Humanities Nebraska

Nebraska Poets Reading Series: Mary K. Stillwell
2025-10-07 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Program
The free monthly Nebraska Poets Reading Series highlights the talent of Nebraska poets and invites discussion with audience members. All events are free online, but registration is required to receive an event link. Registration links for each poet’s event and additional details about each poet are available on the Nebraska Poetry Society’s website.
Mary K. Stillwell has studied with William Packard and Erica Jong in New York and Ted Kooser and Hilda Raz on the plains. She earned her PhD in plains literature from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her poems and criticism has appeared in The Paris Review, The Massachusetts Review, Prairie Schooner, Midwest Quarterly, South Dakota Review, The New York Quarterly, Midwest Quarterly, Book of Re-reading of Recent American Poetry II, Women’s Studies, More in Time, and numerous anthologies. Most recently, her poem, “Open Door, Green and Pine,” was published in the spring 2023 issue of Prairie Schooner.

Dust Bowl Descent
2025-10-07 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Fairbury Public Library, 601 7th St., Fairbury, NE, 68352, United States
Speaker: Bill Ganzel
Sponsored by the Fairbury Public Library Foundation

Taking Flight: The Eighth Wonder of the World (documentary premier)
2025-10-09 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | St. Cecilia Cultural Center, 3900 Webster St, Omaha, Nebraska, 68131
A project of Omaha’s Bel Canto Duo celebrating the captivating Sandhill Crane migration in Nebraska with a blend of acoustic and electronic music. Come to immerse yourself in striking original compositions and visuals with oboist Darci Gamerl and cellist David Downing. Experience this natural spectacle through the duo’s artistic storytelling, connection to place, the unique sound mirroring the vast skies over the prairie and visuals featuring the sheer grandeur of thousands of Sandhill Cranes in migration.
7 p.m. in the lecture hall

Nebraska Warrior Writers - Lincoln Workshops
2025-10-11 09:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Pius X High School, 6000 A Street, Lincoln, NE, 68510, United States
Lincoln Saturdays, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. in-person Pius X High School conference room, 6000 A Street (west entrance 11)*
option to attend via Zoom
Facilitator: Tom Seib
More information here.
August 30 – Speaker: Jody Keisner
September 13 – Speaker: Twyla Hansen
September 27 – Speaker: Catherine King
October 11* – Speaker: Deron Larson LOCATION: Larksong Writers Place, 1600 North Cotner
October 25 – Speaker: Charlie Peck
November 8 – Speaker: Kay Siebler
November 22 – Speaker: Matt Mason
December 6 – Speaker: Karla Hernandez

Behind The Meaning of Names
2025-10-11 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Plymouth Community Building, 313 East Main St., Plymouth, NE, 68424, United States
Speaker: Karen Shoemaker
Sponsored by the Plymouth Public Library

Woven with History: Timeless Textiles from the Ak-Sar-Ben Collection
2025-10-11 10:00 - 2026-01-11 16:00 (America/Chicago) | The Durham Museum, 801 S 10th Street, Omaha, NE, 68108, United States
The history of Ak-Sar-Ben lives on at The Durham Museum, where the Ak-Sar-Ben collection of textiles offers a glimpse into the glamour and prestige that went into an unforgettable evening.
In this exhibit, museum visitors will have a rare opportunity to view stunning gowns from the annual Ak-Sar-Ben coronation ball. This exhibit shines a spotlight on an important collection through dresses and objects spanning the 1910s to the 2010s. They also tell another important story — the way the objects change over time and how the museum preserves them.
The Durham Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday noon – 4 p.m., with special extended hours in December – see museum website. Closed November, 21 and 27, December 25, January 1.
Admission: Adults: $15*, Seniors (62+): $12*, Military/Veteran: $12*, Children (ages 3 – 12): $8*
*PLUS TAX
Children 2 years and under FREE

