Nebraska

In 1921, Nebraska established a state poet laureate position, which is currently held by Jewel Rodgers, who was appointed in 2025 for a five-year term.

Type	Title	State
Conference	Nebraska Writers Guild Conferences	Nebraska
Small Press	Sandhills Press	Nebraska
Festival	Write Across Nebraska	Nebraska
Poetry-Friendly Bookstore	A Novel Idea Bookstore	Nebraska
Writing Program	University of Nebraska, Kearney, Creative Writing Program	Nebraska
Poetry-Friendly Bookstore	Indigo Bridge	Nebraska
Writing Program	University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Creative Writing Program	Nebraska
Poetry-Friendly Bookstore	The Bookworm	Nebraska
Writing Program	University of Nebraska MFA in Writing	Nebraska
Poetry-Friendly Bookstore	Jackson Street Booksellers	Nebraska

Behind the arch of glory sets the day;

The river lies in curves of silver light,

The Fields Elysian glitter in a spray

Of golden dust; the gilded dome is bright,

The towers of Notre Dame cut clean and gray

The evening sky, and pale from left to right

A hundred bridges leap from either quay.

Pillared with pride, the city of delight

Sits like an empress by her silver Seine,

Heavy with jewels, all her splendid dower

Flashing upon her, won from shore and main

By shock of combat, sack

Willa Cather

1903

Click the icon above to listen to this audio poem.

Harryette Mullen

2009

—Daniel Freeman, first to file claim, Jan. 1, 1863

Here, an abundance of trees, stream, prairie—
enough to sustain a family, prove up this plot of land,
the first of thousands to be claimed across America.

Place that was first inhabited by natives, lodge-
and tipi-dwellers, who also relied on the wood, water,
flourishing wild game—hooved, pawed, and winged.

Prairie, where wild grasses are capable of growing
taller than humans, sustained through heat, drought,
cold, hail, snow, wind, by roots of unimaginable depth.

Twyla M. Hansen

2016

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Nebraska

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Willa Cather

Ted Kooser

Twyla M. Hansen

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Nebraska

Recent & Featured Listings

Willa Cather

Ted Kooser

Twyla M. Hansen

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