Calendar
Upcoming Events
Lincoln Poetry Slam
Lincoln Poetry Slam: ($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: bit.ly/lincmic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
@Larksong Writers Place
Omaha Poetry Slam
Join us at our new location, Local Art Plug!
Omaha Poetry Slam: ($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
Doors open at 6:30pm
Open mic starts at 7:00pm
Slam starts at 7:30pm
The Generator: "Ready, Set, Go: The Art of Better Writing" with Brenda Jackson
The Generator: "Ready, Set, Go: The Art of Better Writing" with Brenda Jackson
This 90-minute interactive workshop, facilitated by the renowned New York Times and USA Today Award winning romance author Brenda Jackson, is designed to help aspiring writers tap into their creativity and begin crafting their own love stories. Whether you're interested in writing fiction or non-fiction, this workshop will guide you through the process of turning your ideas into compelling narratives.
Brenda will share insights from her writing career, discussing key elements of romance writing such as character development, emotional tension, and pacing. Participants will explore their personal motivations for writing, identify potential obstacles, and learn tips for overcoming them to stay productive.
Through a series of guided writing prompts, attendees will have the opportunity to start their own romance scenes and receive live feedback. The workshop will also cover the basics of crafting memorable characters, understanding plot structure, and creating engaging dialogue.
By the end of the session, participants will walk away with the beginnings of a new romance story, a stronger understanding of their creative process, and practical tools for success in the romance genre. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this workshop will inspire you to write the love story you've always dreamed of.
***
Ready, Set, Go: The Art of Better Writing with Brenda Jackson is part of The Generator: A Creative Writing Series for Grown Folks, presented by Nebraska Writers Collective.
Join us from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 14 for this virtual, generative writing workshop. Open to all adult writers, ages 19 and older.
This workshop is $15 and will take place on Zoom. Register today.
→ https://newriters.jotform.com/242931848756066
After you sign up, you will receive an immediate confirmation email. You will also receive two reminder emails before the event(s) you choose. You will receive a Zoom link one day prior to the workshop.
Copy to Google Calendar
***
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
🕵️ February 11 - Doppelgangers, Enemies, and Strangers Online: Going Deeper and Finding Empathy in Character with Ted Wheeler
💫 March 11 - Writing Science Fiction with J.R. Dawson
All events take place on Tuesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM CST.
***
ABOUT THE WRITER
Brenda Jackson stands as a pioneering force in the world of romance literature. Her literary journey is a testament to her exceptional accomplishments. Her professional writing career took flight in 1995 with the release of her debut book, "Tonight and Forever." Since then, Brenda has garnered numerous national and literary awards, cementing her status as a trailblazing author. With a vast bibliography of over 149 books and novellas, she has collectively sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, transcending linguistic boundaries with translations into 32 different languages.
One of her most groundbreaking milestones was her historic ascent as the first African American author to grace both the New York Times Bestsellers List and the USA Today's Bestsellers List within the romance genre. Her book "A Silken Thread" earned her a 2012 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Fiction. Brenda became the first African American author to receive the prestigious Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America in 2012. In 2019, she received the New York Chapter of Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award; and she received the Best Romance of 2022 award for her book – The House on Blueberry Lane – from the African American Literary Awards.
The Generator: "Doppelgangers, Enemies, and Strangers Online: Going Deeper and Finding Empathy in Character" with Ted Wheeler
The Generator: "Doppelgangers, Enemies, and Strangers Online: Going Deeper and Finding Empathy in Character" with Ted Wheeler
Award-winning novelist Ted Wheeler will discuss his approach to discovering character while working through the early drafts of a story and walk participants through a generative writing exercise. The exercise will benefit those who are looking to deepen their understanding of a character in an existing draft as well as those who are just starting out.
***
Doppelgangers, Enemies, and Strangers Online: Going Deeper and Finding Empathy in Character with Ted Wheeler is part of The Generator: A Creative Writing Series for Grown Folks, presented by Nebraska Writers Collective.
Join us from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 11 for this virtual, generative writing workshop. Open to all adult writers, ages 19 and older.
This workshop is $15 and will take place on Zoom. Register today.
→ https://newriters.jotform.com/242931848756066
After you sign up, you will receive an immediate confirmation email. You will also receive two reminder emails before the event(s) you choose. You will receive a Zoom link one day prior to the workshop.
Copy to Google Calendar
***
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
💫 March 11 - Writing Science Fiction with J.R. Dawson
All events take place on Tuesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM CST.
***
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ted 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 14 years, he worked as a journalist, who covered law and politics. He is now an assistant professor in the English department at Creighton University.
