Category Archives: General

Upcoming Events in November

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

Turn over a new leaf and check out some new literary events! If you’re looking for something to do in November, here are some upcoming literary events* that may pique your interest!

  • November 1, 2024 First Friday Book Talk & Reading with William Trowbridge
    Zoom, 12:00 pm
    William Trowbridge holds a B.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a PH.D. in English from Vanderbilt University. He served as Poet Laureate of the State of Missouri from 2012-2016. He is a Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at Northwest Missouri State University, where he was an editor of The Laurel Review/GreenTower Press from 1986 to 2004. Now living in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, he teaches in the University of Nebraska Omaha MFA in Writing Program.
  • November 1, 2024 Book Launch Event with Katie Anania – “Print/Draw: An Experiment on Paper”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S. 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
    Join us to celebrate the release of Out of Paper: Drawing, Environment, and the Body in 1960s America, as art historian Katie Anania and artist Sophie Isaak present a durational performance that combines drawing, printmaking, and ecological thinking. Visitors are welcome to participate!
  • November 2, 2024 Glorious Dailiness with Erica Reid
    Zoom, 10:00 – 11:30 am
    As poet Mary Ruefle says, “I did not always know authors were ordinary people living ordinary lives.” What do we lose when we fail to celebrate — or worse, ignore! — the wondrous details of ordinary life? This generative workshop makes space for that celebration through conversation, example poems, and dedicated writing time with prompts to help capture the details of our own glorious dailiness.
  • November 3, 2024 Meet the (Flatwater Free) Press with Matthew Hansen
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S. 13th St.
    Lincoln, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
    Matthew Hansen, editor of the Flatwater Free Press will talk journalism, hear story ideas, and also to hand out an actual physical newspaper, their annual FFP Commemorative Edition. Matthew has selected a couple of his favorite Nebraska books, by FFP correspondents and FFP-connected authors like Carson Vaughan, Joe Starita, Ted Genoways, and more. 10% of the proceeds go to Flatwater Free Press!
  • November 5, 2024 Kassandra Montag Poetry Reading and Discussion
    Zoom, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
    Kassandra’s poetry is equal parts meditation, lamentation, and celebration with an unflinching look at how, for many women, our deepest desires are almost always at odds with the lives we’ve chosen or been given.
  • November 7, 2024 Verse & Vibes Open Mic Night
    Indigo Cottage Crafts, 2063 Creekside Dr.
    Papillion, 6:30 pm
    The first Thursday of every month we open the mic at an artsy space full of good vibes, and not just because of the coffee and liquor bar! Event is open to poets, authors, writers, musicians, anyone who has talent to share. Free event.
  • November 9 & 16, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Omaha Workshops
    Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Conference Room, 9777 M St.
    Omaha, 10:00 am – 12:00 Noon
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn.
  • November 9 & 16, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Lincoln Workshops
    Pius X High School Conference Room, 6000 A St. (West Entrance 11)
    Lincoln, 9:00 – 11:00 am
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Tom Seib.
  • November 9, 2024 Visiting Contributors – Patricia Miller, Michael M. Bartels, and James J. Reisdorff – “Train Photos from Nebraska: The Vernacular Rail Images of Fred Ritter Jr.”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S. 13th St.
    Lincoln, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
    Join us as we welcome contributors, Patricia Miller, Michael Bartels, and James Reisdorff, of the book Train Photos from Nebraska! Fred Ritter Jr. was a Swiss immigrant farmer living near Tilden, Neb., in the early 20th century, who was also a railroad enthusiast who took snapshot-quality images of trains. The story tells of time and place as interpreted by Fred Ritter, Jr. through photography. It also tells of Fred’s love for both trains and family, and how the two intertwined.
  • November 10, 2024 Annual Harvest of Words Poetry Open Mic
    St. Cecilia’s Parish Center, 39th and Burt St.
    Omaha, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
    Open mic poetry event with refreshments! Our year end event, bring a poem by your favorite author or your own original poems.
  • November 10, 2024 25th Annual Laureate’s Feast Gala
    Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth St.
    Omaha, 5:30 – 8:30 pm
    Join us for the 25th Annual Laureate’s Feast Gala, the John G. Neihardt Foundation’s only fundraiser of the year, honoring Walt and Linda Duda as Word Senders! Spend the evening dining on a mouth-watering meal prepared by Native American Chef Anthony Warrior, drinking a selection of fine wines, bidding on enviable auction items, and enjoying a short program emceed by Mike Kelly (author and retired Omaha World Herald columnist). Best of all, you’ll be supporting the work of the Neihardt Foundation! Please purchase tickets by October 31, 2024.
  • November 12, 2024 On Writing Presents: Charlene Donaghy
    Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St.
    Omaha, 6:00 pm
    Every second Tuesday of the month, join us in the BT lobby for an intimate conversation and reading with local authors of all disciplines from poetry to plays and more. This month we welcome playwright Charlene Donaghy for a special reading of her newest work. Charlene writes stories which transport her audiences and readers into the magic embraces… and beyond.
  • November 13, 2024 UNO Writer’s Workshop with Michael Hofarce
    Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St.
    Omaha, 7:00 pm
    Michael Hofacre is a film editor living in Los Angeles. He has been part of the editing team on over 50 film, television, and documentary projects, working alongside directors such as Danny DeVito, Jodie Foster, Milos Forman, Michael Mann, Tran Anh Hung, Judd Apatow and Adam McKay. Independent films include The Performance, Winter in the Blood, Frankie Go Boom, and Shelter. Documentaries include Oceania, Soros, Political Animals, and Walking Man. He also directs theatre for the Central Coast Shakespeare Festival and his writing has been rejected by The Paris Review, The New Yorker, and Cahiers du Cinema. He studied theatre at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
  • November 14, 2024 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.
  • November 20, 2024 Vocal Fry
    Shirley Tyree Theater, 2401 N 24th St.
    Omaha, 6:00 pm
    Vocal Fry is normally on the 3rd Thursday of every month, we had to move the date for November. Jewel Rodgers and Nathan Lachner, MCs with special feature: Johnny KnoGood. Vocal Fry is presented in collaboration with The Nebraska Poetry Society.
  • November 21, 2024 Slam Made Simple: A Practical Approach to Competitive Poetry
    Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N. Cotner Blvd.
    Lincoln, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
    This workshop aims to provide insight into slam poetry. From the page to the stage, this includes writing, performance, and strategies for competitive success at a poetry slam. This workshop offers a comprehensive overview to all levels of poets. From inexperienced performers to the seasoned slammers, we will provide key takeaways for spoken word performance that can be utilized beyond this workshop. Instructed by Esman Rodas Calderon, a slam poet based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Check out the NCB Calendar to stay up to date on upcoming literary events happening near you!

*The time, date, and location of these events are subject to change.
Some of this month’s events, workshops, or conferences may require registration or charge a fee. Feel free to contact us if you have an event that you would like to be featured.

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The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific Chosen as 2025 One Book One Nebraska

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 12, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific Chosen as 2025 One Book One Nebraska

People across Nebraska are encouraged to read the work of a Nebraskan — and then talk about it with their friends and neighbors. The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific (Revell, 2023) by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee is the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection.

The Long March Home is a historical fiction novel inspired by true stories of friendship, sacrifice, and hope on the Bataan Death March.

From the Inside Cover:

Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire.

Life in the Philippines seems like paradise–until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: Imperial Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as enemy warplanes attack Luzon, beginning a battle for control of the Pacific theater that will culminate with a last stand on the Bataan Peninsula and end with the largest surrender of American troops in history.

What follows will become known as one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare: the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive.

Marcus Brotherton is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor, with fiveNew York Timesbestsellers, seven national bestsellers, and four books have been optioned for movies. He was born in British Columbia and earned degrees at Multnomah University in Portland and Biola University in Los Angeles. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and children.

Tosca Lee is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of twelve books. Those awards include three International Book Awards, and a Nebraska Book Award for her thriller The Line Between and it’s sequel A Single Light. She received her B.A. from Smith College and currently lives in Nebraska with her husband, three of four children still at home, and her 160-lb. German Shepherd, Timber.

Libraries across Nebraska will join other literary and cultural organizations in planning book discussions, activities, and events that will encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book. Support materials to assist with local reading/discussion activities will be available after January 1, 2025 at http://onebook.nebraska.gov. Updates and activity listings will be posted on the One Book One Nebraska Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/onebookonenebraska.

2025 will mark the twenty-first year of the One Book One Nebraska reading program, sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book. It encourages Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss one book, chosen from books written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. The Nebraska Center for the Book invites recommendations for One Book One Nebraska book selection year-round at http://centerforthebook.nebraska.gov/obon-nomination.asp.

One Book One Nebraska is sponsored by Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and Nebraska Library Commission. The Nebraska Center for the Book brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at and supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.    

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Young Readers Invited to Write to Favorite Authors

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 2, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Young Readers Invited to Write to Favorite Authors

Young readers in grades 4-12 are invited to write a personal letter to an author for the Nebraska Letters about Literature (LAL) contest, a state reading and writing promotion program. The letter can be to any author (living or dead) from any genre: fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic – explaining how that author’s work changed the student’s view of the world. Submissions must be completed online October 1 – December 31, 2024. Nebraska Letters About Literature is coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission, with support from Lincoln City Libraries, Francie & Finch Bookshop, and Humanities Nebraska.

The Nebraska Center for the Book’s panel of judges will select a winner and an honorable mention per competition level (Level I for grades 4-6, Level II for grades 7-8, and Level III for grades 9-12) to be honored in a proclamation-signing ceremony at the state capitol during National Library Week in April 2025. Their winning letters will be placed in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library in Lincoln. Nebraska winners and honorable mentions will receive state prizes.

Teachers, librarians, and parents can download the contest guidelines, free teaching materials, information on the online entry system, and past winning letters on the Nebraska Center for the Book website. An informational NCompass Live webinar will air on October 23rd, discussing this year’s contest, the submission process, and judging criteria. For more information contact Nebraska Center for the Book.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases .

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Upcoming Events in October

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

There’s so many upcoming literary events that it’s almost spooky! If you’re looking for something to do in October, here are some upcoming literary events* that may pique your interest!

  • October 1, 2024 Jon Volkmer Poetry Reading and Discussion
    Zoom, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
    Jon Volkmer is a prolific writer spanning genres of fiction, non-fiction, and YA. Listen as he discusses his poetry and then talk with Jon about his literary career.
  • October 2, 2024 UNO Fall 2024 Writer’s Workshop Reading Series presents Lisa Fay Coutley
    University of Nebraska – Omaha, Criss Library, 6401 S University Dr Rd N.
    Omaha, 7:30 pm
    Join for UNO’s Fall 2024 Reading Series, free and open to the public! Lisa Fay Coutley is an Associate Professor of Poetry & CNF in the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is the author of HOST, tether, Errata, and winner of the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry Open Competition, In the Carnival of Breathing, winner of the Black River Chapbook Competition, and Small Girl: Micromemoirs. She is also the editor of the grief anthology In the Tempered Dark: Contemporary Poets Transcending Elegy.
  • October 3, 2024 Virtual Book Launch Event – Pascha Sotolongo in Conversation with Timothy Schaffert: “The Only Sound is the Wind: Stories”
    Zoom, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
    Join as author Pascha Sotolongo joins in conversation with Timothy Schaffert as they celebrate her new book of stories “The Only Sound is the Wind”, which is a captivating debut collection exploring longing, loneliness, and connection, in stories that feature Cuban American characters and uncanny, speculative twists.
  • October 4, 2024 First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Terese Svoboda
    Zoom, 12:00 pm
    First Friday book talk with Terese Svoboda, who is the author of 21 books of poetry, fiction, stories, memoir, biography, and translation. This year she is publishing two books: “The Long Swim”, winner of the Juniper Prize, and the speculative novel “Roxy and Coco”.
  • October 4, 2024 Book Launch Celebration: Allison L. Bitz in Conversation with Joan F. Smith & Laura Taylor Namey: “Three Things About Emmy Crawford”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
    Join for an evening with award-winning author Allison L. Bitz! We will be celebrating Allison’s new book “Three Things About Emmy Crawford”! Allison will be in conversation about the book and its themes with guests Joan F. Smith and Laura Taylor Namey.
  • October 5 & 19, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Omaha Workshops
    Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Conference Room, 9777 M St.
    Omaha, 10:00 am – 12:00 Noon
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn.
  • October 8, 2024 Visiting Author: Dr. Simon A. Wood in Conversation with Dr. Abla Hasan: “The Caliphate or Supreme Imamate”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    Join as the UNL Institute for Ethnic Studies welcomes Dr. Simon Wood and Dr. Abla Hasan to Francie & Finch Bookshop. Simon’s most recent work of translation brings the 1923 work “The Caliphate or Supreme Imamate” by Muhammad Rashid Rida to English-speaking professors and students for the first time.
  • October 8, 2024 On Writing Presents: Zedeka Poindexter
    Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St.
    Omaha, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
    Every second Tuesday of the month, join us in the Benson Theatre lobby for an intimate conversation and reading with local authors of all disciplines from poetry to plays and more. This month we welcome local poetic legend and Co-Director of Nebraska Writers Collective, Zedeka Poindexter to get us in the mood for spooky season with her Stranger Things Character Poetry Book!
  • October 10, 2024 Visiting Author: DeMisty D. Bellinger – “All Daughters Are Awesome Everywhere: Stories”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
    Join as DeMisty D. Bellinge, winner of the Barbara DiBernard Prize in Fiction, discusses her novel “All Daughters Are Awesome Everywhere: Stories”. Fantastical, sensual, and as beguilingly strange as they are insightful and real, the stories of “All Daughters Are Awesome Everywhere” are centered around intimate familial or romantic relationships, featuring protagonists who make awesome discoveries—from the beautiful to the horrible—in seemingly mundane situations. The protagonists in each story come from marginalized communities, which sometimes exacerbates their problems but always allows for unique perspectives and epiphanies.
  • October 10, 2024 CUMULATE Art Installation Reveal
    Calvin T. Ryan Library, 2508 11th Ave.
    Kearney, 6:00 – 7:30 pm
    The University of Nebraska at Kearney will present its newly renovated Calvin T. Ryan Library and will reveal itss newest permanent public art installation, CUMULATE, made possible through Nebraska’s 1% for Art program. CUMULATE’S visual language highlights the beauty and role of clouds in the Nebraska landscape interlacing it visually, audibly, and tangibly with the work of Nebraska poets, evoking the beauty of the Nebraska landscape and its people.
  • October 11, 2024 Nebraska Celebration of Books: Literary Trivia Night
    White Elm Brewing Company, 720 Van Dorn St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 pm
    Join us for a pre-festival event at White Elm Brewing’s Tap Room. This event will feature Nebraska themed book, author, and literary trivia and $4 pints for trivia participants.
  • October 12, 2024 The Nebraska Celebration of Books
    University of Nebraska – Lincoln, 1400 R St.
    Lincoln, 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
    This year’s Book Awards Celebration will be a combined event with the Nebraska Book Festival, called “The Nebraska Celebration of Books.” The event is free and open to the public, and will feature several Nebraska authors, and presentation of the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award, as well as the announcement of the 2025 One Book One Nebraska selection.
  • October 12 & 26, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Lincoln Workshops
    Pius X High School Conference Room, 6000 A St. (West Entrance 11)
    Lincoln, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Tom Seib.
  • October 13, 2024 Sunday Outside the Museum: Matt Mason and Aliyah American Horse Poetry Readings
    Purple Dragon Paper Co., 512 N. Main St.
    Fremont, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
    We’re taking Neihardt on the road! The John G. Neihardt Foundation and Paper Dragon Paper Co. will partner to host an in-store poetry reading and book signing by Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason and Regional Youth Poet Aliyah American Horse. This event is free and open to the public.
  • October 16, 2024 UNO Fall 2024 Writer’s Workshop Reading Series presents Anna Monardo
    University of Nebraska – Omaha, UNO Art Gallery, 6505 University Dr S.
    Omaha, 7:30 pm
    Join for UNO’s Fall 2024 Reading Series, free and open to the public! Anna Monardo is an recipient of fellowships from Yaddo, the Djerassi Foundation, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, as well as three fellowships from the Nebraska Arts Council, she is Professor Emeritus in the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She grew up in Pittsburgh, with strong ties to her Calabrian family; her memoir, “After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage” is the story of her family’s immigration to the U.S. Her second novel, “Falling In Love with Natassia”, included excerpts first published in Prairie Schooner and nominated for Pushcart Prizes.
  • October 17, 2024 How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
    Nebraska East Union, Prairie Suite, 1705 Arbor Dr.
    Lincoln, 3:30 pm
    Part of UNL’s E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues with help from the Nebraska Writers Collective and Lincoln Parks and Recreation. Poet, professor and author of “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments”, Aimee Nezhukumatathil presents this workshop.
  • October 18, 2024 How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
    Pioneers Park Nature Center, 3201 South Coddington
    Lincoln, 3:30 pm
    Part of UNL’s E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues with help from the Nebraska Writers Collective and Lincoln Parks and Recreation. Poet, professor and author of “World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments”, Aimee Nezhukumatathil presents this workshop.
  • October 25, 2024 Visiting Author: Artist Edgar Jerins – “Edgar Jerins Life in Charcoal”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    Join Nebraska artist Edgar Jerins to celebrate his book of art, “Edgar Jerins Life in Charcoal”! This beautiful book exhibits Edgar’s talent for portraiture and capturing the human spirit in the hardest of times.
  • October 26, 2024 Infecting the Text: Letting Trauma Take its Necessary Shape with Lisa Fay Coutley
    Zoom, 10:00 – 11:30 am
    By now you’ve heard writers—especially poets and lyric essayists—suggest that you should let your content inform your form as often as you’ve heard them say show don’t tell, though as it is with most things, both are easier said than done. The former requires us to write from the body while letting go—a feat not easily mastered by any writer and complicated even more by difficult content. Often what we need most is permission and imaginative examples. This workshop will provide you with both.
  • October 16, 2024 UNO Fall 2024 Writer’s Workshop Reading Series presents Liz Kay
    University of Nebraska – Omaha, UNO Art Gallery, 6505 University Dr S.
    Omaha, 7:30 pm
    Join for UNO’s Fall 2024 Reading Series, free and open to the public! Liz Kay holds an MFA from the University of Nebraska, where she was the recipient of both an Academy of American Poets Prize and the Wendy Fort Foundation Prize for exemplary work in poetry. Her poems have appeared in such journals as Beloit Poetry Journal, RHINO, Nimrod, Willow Springs, The New York Quarterly, Iron Horse Literary Review, Redactions, and Sugar House Review. She is the author of Something to Help Me Sleep, The Witch Tells The Story And Makes It True, and Monsters: A Love Story.

