Nebraska’s recently appointed State Poet, Jewel Rodgers, will be in Broken Bow tonight (Monday, August 25) for a special poetry reading at the Broken Bow Public Library starting at 5:30 PM.
Rodgers, who was named the 2025-2029 Nebraska State Poet earlier this year, is a nationally recognized poet, performer, and visual artist. She is a three-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards nominee for Best Performance Poet and has earned honors including a 2022 Union for Contemporary Art Fellowship, a 2023 Andy Warhol-Populus Fund Grant, and recognition as a 2024 finalist in the Blackberry Peach Poetry Slam.
In addition to her work as a poet, Rodgers is an interdisciplinary performer, youth coach, and teaching artist with the Nebraska Writers Collective. She cohosts the Nebraska Poetry Society’s monthly Vocal Fry Open Mic and has written and performed for the City of Omaha, the University of Nebraska system, and public officials including Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Congressman Don Bacon, and Governor Jim Pillen. 
In general, Rodgers serves as an advocate for poetry and literacy across Nebraska in the position. Duties include public readings (like tonight’s in Broken Bow), workshops, and community outreach in schools, libraries, and literary festivals.
Rodgers has said that her focus is to make poetry more accessible and meaningful across diverse communities.
“To me, this appointment is not about being the best poet there ever was, but rather, expanding where, how and to whom poetry can matter,” she explained.
The role of Nebraska State Poet is a five-year renewable term, first established in 1982 with the appointment of William Kloefkorn, who served for 29 years until his passing in 2011.
Tonight’s event at the Broken Bow Public Library is open to the public.
