ABOUT THE NWC
The point
is the poetry
Every day, we use the transformative power of poetry to shape and build community in Nebraska and Iowa. We believe that the spoken and written word has the capacity to connect us – despite our differences, across any distance.
OUR MISSION
Encouraging those around us to tell their stories
The Nebraska Writers Collective fosters personal empowerment and community-building in the Midwest through creative writing and performance poetry.
Our programs use storytelling to amplify the power of the collective voice, generate connections, and strengthen, repair, or build relationships. We provide classroom spaces, both virtually and in-person, that offer writers the opportunity to learn, create, and perform their original work for audiences of all sizes.
OUR VALUES
At the heart of everything we do
CARE + CULTURE
Inclusiveness
Diversity
Justice
INTERCONNECTEDNESS + PARTNERSHIP
Curiosity
Collaboration
Vulnerability
THE WRITTEN + SPOKEN WORD
Health
Education
Self-expression
OUR LEGACY
Stability
Honesty
Integrity
Writers supporting writers
Founded in 2008, the NWC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with regional reach. Our relationships are our superpower. The NWC community is comprised of poets, fiction writers, memoirists, fantasy writers, rappers and producers, lyricists, playwrights, and more. These artists of all disciplines mentor young writers, incarcerated writers, and writers in our larger community, empowering each to be their most honest self.
Paying local writers
We invest in our community by paying artists. The Nebraska arts sector contributes $3B to the state’s economy. We pay writers fairly so that they can afford to live, eat, and create right here in the Midwest – we don’t coast!
Innovating new programs
When our community speaks, we listen. With calls to support writers of all ages, not just teen writers, we created The Generator, a virtual workshops series for adults, the North Omaha Writers Workshop for writers living, working, and creating in North Omaha, and launched monthly, all-ages poetry slams in Lincoln and Omaha.
Legacy and impact
Did you know that 20% of our Teaching Artist team includes former program participants and interns? We’re quickly approaching two decades of arts education, and folks who have the chance to see our work firsthand tend to stick around!
CAREERS
Join our team
Send your resume to info@newriters.org to be considered for future opportunities!
Teaching Artist
Our Teaching Artists facilitate writing workshops for high schoolers, middle schoolers, people who are incarcerated, and community members of all ages and skill levels. They dedicate their time to serving our community through unique artistic practices that utilize poetry, comedy, character development, music, world-building, and more. Their motivation is connection – bringing people together over stories.
Core Teaching Artist
Our Core Teaching Artists supervise and mentor Teaching Artists. They are senior educators with a wealth of experience, and help us ensure our NWC classrooms are well-run, engaging, and – whenever possible – joyful.
Volunteer
We love our volunteers! Whether you judge a poetry slam or write thank you notes to our long-time supporters, you bring value to the NWC! Email info@newriters.org for our most up-to-date volunteer opportunities.
Staff & Board
Zedeka Poindexter & Gina Tranisi
Zedeka Poindexter (she/her) is a North Omaha-born multi-talented and driven professional writer and performer with a robust account management and communications history. She holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. In her work, Zedeka has built a historical record through poems and essays that draw on all five physical senses to connect with readers and listeners. By sharing stories of people in her community, she creates a relationship with her audience and guides them through the world as she sees and experiences it. Throughout her ten years of serving the NWC as a Teaching Artist, she has earned numerous awards and accolades such as Omaha Entertainment & Arts: Best Performance Poet, Amplify Arts: Public Impact Grant Recipient, The Union for Contemporary Art: Inside/Outside Fellowship Prize, Nebraska Arts Council: Artists In Schools Recipient, and much more.
Gina Tranisi (she/her) is a leader, educator, and poet who has competed at both the National Poetry Slam (NPS) and the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI). She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English with a specialization in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. An alum of the Nebraska Writers Collective's (NWC) youth poetry programming, Gina has served as an NWC Teaching Artist, Core Teaching Artist, and, most recently, an Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program certified instructor and the organization's full-time Program Director. Her poems have appeared in Rattle and The Rumpus, among other journals. She was Runner-Up in the 2022 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest, and a finalist in the 2023 Colorado Prize for Poetry.
CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS
Kara Warner
Kara Warner is a published author, and public speaker from Omaha, NE, committed to empowering women and youth struggling with self-esteem, identity, and resilience. She earned a degree in Black Studies and Psychology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a Master of Science in Family Life Education from Concordia University.
In 2015, she launched initiatives such as the Beauty Is Skin Deep Program, which reshapes perceptions of women of color, and the Black Studies Bootcamp for Youth, providing Black history education. From 2021 to 2023, she worked with Douglas County’s juvenile justice programs, earning the African American Corrections Officer Community Beacon Award in 2020 and recognition from the Nebraska State Legislature.
She continues advocating for youth and families through initiatives that promote self-empowerment, heritage, and culture. Kara also serves as a Parent Advisor for the Nebraska Statewide Family Engagement Center and is a devoted mother to her son, Zaccai.
PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Board of Directors
Randy Chavez
Randy holds a BA in Design and Advertising and has more than a decade of experience designing, developing and launching brands. Working with clients from law firms to community spaces to neighborhood initiatives, Randy seeks opportunities to take concepts, ideas, strategies and processes to the next level to create the most impactful, effective and efficient work. In addition to his skills that span from branding to website design, he is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Beyond his passion for design, Randy and his wife are foodies who are constantly trying new restaurants and documenting experiences on their food blog. He also enjoys traveling, soccer, art and reading.
Joy Kathurima
Joy is an attorney in Omaha, Nebraska. Her practice involves family law, estate planning, and estate administration. Joy first fell in love with the written word from reading voraciously as a child. Seeing poetry come to life through performance cemented her love of written and spoken word. In her free time, Joy likes to consider herself a woman in STEM (shenanigans, tomfoolery, enjoyment, and mischief). Joy is proud to be a member of the Nebraska Writers Collective Board.
Bea Carrasco
Maria (Bea) is a relationship-driven human capital professional with over 15 years of learning and development experience in higher education and corporate settings. She worked at Omaha Steaks for nearly 16 years in various roles improving performance of employees by consulting, assessing, creating, and implementing learning and organization-wide solutions and is currently an OD Consultant.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, a Master of Science degree in Leadership Development from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Change Management and Organizational Development diploma from the University of Chile and is a Certified Strategic Human Resources Business Partner (sHRBP).
She has volunteered on several health, technology, and education-related organizations and is passionate about leadership and diversity and inclusion.
Theodore Wheeler
Theodore Wheeler is the bestselling author of three novels, most recently the USA Today bestseller The War Begins in Paris (Little Brown, 2023). He has won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Nebraska Arts Council, and Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, Germany. At different times, somewhat overlapping, he was co-director of Omaha Lit Fest and co-owner of Dundee Book Company, a neighborhood bookshop in midtown Omaha. For fourteen years Theodore worked as a journalist who covered law and politics and he now is an assistant professor in the English Department at Creighton University.
Keegan Korf
Keegan Korf is a mother, wife, friend, communications professional, educator, tech nerd, library advocate and e-bike evangelist. She lives in Hanscom Park with her husband Justin, their son Ender and an entire litter of cats (Fixer, Sonny and The Holy Spirit). While trained in journalism (officially), Keegan taught high school English prior to working in district-level administration and eventually, nonprofit leadership. She has been a TEDx speaker, a TOYO recipient, a founding nonprofit board member, and a local school board candidate. Today, she serves as Chief Development Officer at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands.
Her appreciation for the written word is most often expressed through her consumption of books - in every possible format - but with a preference for audio and paperback.
Dr. Toccara Steele
Dr. Toccara Nicole is a 12-time author along with being a 2-time Amazon Best Selling author affectionately known as “The Identity Architect!” She is passionate about helping her clients discover what’s in their vault to unlock their personal and marketplace identity by using her powerful insight, discernment, and sensitivity!
As the architect to authors, VOS Consulting and Publishing International creates, cultivates, and launches authors, entrepreneurs, and storytellers into position to monetize their genius. She equips her clients to shift the “ship” by introducing authorship as a form of entrepreneurship!
