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Local Literary Events
See listings of regularly-scheduled literary events both at the libraries (One Book – One Lincoln, John H. Ames Reading Series, Lunch at the Library) and in the surrounding Lincoln, NE community — including readings, signings, the One Book One Nebraska selection for this year and various other special presentations!
See also: Lincoln City Libraries-sponsored Book Groups | Non-LCL Book Groups
>>> Submit your own community Literary Event information! <<<
Current Lincoln City Libraries Literary Events
Nominations for One Book – One Lincoln for 2020 ended January 31st. You can nominate year-round for future years’ consideration at our online nomination form.
You can sign up to be notified by e-mail about all new developments regarding One Book – One Lincoln. You can become a fan of One Book – One Lincoln on Facebook by “liking” the One Book – One Lincoln Facebook group. We also encourage you to stop by the One Book – One Lincoln Blog, where you can leave comments about the book selections and the entire One Book process in response to posted discussion topics.
[ One Book – One Lincoln archives: The Lincoln Highway (2022) | Hidden Valley Road (2021) | Dear Edward (2020) | The Far Away Brothers (2019) | Killers of the Flower Moon (2018) | A Gentleman in Moscow (2017) | Being Mortal (2016) | Americanah (2015) | The Light Between Oceans (2014) | The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2013) | Destiny of the Republic (2012) | Cutting for Stone (2011) | I Am a Man (2010) | People of the Book (2009) | The Thirteenth Tale (2008) | The Worst Hard Time (2007) | The Devil in the White City (2006) | The Kite Runner (2005) | Peace Like a River (2004) | Bel Canto (2003) | Plainsong (2002) ] [ Master list of all One Book — One Lincoln finalists and selected titles [2002-2020] in PDF format. ]
During both the Spring and Fall, the Nebraska Literary Heritage Association sponsors a free monthly “brown bag” lecture series, featuring readings and talks by Nebraska authors. The programs are held in the 4th floor auditorium of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, at 14th and “N” Sts. Unless otherwise specified, programs begin at 12:10 p.m. and end before 1:00 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch…coffee is provided by The Mill in Lincoln.
Here is the Fall/Winter/Spring 2021-2022 schedule!
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- Wednesday, February 1, 2023 — This month the featured speaker is Dr. Eileen Wirth, a professor emeritus of journalism at Creighton University and a senior writer for Legacy Preservation. She will be speaking about her latest book, The Women Who Built Omaha: A Bold and Remarkable History.
- Wednesday, March 1, 2023 –Rick Cypert, author of America’s Agatha Christie: Mignon Good Eberhart, Her Life and Works, shares his insights into this Nebraska treasure along with a discussion of her novel, The Mystery of Hunting’s End, the 2023 One Book One Nebraska selection.
- Wednesday, April 5, 2023 — Pat Leach will discuss the All About Books program on Nebraska Public Media and the series called “This is Nebraska: Books That Tell Our Story.” She’ll talk about the books that people noted and offer some insights gained in conversations with Nebraskans about “our” books.
Visit the Lincoln City Libraries’ Lunch at the Library page for more information.
During both the Spring and Fall, the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors sponsors a free Sunday afternoon lecture series, featuring readings by Nebraska authors. The programs are held in the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors, on the 3rd floor of the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, at 14th and “N” Sts. Ames readings are held on Sunday afternoons, starting at 2:00 p.m.
Here are the latest entries in the Ames reading schedule:
Sunday, May 21, 2023, 2:00 p.m.
Members of the Prairie Trout Writing Group (Pam Barger, Twyla Hansen, Mary Pipher, Marge Saiser and Karen Shoemaker) will talk about their group and read from their individual works. More information to come!
Visit the Lincoln City Libraries’ John H. Ames Reading Series page for more information.
Current Non-Lincoln City Libraries Literary Events
One Book One Nebraska
Following the ongoing success of the first several years of One Book One Nebraska, the Nebraska Library Commission, the Nebraska Center for the Book, the Nebraska Library Association, the Nebraska Regional Library Systems and other organizations are sponsoring yet another year of One Book One Nebraska in 2020!
Past One Book One Nebraska selections have included Willa Cather’s My Antonia (2005), Omaha mystery novelist Alex Kava’s One False Move (2006), Mari Sandoz’ classic history text Crazy Horse (2007), Nebraska State Poet William Kloefkorn’s autobiography Restoring the Burnt Child (2008), Bess Streeter Aldrich’s A Lantern in Her Hand (2009), Wright Morris’ The Home Place (2010), Ted Kooser’s Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps (2011), Joe Starita’s I Am a Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice (2012), Willa Cather’s classic novel, O Pioneers! (2013), Bob Greene’s Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen (2014), Death Zones and Darling Spies by Beverly Deepe Keever (2015), The Meaning of Names by Karen Gettert Shoemaker (2016), and Black Elk Speaks by John G. Neihardt (2017), Nebraska Presence: A Poetry Anthology (2018), This Blessed Earth by Ted Genoways (2019), All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor’s Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor by Donald Stratton and Ken Gire (2020), Prairie Forge: The Extraordinary Story of the Nebraska Scrap Metal Drive of World War II, written by James J. Kimball (2021), and The Bones of Paradise by Jonis Agee (2022).