Scoring Malcolm X: Q&A with Terence Blanchard
2025-10-11 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, 3448 Evans St., Omaha, NE, 68111, United States
Celebrating Malcolm X’s centennial in partnership with the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, Omaha Performing Arts will interview NEA Jazz Master, two-time Emmy® and Oscar® nominee, and eight-time Grammy® winning trumpeter & composer Terence Blanchard. Blanchard will talk about his Malcolm X Jazz Suite; created for Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X about the human rights and civil rights icon, for which Blanchard wrote and performed the score.
Tickets are required. The suggested ticket price is $10, but options to pay more or less are available, including a free ticket for people for whom cost is a barrier. For more information, visit the O-pa Voices AMPLIFIED website.
Voices AMPLIFIED! is a cultural engagement series that celebrates artists from diverse cultures and creates opportunities for discussion, reflection, and new experiences. Each season features a different community by pairing international and national touring artists with local artists and organizations for panel discussions, workshops, and other special events.

Day of the Dead Exhibit
2025-10-11 11:00 - 2025-11-15 14:00 (America/Chicago) | El Museo Latino, 4701 South 25 Street, Omaha, NE, 68107, United States
Visitors will be able to celebrate the Day of the Dead / Dia de Muertos at El Museo Latino beginning October 11, through November 15, 2025. Combining elements from indigenous Aztec and Christian traditions, the Day of the Dead remembers departed loved ones through the “ofrenda” (offering) that may include flowers, candles, incense, candy, favorite foods, and special bread called “Pan de Muertos”.
Museum hours are Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
General admission is $5, with discounts for students and seniors. Museum members, children under 5, and active military receive free admission.
Public Tours
10/18 – English 1:15 p.m.
Gallery Talk
10/25 – 1:15 p.m.
Sarah Banderas Martinez
“Tradition of Day of the Dead”
Workshops
11/01 – Skull Painting – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
11/08 – Skull Painting – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Advance registration required. Call 402-731-1137 or email info@elmuseolatino.org
Public Tours
11/08 – Spanish – 1:15 p.m.

Buffalo Bill’s Nebraska
2025-10-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Dundee Presbyterian Church, 5312 Underwood Avenue, Omaha, NE, 68132, United States
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
Sponsored by Dundee Presbyterian Church

Excess Baggage: Riding the Orphan Train
2025-10-11 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – Central City, 820 G Ave., Central City, NE, 68826, United States
Speaker: Charlotte Endorf
Sponsored by St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Joan of Arc: Saint, Witch, Madwoman, Hero?
2025-10-12 11:15 - 12:15 (America/Chicago) | Westminster Presbyterian Church-Lincoln, 2110 Sheridan Blvd, Lincoln, NE, 68502, United States
Speaker: Carole Levin
Sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Nebraska Spirit: The North Platte Canteen
2025-10-12 13:30 - 14:30 (America/Denver) | Gering Public Library, 1055 P Street, Gering, NE, 69341, United States
Speaker: Charlotte Endorf
Sponsored by the Friends of the Gering Public Library

A Century of Fashion: 1870-1970
2025-10-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Bladen United Methodist Church, 305 N Webster St., Bladen, NE, 68928, United States
Speaker: Sue McLain
Sponsored by the Blanden United Methodist Church

To Live and Die on the Plains
2025-10-12 14:00 - 15:00 (America/Chicago) | Sargent Community Center, 314 W Main St., Sargent, NE, 68874, United States
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
Sponsored by the Sargent Township Library

"My Omaha" film and discussion - Midwest Theater
2025-10-12 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Denver) | Midwest Theater, 1707 Broadway, Scottsbluff, NE, 69361, United States
MY OMAHA follows filmmaker Nick Beaulieu as he returns to his hometown amid the rising tensions of Donald Trump’s presidency and the Black Lives Matter movement. Fresh out of college, he meets Leo Louis II, an independent activist, who introduces him to Omaha’s activism roots, including the birthplace of Malcolm X in North Omaha. Simultaneously, Nick grapples with the strained relationship he has with his pro-Trump father, Randy, who is suddenly diagnosed with stage-4 cancer. With a newfound sense of urgency, Nick strives to reconcile with Randy through a series of difficult conversations. As the city faces crisis after the death of a protestor, we see Leo’s efforts to unite Omaha. And as national politics further divide Americans, we see Nick and Randy’s ability to bridge their differences. All together,
MY OMAHA paints the portrait of a city grappling with family conflict, political and racial discord, and the difficult search for common ground. It encourages viewers to consider how these challenges register in their own life, providing an example for how embracing conversation with one another can heal divisions and create a better world.
The event will feature a Q&A after the screening.
Tickets are $5.
For more information about the film, visit: https://www.myomahafilm.com/

Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra 2025-26 season pre-concert chat posted online
2025-10-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Program
Before selected concerts in its 2025-26 season, Lincoln’s Symphony Orchestra organizes a virtual conversation with LSO’s Maestro Edward Polochick and guest artists or composers, hosted by Nebraska Public Media’s Genevieve Randall. The pre-recorded chat for each concert is available to view online as well as via podcast the Monday before the concert, and for most events is also screened in person in the Steinhart Room at the Lied Center for the Performing Arts 45 minutes before the concert begins.
The chats are free to view online. The in-person screenings require the purchase of a ticket.
Links to each pre-concert chat will be included in each event’s page listed below. The entire series to date may be viewed on the LSO YouTube Channel.
PULSE & PANORAMA
Concert Date: Friday, September 19, 2025
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, September 15, 2025
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick
Topics: Jesse Montgomery’s Coincident Dances, Bernstein’s West Side Story: Symphony Dances, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, programing a themed concert (dances)
EMOTIONAL TAPESTRY
Concert Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, October 13, 2025
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, pianist Michael McHale
Topics: Franz Shubert’s Symphony in B minor (Unfinished), Sarah Gibson’s warp & weft, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, what an “unfinished” symphony means
EXPLORING THE EXPANSE
Concert Date: Friday, November 7, 2025
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, November 3, 2025
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, trombonist and LSO Principal Trombone Scott Anderson
Topics: Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), David Ferdinand’s Concertino for Trombone in E-flat major, Holst’s The Planets, performing The Planets with multi-media images and videos of our solar system
EXPERINCE THE INTRIgUE
Concert Date: Friday, February 12, 2026
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, February 9, 2026
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, violist Rita Porfiris, composer Julia Adolphe
Topics: Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia, Julia Adolphe’s Unearth, Release: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, the story of Scheherazade
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Concert Date: Friday, March 6, 2026
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, March 2, 2026
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, LSO principal harpist Katie Wychulis, harpist Julie Smith Phillips
Topics: Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, Marjan Mozetich’s “The Passion of Angels” (Concerto for 2 Harps & Orchestra), Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 (London), harp concerti and its performance practice
POWERFUL PERSEVERANCE
Concert Date: Friday, April 10, 2026
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, April 6, 2026
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, pianist Tony Siqi Yun
Topics: Kenji Bunch’s Supermaximum, Lincoln Youth Symphony side-by-side rehearsing and performing, Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3
THE MUSIC OF HARRY POTTER
Concert Date: Friday, April 24, 2026
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, April 20, 2026
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, composer and professor of music for film, theater, games and other media Damon Thomas Lee, Young Artist Competition Winner
Topics: composing for film; the music of Harry Potter by John Williams and other composers; the similarities between film music and music for games and other media
INSPIRATION & COURAGE
Concert Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Pre-Concert Chat Available: Monday, April 27, 2026
Guests: Genevieve Randall (host), Edward Polochick, violinist and LSO Concertmaster Anton Miller, LSO Composer-in-Residence Elena Ruehr
Topics: LSO’s Composer-in-Residence program, Elena Ruehr’s new work for LSO, Elena Ruehr’s Violin Concerto written for Anton Miller and commissioned by LSO, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

A Bad Man in the Good Life: Jesse James in Nebraska
2025-10-13 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church, 538 W. 16th St., Fremont, NE, 68026, United States
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
Sponsored by the Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society

"My Omaha" film premiere and discussion - Film Streams
2025-10-14 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Film Streams Dundee Theatre, 4952 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68132
The premiere has SOLD OUT, per the Film Streams website. Additional dates have been added – see the event website for updates: https://filmstreams.org/films/my-omaha.
Set against the backdrop of Omaha’s deep divides and burgeoning racial justice movement, My Omaha tells the story of filmmaker Nick Beaulieu’s personal journey to document the activism of his hometown and reconcile with his terminally ill father Randy, a staunch pro-Trump supporter. Guided by the wisdom of community activist Leo Louis II, Nick navigates the complexities of family conflict, political and racial discord, and the difficult search for common ground.
The event will feature a Q&A with Nick Beaulieu and Leo Louis II.
Tickets are $10-$20 and may be purchased in advance on the Film Streams website: https://filmstreams.org/films/my-omaha .
For more information about the film, visit: https://www.myomahafilm.com/

Forts of the Missouri River Valley
2025-10-15 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Hruska Memorial Public Library, 399 5th St., David City, NE, 68632, United States
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
Sponsored by the Hruska Memorial Public Library

The life and paintings of Thomas Naegele
2025-10-16 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Program
Micah Huyser, Executive Director of the Nebraska Prairie Museum, will be the featured speaker at the Institute of Holocaust Education’s Lunch and Learn. In his presentation, Huyser will discuss the life and paintings of Thomas Naegele, who fled Nazi Germany in 1938 when he was just 14 years old. A few years after settling in New York with his family, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was eventually assigned to Internment Camp Indianola in Nebraska, where he served as an interpreter. During his free time, Thomas Naegele painted what he saw.
For the Zoom link and to get more information about the presentation, please contact Scott Littky at slittky@ihene.org.
This presentation is in conjunction with a Nebraska Jewish Historical Society October exhibition of Thomas Naegele’s paintings from the Nebraska Prairie Museum in the Jewish Community Center of Omaha’s Eisenberg Gallery, which is funded in part through a collaboration with UNL’s Nebraska Stories of Humanity project.

Humanities Nebraska Grants Online Office Hour
2025-10-16 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Program
Have a conversation about upcoming challenges and get your Humanities Nebraska grant questions answered!
Thursday, October 16 12:00 p.m. CDT/11 a.m. MDT via Zoom
Hosted by Katie Bradshaw, grants management and outreach specialist.
After a brief presentation on how Humanities Nebraska is adapting to budget uncertainty in fiscal year 2026, we’ll open up the conversation to hear about the challenges your organization is facing in this moment.
This online office hour is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about HN grants in a group setting, and to learn from others’ questions.
This zoom session may be most useful for someone applying at the upcoming grant deadline:

November 3, 2025, mini grant deadline (for projects beginning on or after December 1, 2025, requesting $2,000 or less)
January 2, 2026, mini grant deadline (for projects beginning on or after February 1, 2026, requesting $2,000 or less)
January 15, 2026, media grant deadline (for media projects beginning on or after May 1, 2026)
March 2, 2026, major grant deadline (for projects beginning on or after May 1, 2026, requesting more than $2,000)

Contact Katie Bradshaw to receive the Zoom link, or sign up through the form on the Grant Information Sessions website.
Humanities Nebraska grants staff are also happy to talk with you at any time during regular office hours, via phone, video chat, or email! Just call 402-474-2131 and ask to speak to someone in grants, or email info@humanitiesnebraska.org.

Buffalo Bill’s Nebraska
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Geneva Public Library, 1043 G St, Geneva, NE, 68361, United States
Speaker: Jeff Barnes
Sponsored by the Geneva Public Library

Postwar Pop: Memorabilia of the Mid-20th Century
2025-10-16 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | St. Edward Public Library, 302 Beaver St., St. Edward, NE, 68660, United States
Speaker: Donald Brian-Johnson
Sponsored by the St. Edward Public Library

A Century of Fashion: 1870-1970
2025-10-17 14:30 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Trinity Village, 522 W. Lincoln, Papillion, NE, 68046, United States
Speaker: Sue McLain
Sponsored by Trinity Village