The Generator: "Writing Science Fiction" with J.R. Dawson
The Generator: "Writing Science Fiction" with J.R. Dawson
The Great What If? While Science Fiction is steeped in the speculative, it is a genre that shows us our future to make sense of our present. Come learn about why these stories hold so much importance (especially now), and try your hand at writing your own great what ifs.
***
Writing Science Fiction with J.R. Dawson is part of The Generator: A Creative Writing Series for Grown Folks, presented by Nebraska Writers Collective.
Join us from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 11 for this virtual, generative writing workshop. Open to all adult writers, ages 19 and older.
This workshop is $15 and will take place on Zoom. Register today.
→ https://newriters.jotform.com/242931848756066
After you sign up, you will receive an immediate confirmation email. You will also receive two reminder emails before the event(s) you choose. You will receive a Zoom link one day prior to the workshop.
Copy to Google Calendar
***
ABOUT THE WRITER
J.R. Dawson's debut, The First Bright Thing, is a Golden Crown award winner. Her shorter works are in places such as F&SF, The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018, and Lightspeed. Dawson lives in Minnesota with a loving spouse and three dogs. She is a professor at Drexel University's MFA program. Her second novel, The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, is a loose sapphic retelling of Orpheus, and releases from Tor in July 2025.
*Canceled* Omaha Poetry Slam
Lincoln Poetry Slam: 7 p.m. Thursday, October 10 at Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: http://bit.ly/lincmic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
Lincoln Poetry Slam
Lincoln Poetry Slam: 7 p.m. Thursday, October 10 at Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: http://bit.ly/lincmic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
The Generator: "Songwriting for the Unapologetic" with Conny Franko
This workshop will be for any discipline of writer to get their feet wet in the world of songwriting. The goal of the workshop is to find agency in one's own voice and apply it to writing a song. What's great about this workshop is that there's a song for everyone. Some songs are easily digestible, others are buried in easter eggs and some only can be translated by the author. Which song will you find ownership in writing?
***
Songwriting for the Unapologetic with Conny Franko is part of The Generator: A Creative Writing Series for Grown Folks, presented by Nebraska Writers Collective.
Join us from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, December 10 for this virtual, generative writing workshop. Open to all adult writers, ages 19 and older.
This workshop is $15 and will take place on Zoom. Register today.
→https://newriters.jotform.com/242931848756066
After you sign up, you will receive an immediate confirmation email. You will also receive two reminder emails before the event(s) you choose. You will receive a Zoom link one day prior to the workshop.
Copy to Google Calendar
***
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
❤️ January 14 - Ready, Set, Go: The Art of Better Writing with Brenda Jackson
🕵️ February 11 - Doppelgangers, Enemies, and Strangers Online: Going Deeper and Finding Empathy in Character with Ted Wheeler
💫 March 11 - Writing Science Fiction with J.R. Dawson
All events take place on Tuesdays from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM CST.
***
ABOUT THE WRITER
Brenton Gomez aka Conny Franko has been writing language for albums since 2012. He is the emcee in the duo, M34N STR33T and a current Fellow at the Union of Contemporary Arts in North Omaha.
Lincoln Poetry Slam
Lincoln Poetry Slam: 7 p.m. Thursday, October 10 at Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: http://bit.ly/lincmic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
Omaha Poetry Slam
Omaha Poetry Slam: 7 p.m. Saturday, November 9th at 1901 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE 68102
($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
Omaha Poetry Slam ($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: bit.ly/omamic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
Aimee Nezhukumatathil: How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop
Aimee Nezhukumatathil: How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop
With Nebraska Writers Collective and Lincoln Parks and Recreation
We’re thrilled to sponsor Aimee Nezhukumatathil's upcoming writing workshops in Lincoln! Join her for "How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling" and see what blooms. 🌻
WHEN
October 17 • 3:30-5 p.m. - UNL Nebraska East Union
October 18 • 3:30-5 p.m. - Pioneers Park Nature Center
*Same workshop offered both dates. Please select one.
REGISTER HERE
Aimee Nezhukumatathil: How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop
Aimee Nezhukumatathil: How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling Workshop
With Nebraska Writers Collective and Lincoln Parks and Recreation
We’re thrilled to sponsor Aimee Nezhukumatathil's upcoming writing workshops in Lincoln! Join her for "How to Fall Down into the Grass: Nature Journaling" and see what blooms. 🌻
WHEN
October 17 • 3:30-5 p.m. - UNL Nebraska East Union
October 18 • 3:30-5 p.m. - Pioneers Park Nature Center
*Same workshop offered both dates. Please select one.
