High schoolers from across the state will gather to discuss global issues such as trade, conflict, human migration, and more. They will also have the opportunity to interact with elected officials. Nebraska Forum on Global Issues is presented by Humanities Nebraska in cooperation with the Nebraska Secretary of State Office.
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Lewis & Clark: What Was Their Value Worth? Seaman, York, Sacagawea & Pomp Stories (Read More)
The Corps of Discovery was a fascinating group of individuals. But there were four members of the corps that were “valuable” but not paid. Hunt discusses these four members and tells stories of their adventures. She also dispels a few myths about these members. This program is appropriate for all ages. Presented by Renae Hunt
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The People’s Recorder: A Creative Incubator (Read More)
The People's Recorder is a national podcast on the 1930s Federal Writers' Project: what it achieved, where it fell short, and what it means for Americans today. An episode about Nebraska is now available. Episode Summary In the 1930s, the notion of making an incubator for creativity in a region devastated by the Great Depression got tested in Nebraska. This episode looks at what happened there when the Writers’ Project came to town, through a group of creatives from contrasting backgrounds, including a hobo, a nurse and a hardware store poet - all under the watchful eye of a university professor and a celebrated novelist. Starting from chaos, they ignited a surprising alchemy and made the Lincoln office one of the most productive Writers' Project hubs in the country. The Season 1 finale listens in as Americans face war clouds on the horizon, and a national radio show asks, “Can we count on youth to uphold the American Way?” Listen to episode 10, A Creative Incubator, on their website, or on your favorite podcast platform. Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-peoples-recorder/id1693003215 Acast: https://shows.acast.com/peoples-recorder Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/72IK20V1a7nNhhbehGBIYm?si=479e79a135be4187 Audible: https://www.amazon.com/The-Peoples-Recorder/dp/B0C88BW4R2 iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-peoples-recorder-117528281/
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“Poetry is for Rock Stars” with Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason & Jay Hanson (Read More)
Join us online for a special Curiosity Connections with Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason in conversation with Nebraska rock musician Jay Hanson. Register for a Zoom link at Eventbrite. Poetry is often seen as a formal, intellectual thing when it's actually rooted in daily life and experiences. There was nothing formal about Coleridge enlisting in the Light Dragoons under the name Silas Tomkyn Comberbache after he was rejected by a girl. Nothing formal about Byron being described as “Mad, bad, and dangerous to know.” Nothing formal in Shelley being expelled from Oxford for publishing The Necessity of Atheism. And don't even get me started on Blake... Let's talk about poetry. And Eighties rock. Register for a Zoom link at Eventbrite. Matt Mason is Nebraska State Poet. He holds an MA from the University of California, Davis, and is the author of four poetry collections and numerous other poems. The former executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, Mason has run workshops in Botswana, Romania, Nepal, and Belarus through the U.S. State Department. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and two Nebraska Book Awards. In 2022, Mason received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. Jay Hanson has been creating professionally for over twenty years as a songwriter, performer, and producer. A Berklee College of Music graduate, he has worked in the recording studio with artists ranging from Snoop Dogg to Larry The Cable Guy; clients such as NPR, ESPN and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy", and shared performances with music notables such as Hootie & the Blowfish, Cake, Taylor Dayne, David Lee Roth, and The Jayhawks. As a resident artist, he was a performer and musician with Rave On Productions for thirteen years, where he appeared in Yesterday & Today: the Interactive Beatles Experience and Rave On! The Buddy Holly Experience His recent acting credits include starring as "Willy Wonka" in Willy Wonka and as “Guy" in the Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova musical Once, for which he won the Mary Peckham Award for Best Actor in a Musical.
