Haibun, and The Nines poems. Facilitated by Anastacia Reneé: queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, playwright, former radio host, TEDX speaker, and podcaster.
May 31, 2025 Nebraska Warrior Writers: Omaha Workshop with Jewel Rodgers
Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Center, Conference Room, 9777 M St.
Omaha, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Nebraska Warrior Writers is a program designed to help veterans and active duty military personnel express their thoughts and feelings in words. Participants need only be interested in writing in any form – they do not need to have any previous writing experience to benefit from the workshops. Facilitated by professional writing instructors Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn, the workshops consist of 6-8 biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Model texts are read and discussed by the group to help participants identify how good writing is built and to allow writing practice with immediate feedback. Writers develop a strong bond as they encourage each other. All Nebraska Warrior Writers, past and present, are welcome to attend and each week alternates a guest presenter. This week's guest is Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers.

June

June 2, 2025 Adult Summer Reading Program Kickoff: Tosca Lee Author Visit
Grand Island Public Library, 1124 W 2nd St.
Grand Island, 5:30 pm
Join Nebraska author and New York Times best-seller Tosca Lee as we kick off our Adult Summer Reading Program! Enjoy a talk about the history behind the 2025 One Book One Nebraska pick, The Long March Home: A WWII Novel of the Pacific and more about the writing of this novel with friend and co-author Marcus Brotherton.
June 3, 2025 John Brehm Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Brehm’s poems explore the darkest and brightest moments of our lives. Some show a path forward and others simply acknowledge and empathize with where we are, but all touch deep inside our hearts and into a greater connection with the world around us.
June 12, 2025 Resonance Beat Poetry Jam
Razor Wire Productions Art Gallery & Tattoo, 1808 Vinton St.
Omaha, 7:00 pm
Wanna try your hand at pairing your writing with music? Or maybe you’ve just never had the sublime experience of hearing the fusion? Either way, we would like to invite you! Named The Resonance for the beautiful ways these artforms play off one another. Sponsored by the Nebraska Poetry Society.
June 13, 2025 Poetry Readings at The Lion: a Poetry Feature and Open Mic with Jewel Rodgers
St Mark's on the Campus, 1309 R St.
Lincoln, 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Guests may study, write, read, relax, sit, talk, and generally socialize with friends over coffee, tea, and other beverages from opening at 5:30 pm until 6:00 pm when Jewel Rodgers will feature. If time remains, Open Mic will follow until closing.
June 14, 21, & 28, 2025 Getting Real: Taking Your Writing to the Next Level
Zoom, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
It's an irony of the writing life: the better you get at writing, the harder it is to improve. After publishing a few stories or essays, you might wonder if you have stalled out. Whether you are looking to break into publishing in literary journals or have your sights set on more commercial markets, this class offers practical strategies and support for getting there. Through mini-lectures, reading, conversation, and writing exercises, we will make an honest assessment of where we are in our writing lives and what it is we really want from them. We will take inventory of what might be holding us back and what our next steps might look like. Instructed by Steve Edwards, author of the memoir Breaking into the Backcountry and essayist. Limit: 12 participants. Nonmember price: $150.
June 14, 2025 Omaha Poetry Slam
The Local Art Plug, 1722 St. Marys Ave, Suite 110,
Omaha, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Nebraska Writers Collective proudly presents the Omaha Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Saturday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We will start at 7 p.m. with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! Sign up at the event. (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)
June 14, 2025 Playlist: Turning Songs Into Poetry
Zoom, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Turn the songs that shaped you into poems. Some songs are a way of time travel where we listen to a song from our youth and hear it both right now and in those moments years ago. In this workshop, we'll explore how those moments spark with memory and experience. Led by Matt Mason.