REGISTER HERE
Visiting Writers Series: Stephanie Pacheco at the Omaha Poetry Slam
This month’s Omaha Poetry Slam is featuring United States National Youth Poet Laureate, Stephanie Pacheco! @thestephaniepacheco
Come for a 20-minute set with Stephanie Pacheco, stay for the Omaha Poetry Slam!
$50 cash prize, $10 Suggested Entry
Saturday, October 12
Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Performance starts at 7:00 p.m.
Located at Dry Spokes, 1901 Leavenworth St, Omaha, NE 68102.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Stephanie Pacheco is the 2024-2025 National Youth Poet Laureate and served as the 2023 NYC Youth Poet Laureate and the inaugural New York State Youth Poet Laureate. She was also a member of Urban Word’s 2022 Youth Slam Team.
Hailing from The Bronx, she has been a leading organizer and strategist with several activist organizations, including the Healing Centered Schools Task Force, working to mobilize youth across the city against educational injustice. She is a recipient of the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations. Her advocacy and poetry have been highlighted by The New York Times, The Today Show, NPR, The Daily News, CBS, and other publications.
She has spoken and performed in notable venues such as The Schomburg Center, The Apollo Theater, The Barclays Center, The New York Public Library, TedXCUNY, and more.
Visiting Writers Series: Workshop with Stephanie Pacheco
Join us for an exciting opportunity! National Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Pacheco will lead a free, all-ages writing workshop at the Carter Lake Public Library on Saturday, October 12, from 1-2:30 p.m.
Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, all are welcome to participate! (Recommended for ages 16+.)
Space is limited to 30 participants.
✅ Register now to secure your spot: bit.ly/nwc-register
This workshop is part of the Nebraska Writers Collective’s Visiting Writers Series.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Stephanie Pacheco is the 2024-2025 National Youth Poet Laureate and served as the 2023 NYC Youth Poet Laureate and the inaugural New York State Youth Poet Laureate. She was also a member of Urban Word’s 2022 Youth Slam Team.
Hailing from The Bronx, she has been a leading organizer and strategist with several activist organizations, including the Healing Centered Schools Task Force, working to mobilize youth across the city against educational injustice. She is a recipient of the 2021 Princeton Prize in Race Relations. Her advocacy and poetry have been highlighted by The New York Times, The Today Show, NPR, The Daily News, CBS, and other publications.
She has spoken and performed in notable venues such as The Schomburg Center, The Apollo Theater, The Barclays Center, The New York Public Library, TedXCUNY, and more.
Lincoln Poetry Slam
Lincoln Poetry Slam: 7 p.m. Thursday, October 10 at Larksong Writers Place, 1600 N Cotner Blvd.
($50 cash prize, $10 suggested entry)
🌐 Join us on Zoom: http://bit.ly/lincmic24
Doors at 6:30pm
Open mic at 7:00pm
Slam at 7:30pm
Omaha Poetry Slam
The Nebraska Writers Collective is thrilled to announce the Omaha Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Saturday of every month at Dry Spokes.
Doors open at 6:30, event begins at 7:00. We will start with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)
Slam performers will have up to three minutes in each round to perform, and will be judged by five audience members on a scale from 0.0-10.0. Top performing poets will move onto the second and third rounds, and the top scorer will walk away with $50! All poems must be performed solo without props, costumes, musical accompaniment, and must consist entirely of the poet’s original words and work.
For the open mic, you can perform either your work or the work of others with attribution. Open mic readers have up to five minutes to perform.
In the interest of creating the most inclusive environment for our all-ages audience, we have a zero tolerance policy for racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, religious discrimination, or otherwise harmful writing and performance. Your time on the mic is not guaranteed.
Lincoln Poetry Slam ft. Tony McPherson
The Nebraska Writers Collective proudly presents the Lincoln Poetry Slam, a monthly open mic and poetry slam, held on the second Thursday of every month at Larksong Writers Place. This month’s event will include a feature set from Tony McPherson!
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., event begins at 7 p.m. We will start with an open mic and then the competitive individual slam! (If you plan to compete in the slam, bring three poems.)
Slam performers will have up to three minutes in each round to perform, and will be judged by five audience members on a scale from 0.0-10.0. Top performing poets will move onto the second and third rounds, and the top scorer will walk away with $50! All poems must be performed solo without props, costumes, musical accompaniment, and must consist entirely of the poet’s original words and work.
For the open mic, you can perform either your work or the work of others with attribution. Open mic readers have up to five minutes to perform.
In the interest of creating the most inclusive environment for our all-ages audience, we have a zero tolerance policy for racism, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, religious discrimination, or otherwise harmful writing and performance. Your time on the mic is not guaranteed.