Check out the NCB Calendar to stay up to date on upcoming literary events happening near you!

*The time, date, and location of these events are subject to change.
Some of this month’s events, workshops, or conferences may require registration or charge a fee. Feel free to contact us if you have an event that you would like to be featured.

Posted in Events, General | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Shortlist for 2025 One Book One Nebraska Announced

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 18, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Shortlist for 2025 One Book One Nebraska Announced

What book will all Nebraskans be encouraged to read in 2025? We will all find out on October 12th at the Nebraska Celebration of Books (N.COB) literary festival. A collection of nonfiction essays about Nebraska, a novel set in 1950’s about personal journeys, a historical fiction novel about the Pacific theater in World War II —all stories with ties to Nebraska—are the finalists for the 2025 One Book One Nebraska statewide reading program. The finalists are:

  • My Nebraska: The Good, the Bad, and the Husker by Roger Welsch, The Globe Pequot Press, 2006.
  • The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles, Viking Press, 2021.
  • The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee, Revell, 2023.

The One Book One Nebraska reading program is sponsored by the Nebraska Center for the Book, Humanities Nebraska, and the Nebraska Library Commission. It encourages Nebraskans across the state to read and discuss the same book, chosen from books written by Nebraska authors or that have a Nebraska theme or setting. A Nebraska Center for the Book committee selected the three finalists from a list of nineteen titles nominated by Nebraskans. In the coming weeks, Nebraska Center for the Book board members will vote on the 2025 selection.

Nebraskans are invited to take part in the Nebraska Celebration of Books (N.COB) Literary Festival where the choice for the 2025 One Book One Nebraska will be announced. Held on Saturday, October 12th, from 10:00am-5:30pm, in the Regency Suite, Heritage Room, and Swanson Auditorium located on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union, this event aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. The festival will honor the 20th anniversary of the One Book One Nebraska program with a panel of past authors, in addition it will feature Nebraska authors, a SLAM poetry showcase, book vendors, and presentation of the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award and Jane Geske Award.

This year’s One Book One Nebraska selection, Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime by Debora Harding, will be featured with a memoir writing workshop facilitated by Lucy Atkins from Larksong Writers Place. See http://onebook.nebraska.gov or https://www.facebook.com/OneBookOneNebraska for more information about ongoing 2024 One Book One Nebraska activities.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.  

Posted in Awards, Books & Reading, General | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Upcoming Events in September

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

We’re heading into the autumn season with these literary events! If you’re looking for something to do in September, here are some upcoming literary events* that may pique your interest!