July

July 1, 2025 Hadara Bar-Nadav Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Hadara Bar-Nadav's latest book casts spells and confronts illusions, ignites grief and awe, and challenges our assumptions about what it means to heal our bodies, our families, and our shared histories.
July 12, 2025 Adapting Classical Mythology with Maria Zoccola
Zoom, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Discover how mythology shapes how we see ourselves and the world. In this workshop, you’ll explore how ancient stories shape modern identity, power, and beauty — and create your own myth-inspired poems that speak to today’s truths and transformations.
July 12, 2025 Omaha Poetry Slam
The Local Art Plug, 1722 St. Marys Ave, Suite 110,
Omaha, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Nebraska Writers Collective proudly presents the Omaha Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Saturday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We will start at 7 p.m. with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! Sign up at the event. (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)

August

August 5, 2025 Janice N. Harrington Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Harrington writes descriptive, lyrical, and experimental poems that speak to the Black American Imagination in all its multiplicity, advocating for a future that celebrates pleasure and self-fulfillment within Black communities.
August 9, 2025 Omaha Poetry Slam
The Local Art Plug, 1722 St. Marys Ave, Suite 110,
Omaha, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
The Nebraska Writers Collective proudly presents the Omaha Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Saturday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. We will start at 7 p.m. with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! Sign up at the event. (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)

September

September 2, 2025 Jewel Rodgers Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Rodgers spoken word poetry is electric and engaging. Her poetry inspires audiences to dig into the wells of our lives for beauty and connection.

October

October 7, 2025 Mary K. Stillwell Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
One of Stillwell's poetry collections explores the murder of two women, another celebrates the power of imagination. Her work covers a broad range of topics, from lyrical to narrative, and always captivating.

November

November 4, 2025 Charles Fort Poetry Reading & Discussion
Zoom, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
Fort’s poetry demonstrates, unequivocally, that he is a master of his craft. By turns surreal, tender, terrifying, absurd, and soulful, Fort’s work churns with passionate, forceful expression.

December

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Ongoing

Lincoln

Lincoln City Library Book Groups
All of the groups are free and open to the public. Just drop in at one of the gatherings or call the branch location if you need more information.
Romancing the Tome: A Romance Reader Book Club
This is an in-person book club for readers of romance. Join for book of the month discussions, book swaps, bookish discussions, and book shopping trips.
One Book One Lincoln
Various activities. Inviting Lincoln to read and discuss the same book. Become a fan on Facebook.
Pop in Storytime
Morrill Hall, 645 N. 14th St, Lincoln, NE
Through stories, songs, and movement, come learn more about the natural world. Everyone is invited to participate, however stories and activities are planned for children ages 3-5.
Lincoln Poetry Slam
Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd, Lincoln, NE
A monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Thursday of every month at 6:00 pm. Begins with an open mic, and then the competitive individual slam! Sign up at the event. (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)

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Various

Book Club for Adults
Grand Island Public Library, 1124 W 2nd St, Grand Island, NE
Meets the 1st Monday of every month at 5:30 pm. Click here for the 2024 book selections.
Bygone Book Club
Grand Island Public Library, 1124 W 2nd St, Grand Island, NE
Local historians lead book discussions at 11:00 am on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Click here to see the title selection.
Toddler & Preschool Storytime
Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Avenue, Kearney, NE
Come enjoy stories geared for ages every Thursday. Readings for ages 0-2 starting at 9:30 am and readings for ages starting at 10:30 am.
Open Book Club
Kearney Public Library, 2020 1st Ave, Kearney, NE
This library-sponsored group is open to everyone ages 18 or older. No registration is required and the group meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 6:30 pm. Contact the library for more information.
Between the Lines Book Club
Saddlebrook Branch, 14851 Laurel Ave, Omaha, NE
Meets the 1st Friday of the month at 10:30 am. Registration is required.
Omaha Public Library Book Clubs
Omaha Public Library hosts book clubs at most library locations. OPL book clubs typically meet monthly and are facilitated by OPL staff.
Nebraska Writers Workshop
Ralston Baright Public Library, 5555 South 77th St, Ralston, NE
Every Wednesday. First & Third Wednesdays are in-person meetings from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Second and Fourth Wednesdays are Zoom meetings starting at 7:00 pm.

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Calendar of Events

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Ongoing

Lincoln

Various

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