KEARNEY – She’s young, enthusiastic and energetic – and she has a lot to say.
Nebraska State Poet Jewel Rodgers will visit the University of Nebraska at Kearney on Nov. 17 for a free public reading and conversation as part of the Reynolds Visiting Writers Series, in partnership with Loper Programming and Activities Council. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Ponderosa Room inside the Nebraskan Student Union.
Rodgers, 28, is the youngest person ever named Nebraska State Poet and the first Black artist to hold the position. A nationally touring spoken word performer, she brings a dynamic presence to the stage, blending poetry, storytelling and community advocacy. Audience members can expect an interactive and engaging performance – the kind that invites you to “bob your head and snap,” as UNK associate English professor and Reynolds Chair of Creative Writing Brad Modlin puts it.
Rodgers is a 2025 Academy of American Poets Fellowship recipient and three-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards nominee, as well as the daughter of Nebraska football legend and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers. She’s shared her work at events and institutions across the country, including Park Avenue Armory’s 100 Years | 100 Women project and Omaha Opera’s Amplifying the Black Experience series, and contributed to programs such as the Nebraska Writers Collective’s All Writes Reserved for high school poets.
Her debut poetry collection released earlier this year as a collaborative multimedia project with Omaha-based photographers.
The Omaha native holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and master’s degree in real estate development from New York University. She’s led community-based revitalization projects in North Omaha, transforming vacant lots into shared public spaces.