  • September 3, 2024 Twyla Hansen Poetry Reading and Discussion
    Zoom, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
    Larksong Writers Place founding board member, and award winning poet Twyla Hansen reads and discusses her poetry that covers significant emotional territory while remaining firmly grounded in the landscape.
  • September 4, 2024 Chris Quigg in Conversation with Ken Bloom – “Grace in All Simplicity: Beauty, Truth, and Wonders on the Path to the Higgs Boson and New Laws of Nature”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    “Grace in All Simplicity: Beauty, Truth, and Wonders on the Path to the Higgs Boson and New Laws of Nature” by Chris Quigg is an enthralling and accessible account of humanity’s quest to make sense of our physical world, told through interwoven tales of inspiration, tragedy, and triumph. Listen as he joins in conversation with Willa Cather Professor and Chair of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Ken Bloom.
  • September 5, 2024 Verse & Vibes Open Mic Night
    Indigo Cottage Crafts, 2063 Creekside Dr.
    Papillion, 6:30 pm
    The first Thursday of every month we open the mic at an artsy space full of good vibes, and not just because of the coffee and liquor bar! Event is open to poets, authors, writers, musicians, anyone who has talent to share. Free event.
  • September 6, 2024 First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Shanan Ballam
    Zoom, 12:00 Noon
    Shanan Ballam is the Poet Laureate of Logan City, Utah. She survived a massive stroke in January 2022 that left her without speech and without the use of her entire right side. She never quit writing poetry, though, and she was awarded an honorable mention for poetry in the Utah Original Writing Competition for her collection “First Poems After the Stroke.”
  • September 7, 2024 Bringing Home Metaphors: From Stars to Constellations with Javon Rustin
    Zoom, 10:00 – 11:30 am
    A workshop to help us plot the images and metaphors in our poems so they are as clear as the night sky revealing constellations. We will be going through the process of beginning and editing poems in ways that make our extended metaphors clear to audiences and easy to create. Our constellations will be made of stories and the people we hold close.
  • September 7 & 21, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Omaha Workshops
    Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Conference Room, 9777 M St.
    Omaha, 10:00 am – 12:00 Noon
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn.
  • September 7, 2024 Nominees and Friends: An Event for Nebraska Poets
    FIG, 345 Riverfront Dr.
    Omaha, 7:00 pm
    This event features nominees to be the next Nebraska State Poet, the current State Poet, the current Nebraska Youth Poet Laureate and a number of other great local writers. And it’s free. Featuring: Matt Mason, Miranda Davis, Kiara Nicole, Todd Robinson, Jewel Rodgers, Sarah McKinstry-Brown, Jean-Marie Parks, Nathan Lachner, Omni, Sharieff Clark, Jonny KnoGood, Devel Crisp, Trac Schacht, Noni Williams, Amanda Huckins, Ben Wenzl, Bianca Swift, Paula Bell, Gina Tranisi and Shanketta O’Neal. Curated by Jewel Rodgers.
  • September 12, 2024 Bruce E. Whitacre: “Good Housekeeping”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    The contradictions of privilege and want, the dynamics of gay marriage, the joy of a good cocktail – all enter the mix as these 31 poems explore home, marriage, travel, war, sensuality, tea, and, yes, housekeeping. Listen as Nebraska native Bruce R. Whitacre reads from his new book “Good Housekeeping”.
  • September 12, 2024 Virtual Author Series: Susan Lynn Meyer
    Zoom, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
    Join for a discussion with Susan Lynn Meyer, author of “A Sky Full of Song”! Told from the perspective of Shoshana, an eleven-year old Jewish immigrant whose family is making a new life in North Dakota, Meyer’s latest book provides a unique perspective of early 20th century homesteading. This author talk is perfect for younger readers, parents, educators, and librarians interested in Great Plains literature for younger readers.
  • September 13, 2024 Book Launch: “To the Bone” – Alena Bruzas in Conversation with Kelsy Burke
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    Join for an exciting book launch with the “Depraved Writers Club”! Alena Bruzas and author of “Pornography Wars”, Kelsy Burke, will launch Alena’s new novel by discussing how they handle writing dark or controversial subject matter as well as how Alena conceived of the idea of “To the Bone”.
  • September 14 & 28, 2024 Nebraska Warrior Writers – Lincoln Workshops
    Pius X High School Conference Room, 6000 A St. (West Entrance 11)
    Lincoln, 9:00 am – 11:00 am
    A workshop 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, the workshops consist of six to eight biweekly sessions focused on developing strategies and skills. Facilitated by Tom Seib.
  • September 14, 2024 Iron Horse Festival
    Iron Horse Arts District, 504 4th Ave.
    Holdrege, 11:00 – 4:00 pm
    The Iron Horse District festival celebrating Holdrege’s new Creative District and including a poetry reading by Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason and a poetry slam demo.
  • September 18, 2024 Jeff Barnes: “Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
    Great Plains historian and author Jeff Barnes will be signing copies of his book “Forts of the Northern Plains: A Guide to Military and Civilian Posts of the Plains Indian Wars”. This new edition now features more than 150 military and civilian sites, directions, and GPS coordinates, with full-color photography and maps, and aerial shots of select sites.
  • September 19, 2024 Virtual Author Series: Debora Harding
    Zoom, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
    Fans of true crime will not want to miss author Debora Harding’s talk about “Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime” detailing her 1978 abduction at the age of fourteen. Harding’s book also describes meeting her attacker as she processed her traumatic adolescent experience in adulthood. Please join for what promises to be a gripping conversation and showcase of this 2024 One Book One Nebraska selection!
  • September 19, 2024 Vocal Fry
    Shirley Tyree Theater, 2401 N 24th St.
    Omaha, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
    An event focused on the spoken word in all its different forms. Hosted by the talented and fun duo: Jewel Rodgers and Nathan Lachner. Please come join us in listening, sharing, and loving the spoken word!
  • September 21, 2024 Slam Made Simple: A Practical Approach to Competitive Poetry
    Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N. Cotner Blvd.
    Lincoln, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
    This workshop aims to provide insight into slam poetry. From the page to the stage, this includes writing, performance, and strategies for competitive success at a poetry slam. This workshop offers a comprehensive overview to all levels of poets. From inexperienced performers to the seasoned slammers, we will provide key takeaways for spoken word performance that can be utilized beyond this workshop. Instructed by Esman Rodas Calderon, a slam poet based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
  • September 22, 2024 Bouteloua LitART Fest
    Glacier Creek Preserve, 14810 State St.
    Bennington, 2:00 – 6:00 pm
    Bestselling author Aimee Nezhukumatathil will be the keynote speaker, and other authors include Aaron Scobie, Moises Delgado, Lydia Kang, and Teresa Carmody. Free and open to the public, food and drink provided.
  • September 23, 2024 Aimee Nezhukumatathil Book Reading and Signing
    UNO Thompson Alumni Center, 67th and Dodge St.
    Omaha, 7:00 – 9:00 pm
    Award-winning author Aimee Nezhukumatathil will visit the University of Nebraska Omaha for a reading and book signing. The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by UNO’s English Department and Creative Nonfiction Program.
  • September 27, 2024 Heidi Hermanson Reading and Writing Workshop
    Rock County Public Library, 201 E Bertha St.
    Bassett, 4:00 pm
    Heidi Hermanson will read from her two books and give a writing workshop. Come for the poetry, stay for the Junk Jaunt. Free and open to the public.
  • September 28, 2024 Maura Jane Farrelly: “Compliments of Hamilton and Sargent: A Story of Mystery and Tragedy on the Gilded Age Frontier”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 S 13th St.
    Lincoln, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
    Maura Jane Farrelly will be discussing her new book “Compliments of Hamilton and Sargent: A Story of Mystery and Tragedy on the Gilded Age Frontier”. Farrelly explores these narratives as stories about the early demise of our right to be forgotten.