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Friday Oregon-California Trails Association Convention Speakers (Read More)
The Oregon-California Trails Association and the Nebraska Chapter of OCTA present the “We Do Old In A New Way” convention in Gering. The convention will focus on the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails across Nebraska’s panhandle and eastern Wyoming (including the corridor’s usage by American Indians for thousands of years prior to usage by emigrants). The speakers at the Gering Civic Center on Friday, July 28, are free and open to the public. 9:00 am Brian and Colin Croft – Map Presentation 10:00 am Broc Anderson – Trails & Rails 11:00 am Kylie McCormick – Marking the Trail Along the Nebraska/Wyoming Border 1:00 pm Cindy Pierce and Gina Rhoads – The Captive Lucinda Eubanks 2:00 pm Cody Assmann – Oshkosh Fur Trade 3:00 pm Scott Alumbaugh – Bikepacking the Pony Express Trail 4:00 pm Jeff Broome – The Fletcher Sisters 1865 Indian Captivity near Rock Creek Station For information about the full convention, visit the convention website.
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Oregon-California Trails Association Convention Movie Night (Read More)
The Oregon-California Trails Association and the Nebraska Chapter of OCTA present the “We Do Old In A New Way” convention in Gering. The convention will focus on the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails across Nebraska’s panhandle and eastern Wyoming (including the corridor’s usage by American Indians for thousands of years prior to usage by emigrants). The movie night at the Midwest Theater on Wednesday, July 26, is free and open to the public. Making its Nebraska debut will be the documentary "On the California Trail: Preserving Gravelly Ford," a movie about trail preservation in Nevada. Also making Nebraska debuts are a number of short educational films produced by the Western Writers of America. These include: "The Trial of Standing Bear" - 8 mins "Louise Clappe" - 8 mins "William Bent" - 11 mins "Jim Bridger (and Rendezvous)" - 9 mins "Nat Love - African American Cowboy and Cattle Trails" - 10 mins For information about the full convention, visit the convention website.
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Tuesday Oregon-California Trails Association Convention Speakers (Read More)
The Oregon-California Trails Association and the Nebraska Chapter of OCTA present the “We Do Old In A New Way” convention in Gering. The convention will focus on the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express National Historic Trails across Nebraska’s panhandle and eastern Wyoming (including the corridor’s usage by American Indians for thousands of years prior to usage by emigrants). The speakers at the Gering Civic Center on Tuesday, July 25, are free and open to the public. 1:00 pm Erick Wadsworth – The Mormon Pioneer Trail Across Nebraska 2:00 pm Phyllis Stone – Lakota Customs 3:00 pm Angela Bates – Nicodemus and Black Emigrants of Kansas 4:00 pm François-Marie Patorni – The Robidoux Family For information about the full convention, visit the convention website.
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Voices and Votes: Democracy in America (Read More)
December 9, 2023 – January 27, 2024 Great Plains Black History Museum Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: 1-5 PM *Private Tours available by appointment* Learn more here.
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Voices and Votes: Democracy in America (Read More)
October 16 – November 20, 2023 Legacy of the Plains Museum Monday-Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM Learn more here.
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Poetry reading with Tim “Toaster” Henderson (Read More)
Toaster is the co-creator of Big Kid Slam, a poetry slam invested in centering marginalized voices and terrible prizes. He has competed at every level of poetry slam, most recently competing as an Individual World Poetry Slam finalist. Toaster has featured in poetry events all over America, Vancouver and most recently Germany. His work can be found on Button Poetry, All Def Digital, Sofar Sounds and National Public Radio. If you’d like to learn more about Toaster, ask his mom - she put a scrapbook together. Toaster's poetry reading is part of the Touring Artist Series of the All Writes Reserved Youth Poetry Festival. Registration required.
The Nebraska Storytelling Festival will give ten storytellers a stage to share their stories, understanding that our tales help us understand who we are, celebrate the diversity and commonality of human experience, and give meaning to our struggles. Storytellers will come from across Nebraska, and some have international roots in Nigeria and Ukraine. Their stories can all be considered a slice of life as they’ve observed or lived it. The list of storytellers includes Jenny Okoliko, a Nigerian living in Lincoln and attending UNL; Milan Wall, a North Platte native and long-time resident of Lincoln; Jackie Ostrowicki, an Associate Vice President of the University of Nebraska; and Toni Heimes, who teaches at Southwest High School. Other storytellers include Marcia White, Madison Hager, Craig Larson, Barb Schmidt, Jennifer Pool, and Teiana Symnia. The emcee for the event is D-Wayne Taylor. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased here.
