Literature lovers to gather for Nebraska Celebration of Books

Art by Chloe Witt

Book lovers and authors of Nebraska can gather at the Nebraska Celebration of Books on Oct. 12. This event, taking place in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s City Union, features multiple panels and presentations throughout the day. 

The Nebraska Center for the Book, an affiliate for the Library of Congress’ program of the same name, is a host sponsor for the event with other organizations including Lincoln City Libraries, Francie & Finch Bookshop, the University of Nebraska Press and the Nebraska Library Commission. 

“The goal (of this event) is to bring people together to celebrate Nebraska literature and create a space where (attendees) can enjoy lots of different things, from vendors to the awards ceremony later that day,” Bailee Juroshek, the communications office specialist for the NLC, said. 

This year marks the 28th annual Nebraska Celebration of Books, formerly known as the Nebraska Book Festival, with the inaugural event taking place in 1991 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Since then, the celebration of books has occurred in various locations around the state.

The Nebraska Book Awards, an award ceremony that recognizes Nebraska authors and books published in Nebraska, set in or about Nebraska, has also been an established event over the years. In the past, the Nebraska Book Awards have been held separately from other Nebraska book festivals. 

This year, the Nebraska Book Festival and Nebraska Book Awards are combined for one whole day of Nebraskan bookish festivities. The award ceremony will take place in the Swanson Auditorium of the Union at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and the remainder of the day consists of various workshops and discussions. 

“We do make a point of highlighting Nebraska authors and publishers, that is a main tenant of the Book Awards,” Tessa Timperley, the communications coordinator for the NLC, said. “It's (for) highlighting both our literary heritage and our current Nebraska authors.” 

The celebration will kick off Friday night with a Nebraska book and literary trivia night at White Elm Brewing. Both the public and authors are invited to attend this trivia night for a more mix-and-mingle feel. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and features $4 pints for participants over 21. 

On Saturday, some of the programming includes a memoir workshop by Nebraska author and poet Lucy Adkins and a SLAM poetry showcase from members of the Nebraska Writers Collective. 

“(The events) are varied, there's a little bit of something for everyone,” Timperley said. 

Zero Street Fiction will host a panel of writers at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Zero Street Fiction, a LGBTQ+ literary fiction series created by the University of Nebraska Press, is committed to providing readership opportunities to diverse authors, particularly Black, Indigenous and authors of color, transgender authors and queer authors over 50-years-old. 

“It's an event for all adult literary lovers, you don't have to just love Nebraska literature,” Timperley said. 

The event is free and open to anyone starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Details and a full list of the programming can be found on the Nebraska Celebration of Books website.

Published for the Daily Nebraskan, read here.