Check out the NCB Calendar to stay up to date on upcoming literary events happening near you!

*The time, date, and location of these events are subject to change.
Some of this month’s events, workshops, or conferences may require registration or charge a fee.

Feel free to contact us if you have an event that you would like to be featured.

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Nebraska’s 2024 Book Award Winners Announced

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 23, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Nebraska’s 2024 Book Award Winners Announced

Celebrate Nebraska’s 2024 Book Award winners with author readings and an awards presentation ceremony at the Nebraska Celebration of Book’s (NCOB) literary festival. Held at the UNL City Campus Union on October 12th, winners of the 2024 Nebraska Book Awards will be honored at the celebration which will include an author roundtable during the festival and the awards ceremony directly after at 3:30. The ceremony will feature readings by some of the winning authors, designers, and illustrators of books with a Nebraska connection published in 2023. And the winners are:

Children’s Picture Book: Ted Kooser: More Than a Local Wonder written by Carla Ketner, illustrated by Paula Wallace. Publisher: University of Nebraska Press.

Children’s Novel: The Adventures of Pearl and Monty: The Bait and Switch by E. Adams. Publisher: Jade Forest Publishing.

Teen Novel: The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom by Allison L. Bitz. Publisher: HarperTeen.

Cover and Design: Feisty Righty: A Cancer Survivor’s Journey by Jennifer D. James, Cover Art by Courtney Keller. Publisher: Self Published.

Design Honor: Horizons by Julie S. Paschold. Publisher: Atmosphere Press.

Fiction: The War Begins in Paris: A Novel by Theodore Wheeler. Publisher: Little, Brown and Company.

Nonfiction Nebraska as Place: Field Guide to a Hybrid Landscape by Dana Fritz. Publisher: Bison Books.

Nonfiction History: The First Migrants by Richard Edwards and Jacob K. Friefeld. Publisher: Bison Books.

Poetry: The Gathering of Bastards by Romeo Oriogun. Publisher: University of Nebraska Press.

Poetry Honor: The Book Eaters by Carolina Hotchandani. Publisher: Perugia Press.

This year’s Book Awards Celebration will be a combined event with the Nebraska Book Festival, called “The Nebraska Celebration of Books” which aims to celebrate Nebraska’s literary heritage and contemporary authors. Held, Saturday, October 12th, from 10:00am-4:30pm, on the second floor of the UNL City Campus Union in the Regency Suite, Heritage Room, and Swanson Auditorium, the event will honor the 20th anniversary of the One Book One Nebraska program with a panel of past authors. In addition it will feature Nebraska authors, a SLAM poetry showcase, book vendors, and presentation of the Nebraska Center for the Book’s Nebraska Book Awards, Mildred Bennett Award, Jane Geske Award, and 2025 One Book One Nebraska announcement.

The 2024 One Book One Nebraska selection, Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime by Debora Harding (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020) will be featured with a memoir writing workshop facilitated by Lucy Adkins of Larksong Writers Place.

The Nebraska Book Awards are sponsored and facilitated by the Nebraska Center for the Book and the Nebraska Library Commission.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the national Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Nebraska Library Commission.

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”

The Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) host sponsors include Nebraska Center for the Book, Nebraska Library Commission, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln City Libraries, and Francie and Finch Bookshop, with supporting sponsors including Outskirts Press, KZUM 89.3FM, and Concierge Marketing at this time. Humanities Nebraska provides support for the One Book One Nebraska program.

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.    

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Upcoming Events in August

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

Make sure to check out some fun literary events before summer ends! If you’re looking for something to do in August, here are some upcoming literary events* that may pique your interest!

