Dear Friends of The Nebraska Center for the Book (NCB):
It has been a minute, hasn’t it? It’s always a surprise to remember that when the world shut down in 2020, that was six years ago. So, we’re reaching out to thank you for remembering that we’re still here and wanted to remind you that it’s time to renew your membership with NCB!
The great work that The Nebraska Center for the Book does has continued, as has the work we do with the Library of Congress. It’s hard to believe that our 501(c)(3) organization has been supporting programs to celebrate and stimulate public interest in books, reading, and the written word since becoming an affiliate the Library of Congress Center for the Book over 35 years ago.
In fact, the Library of Congress National Book Festival is gearing up for its 26th year in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 22. Nebraska takes part in the celebration by sending representatives to showcase our “Great Reads from Great Places” to the rest of America. This year, our adult selection is our One Book One Nebraska choice, The Antidote by Karen Russell while the youth selection is Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Betterby Mylisa Larsen.
And, speaking of One Book One Nebraska, we are excited to announce that Karen Russell will be in attendance at Nebraska’s Book Festival, which we now call NCOB (Nebraska Celebration of Books)! We invite you to mark your calendar for Saturday, November 14, in the Student Union (second floor) on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s city campus. Happening from 10am until 5pm, this literature festival has special sessions to attend, awards presented such as NCB’s Jane Geske and Mildred Bennett Awards (you can nominate a person or organization now), and the announcement of the 2027 One Book One Nebraska selection, which that NCB committee is busy working on. The Nebraska Book Awards will also be given in categories for nonfiction, fiction, children/young adult, cover/design/illustration, and poetry. The NCB Annual Meeting, which all members are encouraged to attend, takes place at noon that same dayin the Heritage Suite. We hope you will join us!
Another exciting program we have been helping the Library of Congress with is actually a collaboration with them and PBS Books. Perhaps you have seen American Stories: A Reading Road Trip; each installment focuses on a different U.S. state or territory and showcases the influence that local writers, poets, and storytellers have had on the cultural identity of their region. Nebraska’s story is tentatively set to air in January.
Nebraska certainly has a rich heritage of writers that NCB promotes with grant support from Humanities Nebraska, not only through our One Book One Nebraska program, but also through our Letters About Literature program. This project encourages students in grades 4-12 to write to the author (living or deceased) of their favorite book or poem about how that affected them. Winners for 2026 were from the Tri-County Public, Lincoln Public, and Wahoo Public Schools and their Letters About Literature are now part of the Heritage Room collection at the Lincoln City Libraries.
We are updating our online news blog and hope you follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We are also looking into upcoming changes to membership which we hope to present at the annual meeting. We cannot emphasize enough how much we appreciate your continued support and hope that we can offer you ways to get involved at a variety of levels if you so desire. We are asking you to help us by inviting others you know who value our literary heritage to build the community of the book—and to build the Nebraska Center for the Book!
Please consider a $20 individual membership or a $35 organizational membership. Those monies help fund The Nebraska Center for the Book programs listed above. We have also listed a QR code below for your convenience if you would like to renew your membership at this time. Please feel free to share this information with others who might be interested in joining our organization.
With a strong foundation, the NCB can continue to do great work for literacy and the literary heritage of Nebraska. Check out our website at www.centerforthebook.nebraska.gov to see for yourself all the great things happening in the world of Nebraska literature. Click on the Membership tab there, where you can also join or renew membership in The Nebraska Center for the Book.
Sincerely,
Laurie Yocom
The Nebraska Center for the Book, President
The Nebraska Center for the Book Board of Directors:
Anne Alston
Katie Bean
Joan Birnie
Diane Downer
Rebecca Faber
Steve Fosselman, Treasurer
Erika Hamilton, ex-officio
Leslie Huerta
Pat Leach, Past President
Amy Mather
Richard Miller
Wyatt Packard, Vice-President
Sherry Preston
MeMe Smith, Secretary
Lois Todd-Meyer
Rod Wagner, ex-officio
Christine Walsh
Renew your membership here:
