New Nebraska literary festival coming to Lincoln this week

For years, Nebraska has had two big literary events each year. But for the first time ever, they'll be combined into one, creating the state's biggest event for book lovers to date.

For decades, both the Nebraska Book Festival, which ran for 28 years in some capacity, and the Book Awards Celebration, which has honored past and present winners of the One Book One Nebraska award for 20 years, ran individually. But when the COVD-19 pandemic hit, the groups began thinking through the way these events were held and what changes could be made. Then, they had the idea to combine them and create one big event.

Now, through the reinvention of the festival, both writers and readers will be brought together for a day filled with panels, friendly competitions, workshops and vendors to celebrate the strong literary scene in Nebraska.

The free event — Nebraska Celebration of Books — will kick off Friday with a literary trivia night at White Elm Brewing Company, 720 Van Dorn St., where people can put their knowledge of Nebraska authors and literature to the test and indulge in $4 pints.

The celebration will continue Saturday with a day of events and activities starting at 10 a.m. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Nebraska Union on the downtown campus. It will include vendor booths, two panel discussions, a memoir writing workshop and a slam poetry contest.

The festival will wrap up with the Nebraska Book Awards presentation, where authors and publishers with connections to Nebraska will be honored for their books published last year. The 2025 winner of the One Book One Nebraska award, which is given out annually to books that were either written by a Nebraska author or have a Nebraska theme or setting, will also be announced at the end of the day.

A full schedule of events can be found on the event's website .

"It should be a fun, fun event," said Leslie Huerta, the owner of Francie & Finch Bookshop in downtown Lincoln, who is participating in the event. "People will be coming and going all day. It starts at 10 and kicks off about five, I think. So it's a great chance to just come and check out different things or stick around for the whole day."

For Pat Leach, chair of the Nebraska Celebration of Books planning committee, the event is a chance to watch both readers and writers come together and build a sense of community among fellow lovers of literature. Authors will be able to discuss their work, and readers will get a front-row seat to the behind-the-scenes process of writing a book, she said.

"I think that Nebraska's writing community is really strong," she said. "And it's events like this that pull people together and give them a chance to talk about their work, how they work, what's coming up."

Reach Jenna Ebbers at 402-473-2657 or .

K-12 Education Reporter