  • August 1, 2024 Verse & Vibes Open Mic Night
    Indigo Cottage Crafts, 2063 Creekside Dr.
    Papillion, NE, 6:30 pm
    The first Thursday of every month we open the mic at an artsy space full of good vibes, and not just because of the coffee and liquor bar! Event is open to poets, authors, writers, musicians, anyone who has talent to share. Free event.
  • August 2, 2024 First Friday Book Talk & Reading with Anna Monardo
    Zoom, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
    Anna Monardo reads from her new memoir, “After Italy: A Family Memoir of Arranged Marriage, ” the story of two marriages undone by a dowry and the fallout on 3 generations of a Southern Italian family. Monardo has published fiction, poetry, and essays. She is a winner of the Prairie Schooner’s short fiction prize and teaches in the Writer’s Workshop at UN-Omaha.
  • August 4, 2024 59th Annual Neihardt Day: Spend the Afternoon in Poet’s Town!
    The John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, 306 W Elm St.
    Bancroft, NE, 12:00 – 3:00 pm
    Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and join us on the beautiful grounds of the Neihardt Center to celebrate Nebraska’s Poet Laureate! Learn more about the Hugh Glass Monument to Courage that now resides at the Neihardt Center, with unique perspectives offered by Neihardt’s Granddaughter Alexis Petri, and History Nebraska Archeologist Jennifer Banks. Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason will be the Master of Ceremonies and share his poems.
  • August 5, 2024 Stand Up Comedy Bootcamp for Beginners
    Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
    Lincoln, NE, 4:00 – 6:00 pm with extra performance time at 7:00 pm
    Join Serenity Dougherty in a 5-session Stand-up Comedy Writing Bootcamp, taking you through everything you need to know to write and perform your first stand-up comedy set! The bootcamp meets for 5 Mondays from 4:00-6:00pm, beginning 7/8/24. The cost is $250.00, with scholarships available. Limit 12 participants.
  • August 6, 2024 Hannah Wilkinson Poetry Reading and Discussion
    Zoom, 6:30 – 7:30 pm
    Poetry that examines the toxic cycles of love and loss, attachment and abandonment, and infatuation and disappointment – the matters of the heart broken and made whole again.
  • August 8, 2024 Resonance Beat Poetry Jam
    Razor Wire Productions Art Gallery & Tattoo, 1808 Vinton St.
    Omaha, NE, 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.
  • August 10, 2024 The Language of Smell: A Generative Writing Workshop
    Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
    Lincoln, NE, 1:00 – 3:30 pm
    This generative workshop taught by Jessica Poli will focus on the power of smell and sense memory in writing practice. Participants will have a chance to produce their own writing using guided prompts, as well as learn and discuss what makes smell such a sharply evocative and emotional sense memory. We will also briefly explore the world of niche perfumery in order to practice our skills of descriptive scent-based writing using provided fragrance samples.
  • August 10, 2024 Visiting Author: Colby Coash: “Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 A 13th St.
    Lincoln, 4:30 – 6:30 pm
    Former Nebraska state senator and author of the new memoir “Running Naked: Surviving the Legacy of Family in Rural Nebraska”, Colby Coash will be sharing his work with guests at Francie & Finch Bookshop!
  • August 13, 2024 On Writing Presents: Maddie Radcliff
    Benson Theatre, 6054 Maple St.
    Omaha, 6:00 pm
    Every Second Tuesday of the Month join us for a special, initimate reading with local authors of all walks of life. This month we’re elated to welcome our very own Co-Executive Director, Maddie Radcliff, to share a special reading of her newest play, “Ye Strange and Tragic Trial of Elizabeth Cornell”.
  • August 16, 2024 Book Signing/Exclusive Performance by Aliyah American Horse
    Plains Theatre, W 2nd St.
    Rushville, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
    Book signing and exclusive performance by Aliyah American Horse, the Midwest Youth Poet Laureate, debuting her book “Shed No Tears Unci”.
  • August 17, 2024 Visiting Author: Jerry Bockoven: “What Rhymes with Therapy”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 A 13th St.
    Lincoln, 4:30 – 6:30 pm
    Dr. Jerry Bockoven will be presenting his book “What Rhymes with Therapy”, a book where “each poem is like a therapy session that offers insights and directions designed to make you strong and resilient in a time when the world’s problems push to erode and weaken.”
  • August 23, 2024 Book Launch: Kwame Dawes: “Sturge Town”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 A 13th St.
    Lincoln, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
    Nebraskan author Kwame Dawes will be reading from his new book of poetry “Sturge Town”, hailed by Herman Sutter of the Library Journal as “filled with tenderness, curiosity, and compassion for what has been and what might be”.
  • August 24, 2024 Visiting Author: John Janovy, Jr. PhD: “Life Lessons From a Parasite: What Tapeworms, Flukes, Lice, and Roundworms Can Teach Us About Humanity’s Most Difficult Problems”
    Francie & Finch Bookshop, 130 A 13th St.
    Lincoln, 4:30 – 5:30 pm
    Nebraskan author and prize-winning scientist John Janovy, Jr. PhD will be presenting his new book “Life Lessons From a Parasite: What Tapeworms, Flukes, Lice, and Roundworms Can Teach Us About Humanity’s Most Difficult Problems” in a fun and educational event!
  • August 24, 2024 2024 National Book Festival
    Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Allen Y Lew Place NW.
    Washington, D.C., 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
    The Nebraska Center for the Book has selected one youth book and one adult book by Nebraska authors to represent the state at the 2024 National Book Festival: “Eat Your Woolly Mammoths!” by James Solheim and “Dancing with the Octopus” by Debora Harding. The event is free and open to the public. A selection of programs will be livestreamed online and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the Festival.
  • August 27, 2024 Girls Inc. Lunch For The Girls
    CHI Health Center, 455 N 10th St.
    Omaha, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
    Poet, educator, and author Nikki Giovanni will be the featured speaker at Girls Inc.’s 24th annual Lunch for the Girls. Registration required.