The 2023 selected title is The Mystery of Hunting’s End, written by Mignon G. Eberhart. The Sand Hills of Nebraska, where Mignon G. Eberhart lived as a newlywed, inspired the setting of this 1930 chiller. Smack in the middle of the rolling desolation is Hunting’s End, a weekend lodge owned by the rich Kingery family. To that place socialite Matil Kingery invites a strange collection of guests–the same people who were at the lodge when her father died of “heart failure” exactly five years ago. She intends to find out which one of them murdered him.
Posing as another guest is the dapper young detective Lance O’Leary. At his recommendation Matil has engaged Nurse Sarah Keate to care for Aunt Lucy Kingery at Hunting’s End–not a pleasant assignment, as it turns out. Gathered at the lodge, Matil’s guests are shut off from the outside by a November snowstorm. A collie named Jericho mopes around, and a stray cat seems to herald new, clearly unnatural deaths. What a trap to spring on people used to good wine and fresh-cut flowers at dinner!
Nurse Keate is the same sharp-eyed, stiletto-tongued, strong-stomached Nightingale and sleuth who was introduced in The Patient in Room 18 and While the Patient Slept (available in a Bison Books edition). She helped establish Mignon G. Eberhart as a mainstay of the golden age of detective fiction.. You can find more information about the current year’s activities at the official One Book One Nebraska Web 2021 site.
[ One Book – One Nebraska archives: Prairie Forge (2021) | All the Gallant Men (2020) | This Blessed Earth (2019) | Nebraska Presence: A Poetry Anthology (2018) | Black Elk Speaks (2017) | The Meaning of Names (2016) | Death Zones and Darling Spies (2015) | Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen (2014) | O Pioneers! (2013) | I Am A Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice (2012) | Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps (2011) | The Home Place (2010) | A Lantern in Her Hand (2009) | Restoring the Burnt Child (2008) | Crazy Horse (2007) | One False Move (2006) | My Antonia (2005) ]Other Lincoln-area ongoing Literary Events
Acoustic Open Mic for Musicians and Poets
Where: Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St.)
When: Every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.
For information about events at Meadowlark Coffee, check out the events page on their website at: Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso.
Crescent Moon Reading Series
Where: Crescent Moon Coffee (140 N. 8th St.)
When: Mondays at 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Mondays at 7:00 pm is the Crescent Moon Readings Series followed by an open mic. We feature a writer for the first hour of the evening and then offer the microphone to anyone who has written poetry, stories, or songs and wished to have the opportunity to share them. The Crescent Moon Reading and Music Room is indoors across the courtyard from Crescent Moon Coffee. For more information, check out their website at: Crescent Moon Events.
Larksong Writers Place
Where: Larksong Writers Place (1600 N. Cotner Blvd.)
When: various events at various days and times
Check the Larksong Writers Place website for a schedule of upcoming events. Many events, including writing groups, book launches, readings, and more are open and free to the public. Larksong also offers various classes for fees.
Lincoln Open Mic Night at Night Owl Pub
Where: Night Owl Pub (3233 S. 13th St.)
When: Every Wednesday night, 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Every Wednesday night features an Open Mic available for musicians and poets.
Lincoln Scrabble® Club
Where: Braeda Fresh Express Cafe – 4231 S. 33rd St. (33rd & Pioneers)
When: The second and fourth Tuesdays of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Lincoln Scrabble® Club is a group of casual to competitive Scrabble® players from the Lincoln, Nebraska area. All ages and all skills levels are welcome. We play by the game rules of the National Scrabble® Association. For more information, you can call Judy at 402-730-8974 or email at trudy2(at)twc.com.
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Where: various locations in Lincoln
When: various different days and times
Although National Novel Writing Month, as an event, takes place each November, there can often be writing-related events at other times throughout the year as well. Visit the national NaNoWriMo website, set up a free account, and you can connect with the local chapter to find out what they’re currently doing.
Nebraska Writers Collective
Where: various locations in Lincoln, Omaha and elsewhere in Nebraska
When: various different days and times
Check out the NWC website to see a list of upcoming events, including their “Take Up Space” open mic poetry readings for youth.
Speak, Poet
Where: The Bay (2005 Y St.)
When: Last Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Open Mic poetry night on the last Thursday of every month.
Star City Slam
Where: Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso (1624 South St.)
When: Not regularly scheduled – see their events page for updates
Offering featured performers and a cash prize for first place, it’s a poetry slam where the winner can never use the same winning poems again to get that top prize, in this winner takes all rhetoric throw down. For information about events at Meadowlark Coffee, check out the Events page on their website at: Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso.
Past Literary Events – Historical Archives
After many years, through 2010, the annual Mayhem in the Midlands Mystery Conference over the Memorial Day weekend, apparently ended in 2011. Organizers (primarily the Omaha Public Library) sent out a press release in early March, 2011, announcing that the 2011 convention has been cancelled, after 11 straight successes. The press release ended on a positive note, asking mystery fans to check back on Mayhem in 2012, although no convention materialized!Although the weblink for the convention is not currently active, you can “like” the Mayhem in the Midlands Crime Fiction Conference on Facebook to stay up-to-date on additional developments. The latest news since 2012 was that the organizers were looking at ways to re-establish the convention in the future.
Fans of Romance Fiction joined with a dozen romance authors at each of Lincoln’s three Turning the Pages of Romance conferences, in 2004, 2005 and 2006. These events, co-sponsored by the Lincoln City Libraries and the Omaha Public Library, proved to be a popular way to meet and interact with professional romance authors from the midwest each Spring.