Readings are funded in part by Humanities Nebraska.
Nebraska Poets Reading Series
Highlighting the Talent of Our Nebraska Poets
Poetry Pause
at Joslyn Castle
Third Thursdays
May 21 - Sept 17, 5:00-6:30p CST
In Person: In the Carriage House at Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha
Poetry Pause is a welcoming, low-pressure way to experience poetry in community.
Each month, we feature two local poets at different points in their writing lives—one seasoned and one emerging—who will share their work, talk with each other about poetry and the creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
This event is designed for everyone, whether you read poetry often or have never attended a poetry reading before. The atmosphere is light, conversational, and approachable, offering a chance to slow down, listen, and connect with poetry in a relaxed (and air conditioned) setting.
Come for the Art Walk, stay for a few poems, and enjoy an evening of creative connection inside one of Omaha’s most beautiful historic spaces.
May Poets:
Carolina Hotchandani is the author of The Book Eaters, which won the 2023 Perugia Press Prize, a 2024 Nebraska Book Award, and was one of ten debut poetry books featured in Poets & Writers Magazine’s 2024 Debut Poets Issue. Her work has been supported by Rona Jaffe Foundation Scholarships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, a Tin House Scholar Award, a Community of Writers Scholarship, and a Nebraska Arts Council Award. Her poetry has appeared in The Atlantic, AGNI, Prairie Schooner, and other magazines. She is a Goodrich Associate Professor of English in Omaha, Nebraska.
Zachary Blair is a poet, short story writer, and graduate student in the UNO Writer's Workshop. He has been featured in The 13th Floor Magazine and as a featured speaker for The 13th Floor Reading Series, The Toddfather and Friends Reading Series, and the Nebraska New Voices Reading Series.
FREE and Open to the Public
Judy Brackett Crowe
Tuesday, July 7, 6:30p CST
Judy Brackett Crowe, born in Fremont, Nebraska, has lived in the California foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada for many years. Her poems have appeared in Oberon, Fish Anthology, Epoch, The Maine Review, The MacGuffin, Commonweal, Cloudbank, Subtropics, and elsewhere.
She has taught English and creative writing at Sierra College and is a longtime member of the Community of Writers. Her chapbook, Flat Water: Nebraska Poems, was published by Finishing Line Press. Her poetry book, The Watching Sky, was published by Cornerstone Press in 2024 and received the Nebraska Book Award in Poetry for 2025.
FREE and Open to the Public
Poetry Pause
at Joslyn Castle
Third Thursdays
August 20- Sept 17, 5:00-6:30p CST
In Person: In the Carriage House at Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha
Poetry Pause is a welcoming, low-pressure way to experience poetry in community.
Each month, we feature two local poets at different points in their writing lives—one seasoned and one emerging—who will share their work, talk with each other about poetry and the creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
This event is designed for everyone, whether you read poetry often or have never attended a poetry reading before. The atmosphere is light, conversational, and approachable, offering a chance to slow down, listen, and connect with poetry in a relaxed (and air conditioned) setting.
Come for the Art Walk, stay for a few poems, and enjoy an evening of creative connection inside one of Omaha’s most beautiful historic spaces.
August Poets:
Tyler Michael Jacobs is the author of The Weight of Drought (Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2025) and Building Brownville (Stephen F. Austin State University Press, 2022). His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in West Branch, The Journal, Quarterly West, Grist, Phoebe, Passages North, Variant Literature, Plainsongs, Sierra Nevada Review, and elsewhere. His poems have also been featured on Nebraska Public Media’s Friday LIVE. He received his MFA from Bowling Green State University.
Nicole Stander is a poet pursuing an MFA in fiction with University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Mississippi Review, Calyx, ellipsis, and more. She resides in Omaha with her partner.
FREE and Open to the Public
Greg Kosmicki
Tuesday, October 6, 6:30p CST
Greg Kosmicki has published eight chapbooks and seven full-length collections of poetry with ten different presses. His most recent collection, The dog has no answers, was published in September, 2023, by Main Street Rag Publishing Co. His 2016 collection, It's As Good Here as it Gets Anywhere, from Logan House Press, was a finalist for the 2017 High Plains Book Award.
Individual poems of his have been published in Paris Review, New Letters, Nimrod, Cimarron Review, Kansas Quarterly, Briar Cliff Review, Laurel Review, Poetry NOW, and many others. His poems have been selected to be read on "Writer's Almanac." He has twice been awarded an Artist's Fellowship from the Nebraska Arts Council for his poetry.
In 1998, he founded The Backwaters Press, which published more than 100 books under his direction, until it was given to the University of Nebraska Press in 2017 as an imprint of that press. The University press continues to offer The Backwaters Prize for poetry collections, which he started in 2000.
Greg also works creatively as an abstract painter. He and his wife of 52 years, Debbie, are retired and live in Omaha, Nebraska, where he continues to write and paint.
FREE and Open to the Public
Judy Lorenzen
MONDAY, June 8, 6:30p CST
Judy Lorenzen is a poet, writer, and teaching artist. Her education includes a Doctorate of English, Composition and Rhetoric, December 2016, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Dissertation: Teaching Place: Heritage, Home and Community, the Heart of Education; Master of Art in Creative Writing, May 2008, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Thesis: Let Autumn Come; Doctorate of Theology, May 2000, Andersonville Theological Seminary; Master of Science in Community Counseling, May 1998, University of Nebraska at Kearney; and a Bachelor of Arts in English, Emphasis in Writing, Philosophy Minor, May 1995, University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Her first book, Turning Back to Her Love Pages, was published in June 2025. She is now hoping to find a home for her second book, Seasons of Reverence. Her online publications include Jama’s Alphabet Soup, Blue Lake Review, Verse-Virtual, North Dakota Quarterly, Front Porch Review, Silver Birch Press, Super Poetry Highway, The Orchards Poetry Journal, Autumn Sky Poetry DAILY, Dirigible Balloon, and Blue Heron Review among others.
FREE and Open to the Public
Poetry Pause
at Joslyn Castle
Third Thursdays
July 16- Sept 17, 5:00-6:30p CST
In Person: In the Carriage House at Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha
Poetry Pause is a welcoming, low-pressure way to experience poetry in community.
Each month, we feature two local poets at different points in their writing lives—one seasoned and one emerging—who will share their work, talk with each other about poetry and the creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
This event is designed for everyone, whether you read poetry often or have never attended a poetry reading before. The atmosphere is light, conversational, and approachable, offering a chance to slow down, listen, and connect with poetry in a relaxed (and air conditioned) setting.
Come for the Art Walk, stay for a few poems, and enjoy an evening of creative connection inside one of Omaha’s most beautiful historic spaces.
July Poets:
Lucy Adkins's poetry has appeared in many journals and anthologies including Poet Lore, Rhino, South Dakota Review, Concho River Review as well as former poet laureate Ted Kooser’s column, “American Life in Poetry.” She’s received several Pushcart nominations and her latest two collections, Two-Toned Dress and A Crazy Little Thing were winners of Nebraska Book Awards for Poetry in 2021 and 2023. In 2020, she was named winner of a Lincoln Mayor’s Arts Award for Achievement in the Literary Arts.
Lea Langer is a student at UNO pursuing a BFA in creative writing with a concentration in poetry. Her conversational lyric poetry explores the beauty and ache of the natural world.
FREE and Open to the Public
Mark Sanders
Tuesday, September 1, 6:30p CST
Mark Sanders is a Nebraska native, born in Creighton and raised on the eastern rim of the Sandhills at Ord.
Among his books of poetry are The Suicide (1988), Before We Lost Our Ways (1996), Here in the Big Empty (2006), Conditions of Grace: New and Selected Poems (2011), Landscapes, with Horses (2018), and In a Good Time (2019). The latter two books received Nebraska Book Awards; Landscapes, with Horses was awarded the 2019 Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.
His edited works include A Sandhills Reader: 30 Years of Great Writing from the Great Plains and The Weight of the Weather: Regarding the Poetry of Ted Kooser, both recipients of the Nebraska Book Award, in 2016 and 2018 respectively.
In 2007, he was awarded the Mildred Bennett Award for fostering Nebraska’s literary heritage. His most recent book is Homecoming Parade: Memoir (2024), and his next book of poems, The Messiah Horse: Poems 1988-2025, is forthcoming in 2027.
He and his wife operate a small farm devoted to big dogs and horses in east Texas.
FREE and Open to the Public
Kelly Madigan
Tuesday, November 3, 6:30p CST
Kelly Madigan is a poet, essayist and conservation advocate living in the Loess Hills of western Iowa. She previously resided in Nebraska for over 30 years.
Her work has received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Distinguished Artist Award from the Nebraska Arts Council.
In 2020, Kelly walked the entire length of the Loess Hills in Iowa in an effort to understand her landscape on foot. In 2013, she crossed the Nebraska panhandle on foot.
Her books include The Edge of Known Things (SFASU Press) and Getting Sober (McGraw-Hill).
FREE and Open to the Public
Poetry Pause
at Joslyn Castle
Third Thursdays
June 18- Sept 17, 5:00-6:30p CST
In Person: In the Carriage House at Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha
Poetry Pause is a welcoming, low-pressure way to experience poetry in community.
Each month, we feature two local poets at different points in their writing lives—one seasoned and one emerging—who will share their work, talk with each other about poetry and the creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
This event is designed for everyone, whether you read poetry often or have never attended a poetry reading before. The atmosphere is light, conversational, and approachable, offering a chance to slow down, listen, and connect with poetry in a relaxed (and air conditioned) setting.
Come for the Art Walk, stay for a few poems, and enjoy an evening of creative connection inside one of Omaha’s most beautiful historic spaces.
June Poets:
Shyla Ann Shehan is an analytical Virgo from the Midwest. She holds an MFA from the University of Nebraska, where she was awarded an Academy of American Poets Prize. Her writing has appeared in The Pinch, Moon City Review, New York Quarterly, and elsewhere, and her poetry collection, Mining the Gap, was published by WSC Press in 2025. She’s the lead editor and curator of The Good Life Review and lives in Omaha. ❀ More at shylashehan.com.
Leta Iris (she/they) is a bisexual, two-spirited midwestern poet with a BA in English + a concentration in Creative Nonfiction and a minor in Creative Writing. She is the author of two poetry collections, "When Summer Fades to Fall" and "The Fruits of Her Bittersweet Sadness, Left to Rot." Iris is pursuing an MFA in Writing, concentrating in Poetry. She is published in South Broadway Press, 13th Floor Magazine, and has pieces featured in the Experiences in Femininity exhibit at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. letairiswrites.com | @tangledflxwers.
FREE and Open to the Public
Brad Aaron Modlin
Tuesday, August 4, 6:30p CST
Brad Aaron Modlin came to Nebraska to be a professor/The Reynolds Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at University of Nebraska, Kearney and teach undergraduates & in the online creative writing master’s program. The sandhill cranes were a bonus!
His internationally viral poetry has been experienced two million times. His book Everyone at This Party Has Two Names is available from Black Lawrence Press. His work appears in the Pushcart Prize anthology; Brevity; Poetry Unbound; The Slowdown; & The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Also orchestral scores, Australian art galleries, Brooklyn public art, and his grampa’s refrigerator.
He has received support from the Banff Centre, Sewanee Writer’s Conference, & the Nebraska Arts Council. He likes talking with strangers and asking friends to share examples of hope.
FREE and Open to the Public
Poetry Pause
at Joslyn Castle
September 17, 5:00-6:30p CST
In Person: In the Carriage House at Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St, Omaha
Poetry Pause is a welcoming, low-pressure way to experience poetry in community.
Each month, we feature two local poets at different points in their writing lives—one seasoned and one emerging—who will share their work, talk with each other about poetry and the creative process, and answer questions from the audience.
This event is designed for everyone, whether you read poetry often or have never attended a poetry reading before. The atmosphere is light, conversational, and approachable, offering a chance to slow down, listen, and connect with poetry in a relaxed (and air conditioned) setting.
Come for the Art Walk, stay for a few poems, and enjoy an evening of creative connection inside one of Omaha’s most beautiful historic spaces.
September Poets:
Kiara Nicole Letcher is the author of Oxblood, (Agape Editions, 2024) and the chapbook Scream Queen (Orchard Street Press, 2019). Her work has appeared in South Dakota Review, Green Mountains Review, The Corpus Callosum, Laurel Review, Solstice Literary Magazine, Querencia Press and Mulberry Literary, among other publications. She received her MFA from The University of Nebraska at Omaha and previously served as a Board Member for the Nebraska Writer’s Collective. She was the 2024 and 2025 Keynote Speaker for the Nebraska Scholastic Writing Awards and a Nebraska State Poet Nominee. You can find her at her website: kiaranicoleletcher.com or on Instagram kiaranicolebang.
Anna Schmeer is a poet based in Kansas City, whose work has appeared in elementia, Milk Carton Press, Inlandia, and elsewhere. She is the founder of smudge press and the author of the chapbook BELLYUPANDBEGGINGTOBELOVED. She holds a BS in Psychology and English from Creighton University and is pursuing an MLIS from the University of Iowa.
FREE and Open to the Public
Kiara Nicole Letcher
Tuesday, December 1, 6:30p CST
Kiara Nicole Letcher is the author of Oxblood, (Agape Editions, 2024) and the chapbook Scream Queen (Orchard Street Press, 2019). Her work has appeared in South Dakota Review, Green Mountains Review, Plainsongs Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, Querencia Press, Mulberry Literary and Laurel Review, among other publications.
She received her MFA from The University of Nebraska at Omaha and previously served as a Board Member for the Nebraska Writer’s Collective. She was the 2024 and 2025 Keynote Speaker for the Nebraska Scholastic Writing Awards and a Nebraska State Poet Nominee. You can find her at her website or on Instagram @kiaranicolebang.
FREE and Open to the Public
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The Nebraska Poetry Society is a non-profit 501c3 organization.