Check out the NCB Calendar to stay up to date on upcoming literary events happening near you!

*The time, date, and location of these events are subject to change.
Some of this month’s events, workshops, or conferences may require registration or charge a fee.

Feel free to contact us if you have an event that you would like to be featured.

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Books Chosen to Represent Nebraska at National Book Festival

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 29, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Tessa Timperley
402-471-3434
800-307-2665

Books Chosen to Represent Nebraska at National Book Festival

“Eat Your Woolly Mammoths!: Two Million Years of the World’s Most Amazing Food Facts, from the Stone Age to the Future” and “Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime” chosen for the National Center for the Book’s Great Reads from Great Places program.

The Nebraska Center for the Book has selected one youth book and one adult book by Nebraska authors to represent the state at the 2024 National Book Festival: Eat Your Woolly Mammoths! by James Solheim and Dancing with the Octopus by Debora Harding.

Both titles will be part of the National Center for the Book’s Great Reads from Great Places program. Great Reads from Great Places features books and authors representing the literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas. For over 20 years this program has included a highlighted youth title from each affiliate center. In 2022, Great Reads from Great Places began including titles for adults for the first time.

This year’s National Book Festival on August 24th will be held in-person in Washington, D.C., but will include many livestreamed and recorded virtual programs celebrating books and authors.

About the Books

“Eat Your Woolly Mammoths!: Two Million Years of the World’s Most Amazing Food Facts, from the Stone Age to the Future” by James Solheim

“If there’s one thing that transcends time, it’s our love for food! But what did people generations ago consume? And what will we eat in the years ahead? James Solheim’s Eat Your Woolly Mammoths! serves up the stories behind the world’s most delicious, nutritious, and amazing foods—from the Stone Age to the future. For readers who love the fascinating facts that bring history to life. Let the feast begin!

Would you like a plate of woolly mammoth? Or perhaps a sample of fresh tuna eyeballs? From scorpions on sticks and llama salami to oysters and chocolate chip cookies, you’ll travel through the centuries and around the world and discover the amazing foods that have been eaten—and enjoyed—throughout history.

Eat Your Woolly Mammoths! explores the history of food and is full of fun, digestible facts that young historians, cooks, and scientists will gobble up. An accessible, educational, and funny text combined with laugh-out-loud illustrations make this ideal pick for independent readers and snackers everywhere. A great choice for readers who munched through Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Fun Facts and Silly Stories and the National Geographic Kids: Weird but True books. Includes sidebars, fun facts, recipes, additional resources, and more!”

Nebraska’s Great Reads from Great Places book is chosen from the previous year’s Nebraska Book Award winners and this book was awarded two 2023 Nebraska Book Award in the Children’s Nonfiction Book category and the Children’s Books Design category.

“Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime” by Debora Harding

This memoir of native Nebraskan, Debora Harding, is all about a traumatic childhood event, the aftereffects of which would change her family forever. Harding expertly weaves the past with the present in a riveting story of survival and family dynamics. Harding’s debut book has been compared to bestsellers like The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and Educated by Tara Westover.

“With remarkable narrative skill, Harding untangles the lingering effects of family dysfunction and criminal trauma. This is a page-turner with a deep heart and soul, full of forgiveness but demanding of accountability.”  —BookPage, “Best Books of 2020: Memoirs”

Chosen as the 2024 One Book One Nebraska selection, libraries across Nebraska and other literary and cultural organizations have participated in book discussions, activities, and events that encourage Nebraskans to read and discuss this book.

The Nebraska Center for the Book is housed at the Nebraska Library Commission and brings together the state’s readers, writers, booksellers, librarians, publishers, printers, educators, and scholars to build the community of the book, supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word. The Nebraska Center for the Book is supported by the Nebraska Library Commission.  

As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, “bringing together people and information.”  

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.

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Announcing a New Literary Festival Event to Take Place this Fall

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Bailee Juroshek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 16, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION:                            
Tessa Timperley
Communications Coordinator
Nebraska Library Commission
Email

Rosemary Sekora
Marketing and Sales Manager
University of Nebraska Press
rsekora@unl.edu

Announcing a New Literary Festival Event to Take Place this Fall

Book lovers, get your calendars to save the date. A new literary festival is taking place in Lincoln. 

The 2024 Nebraska Celebration of Books (NCOB) will take place on Oct. 12, 2024, in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus Union at 1400 R Street. Two presentations, a writing workshop, and a slam poetry competition will take place on second floor leading up to the presentation of the Nebraska Book Awards at 3:30 p.m. NCOB will also host local bookstores and other vendors throughout the day beginning at 10:00 a.m.

The event will officially kick off on Oct. 11 at White Elm Brewing with a literary trivia night at 5:30 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public. NCOB would like to thank the following organizations for making this new event possible: Nebraska Center for the Book, Zero Street Fiction series, Larksong Writers Place, Nebraska Writers Collective, Nebraska Library Commission, Lincoln City Libraries, and the University of Nebraska Press.

For additional information on attending or becoming a sponsor of this event, please visit https://bookfestival.nebraska.gov/

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The most up-to-date news releases from the Nebraska Library Commission are always available on the Library Commission Website, http://nlc.nebraska.gov/publications/newsreleases.

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