"My Omaha" screenings
2025-10-17 16:30 - 18:00, 2025-10-17 21:30 - 23:00, 2025-10-18 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Film Streams Dundee Theatre, 4952 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68132
Set against the backdrop of Omaha’s deep divides and burgeoning racial justice movement, My Omaha tells the story of filmmaker Nick Beaulieu’s personal journey to document the activism of his hometown and reconcile with his terminally ill father Randy, a staunch pro-Trump supporter. Guided by the wisdom of community activist Leo Louis II, Nick navigates the complexities of family conflict, political and racial discord, and the difficult search for common ground.
Screening times and dates:
Tuesday, October 21 at 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:15pm
Wednesday, October 22 at 4:30pm, 7:00pm, 9:15pm
Thursday, October 23 at 4:15pm
General audience tickets are $12 (with discounts for seniors, military, teachers) and may be purchased in advance on the Film Streams website: https://filmstreams.org/films/my-omaha .
For more information about the film, visit: https://www.myomahafilm.com/

"My Omaha" screenings with filmmaker Nick Beaulieu
2025-10-17 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Film Streams Dundee Theatre, 4952 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68132
Set against the backdrop of Omaha’s deep divides and burgeoning racial justice movement, My Omaha tells the story of filmmaker Nick Beaulieu’s personal journey to document the activism of his hometown and reconcile with his terminally ill father Randy, a staunch pro-Trump supporter. Guided by the wisdom of community activist Leo Louis II, Nick navigates the complexities of family conflict, political and racial discord, and the difficult search for common ground.
Opening weekend will be in the Peggy Payne Theater with introductions from Beaulieu before the film.
These showtimes are:
Friday, Oct 17, 7:00 pm
Saturday, Oct 18, 1:00 pm
Sunday, Oct 19, 7:00 pm
General audience tickets are $12 (with discounts for seniors, military, teachers) and may be purchased in advance on the Film Streams website: https://filmstreams.org/films/my-omaha .
For more information about the film, visit: https://www.myomahafilm.com/

Nebraska Poetry Society Workshop: Melissa Fite Johnson
2025-10-18 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Program
The Nebraska Poetry Society is offering monthly Saturday morning online poetry workshops. Registration is required, and registration information may be found on the Nebraska Poetry Society webpage. Free with annual membership; nominal fee for non-members. Students, minors and others for whom the registration fee is prohibitive may request a free membership.
In this workshop we’ll discuss how often poetry is perceived as something very serious—unsmiling writers wearing black and spouting purposefully obscure references. And while poetry is certainly sometimes that (or a version of that), it absolutely doesn’t have to be. There’s so much room for playfulness and joy and humor in poetry—and those qualities don’t mean the poems themselves are necessarily light or light-hearted. Humor can happen for many reasons, one of which is that it can help make traumatic topics more palatable and accessible. Of course, another reason to write with humor is just to give others something to read that moves them to tears of laughter rather than tears of despair, and now more than ever that is as noble and necessary a purpose as any. Together we’ll read terrific humorous poems by writers like Erin Adair-Hodges, Chen Chen, and Luisa Muradyan—and then we’ll write and share our own.
Melissa Fite Johnson is the author of three full-length collections, most recently Midlife Abecedarian (Riot in Your Throat, 2024). Her poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Pleiades, HAD, Whale Road Review, SWWIM, and elsewhere. Melissa teaches high school English in Lawrence, KS, where she and her husband live with their dogs.

Nebraska Warrior Writers - Omaha Workshops
2025-10-18 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Center conference room, 9777 M Street, Omaha, NE, 68127, United States
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon Nebraska Wildlife Rehab’s Baldwin Center conference room, 9777 M Street.
Option to attend via Zoom.
Facilitators: Jen Stastny and Cindy Cronn
More information here.
August 9 – Speaker: Abby Murray
August 23 – Speaker: Kevin Clouther
September 6 – Speaker: Jody Keisner
September 20 – Speaker: Matt Mason
October 4 – Speaker: Gina Tranisi
October 18 – Speaker: Rachel Bash
November 1 – Speaker: Sarah McKinstry-Brown
November 15 – Speaker: John Price