A new play by Becky Boesen, commissioned by History Nebraska, inspired by the life of Clarence Williams “It’s almost unbelievable that anyone could be hardened to the point of doing the brutal things they did…” A young man from the midwest is sent to war, carrying with him the hopes of the free world. What Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams encounters there challenges and changes humanity forever. History touches the present when a new generation takes a journey through time to experience World War II alongside Clarence himself. Centered around his personal letters home, we learn that sometimes what seems so far away is much closer than we think. Filled with hope and heart, Not Too Far Distant honors the experience of the American soldier and reminds us that we all have the power - and the responsibility - to help create a brighter future. The performance will be followed by a scholar-led conversation on Nebraska and holocaust history. This matinee for students is free, but registration is required. Email [email protected] to register.
A new play by Becky Boesen, commissioned by History Nebraska, inspired by the life of Clarence Williams “It’s almost unbelievable that anyone could be hardened to the point of doing the brutal things they did…” A young man from the midwest is sent to war, carrying with him the hopes of the free world. What Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams encounters there challenges and changes humanity forever. History touches the present when a new generation takes a journey through time to experience World War II alongside Clarence himself. Centered around his personal letters home, we learn that sometimes what seems so far away is much closer than we think. Filled with hope and heart, Not Too Far Distant honors the experience of the American soldier and reminds us that we all have the power - and the responsibility - to help create a brighter future. The performance will be followed by a scholar-led conversation on Nebraska and holocaust history. Tickets are required - $12/adult, $7/youth, free admission for veterans and auxiliary members - and may be purchased here.
A new play by Becky Boesen, commissioned by History Nebraska, inspired by the life of Clarence Williams “It’s almost unbelievable that anyone could be hardened to the point of doing the brutal things they did…” A young man from the midwest is sent to war, carrying with him the hopes of the free world. What Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams encounters there challenges and changes humanity forever. History touches the present when a new generation takes a journey through time to experience World War II alongside Clarence himself. Centered around his personal letters home, we learn that sometimes what seems so far away is much closer than we think. Filled with hope and heart, Not Too Far Distant honors the experience of the American soldier and reminds us that we all have the power - and the responsibility - to help create a brighter future. The performance will be followed by a scholar-led conversation on Nebraska and holocaust history. Free, but registration is required. Register here.
A new play by Becky Boesen, commissioned by History Nebraska, inspired by the life of Clarence Williams “It’s almost unbelievable that anyone could be hardened to the point of doing the brutal things they did…” A young man from the midwest is sent to war, carrying with him the hopes of the free world. What Staff Sergeant Clarence Williams encounters there challenges and changes humanity forever. History touches the present when a new generation takes a journey through time to experience World War II alongside Clarence himself. Centered around his personal letters home, we learn that sometimes what seems so far away is much closer than we think. Filled with hope and heart, Not Too Far Distant honors the experience of the American soldier and reminds us that we all have the power - and the responsibility - to help create a brighter future. The performance will be followed by a scholar-led conversation on Nebraska and holocaust history. Tickets for this performance are $10 and may be purchased here.
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Creative Writing Workshop with Gary Soto (Read More)
Gary Soto is known for a body of work that deals with the realities of growing up in Mexican American communities. In poems, novels, short stories, plays and over two dozen books for young people, Soto recreates the world of the barrio, the urban, Spanish-speaking neighborhood where he was raised, bringing the sights, sounds and smells vividly to life within the pages of his books. Soto’s poetry and prose focus on everyday experiences while evoking the harsh forces that often shape life for Chicanos, including racism, poverty, and crime. (Excerpt taken from the Poetry Foundation.) Gary Soto's workshop is part of the Touring Artist Series of the All Writes Reserved Youth Poetry Festival. Ticket required.
