Welcome to Poetry at the Lion! All poets and poetry fans are welcome!

Each month, a featured poet will read from their works and shape the evening’s experience. Poetry lovers can stop on their way to eat out or bring a brown bag meal and stay for the whole evening. Light refreshments will be provided.

The featured poet for August is Robert Fernandez.

Robert Fernandez was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1980 and raised in Hollywood, Florida. He is a poet, translator, and visual artist. He is the author of Scarecrow (Wesleyan University Press, 2016), as well as Pink Reef (2013) and We Are Pharaoh (2011), both published by Canarium Books. He co-translated Azure: Poems and Selections from the “Livre” by Stéphane Mallarmé (Wesleyan University Press, 2015), and his poetry has appeared in Bennington Review, Callaloo, Chicago Review, The Columbia Review, Conjunctions, Huizache, Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology, Mantis, Melange, The Nation, The New Republic, Poetry, Thrasher, Transition, The Yale Review, and elsewhere.

In the January/February 2024 issue, Poetry featured a full-color spread of Fernandez’s work combining poetry and visual art as part of its series on poetic form, Not Too Hard to Master. His paintings have been exhibited at 1122 Gallery in Portland and featured in Caesura. A chapbook of poems, Las Moradas (arrow as aarow), was released in 2025, and another, Wild Child (b l u s h), is forthcoming in 2026.

Welcome to Potluck Possibilities!

Join us on 4th Fridays for a potluck meal at 5:30 pm followed by a “potluck” of presentations at 6:30 pm. Presentation topics will range from serious informative to fun informative.

In August, Dean Settle will tell us about his book Inside Nebraska Courthouses.

Dean B. Settle is a passionate historian and preservation advocate whose work reflects a deep respect for local government, architecture, and community heritage. With an enduring curiosity about the stories embedded in public spaces, he has dedicated much of his life to exploring and documenting the significance of civic landmarks. His work is driven not only by historical interest but by a sincere belief that these structures represent the identity, values, and resilience of the communities they serve.

Alongside his late wife, Harriet, Dean undertook the remarkable journey of personally visiting every courthouse in Nebraska, carefully documenting their histories with authenticity and care. This shared endeavor was as much a labor of love as it was a scholarly pursuit, capturing both the architectural beauty and the human stories tied to each location. Through his writing, Dean bridges the gap between history and humanity, preserving these important landmarks and ensuring their legacy continues to inspire and educate future generations.

Note: The potluck meal is optional. SMoC volunteers will focus on providing main entrees (proteins). Guests can bring fruit, vegetables, bread, desserts – or anything they’d like to share. Plates, tableware, and basic beverages will be provided. Dietary concerns? You are welcome to bring your own food and sit to eat and listen with us!

Welcome to Poetry at the Lion! All poets and poetry fans are welcome!

Each month, a featured poet will read from their works and shape the evening’s experience. Poetry lovers can stop on their way to eat out or bring a brown bag meal and stay for the whole evening. Light refreshments will be provided.

The featured poet for September is Stacey Waite.

Notes about Waite from Wikipedia:

Stacey Waite is a poet and an Associate Professor of English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She focuses on both slam and written verse. Waite's poetry often explores themes of the body, typically intersections of gender, sexuality, place and relationships. She has published four collections of poetry over the past several years.

Waite attended her first live slam poetry performance in New York City as a teen. Since moving to Nebraska, Waite has worked as a teaching artist with the Nebraska Writers Collective and its slam-poetry program Louder Than A Bomb (LTAB). LTAB allows high school students from around the state of Nebraska to write, practice, perform and compete in slam poetry bouts around the state.

Waite has also published a significant book, Teaching Queer: Radical Possibilities for Writing and Knowing, in the field of Composition Studies about pedagogy and the teaching of writing with the University of Pittsburgh Press in 2017, a project that aligns with Waite's role as a writing professor and her interest in the how’s and why’s of teaching writing and composition to first-year college students

Welcome to Potluck Possibilities!

Join us on 4th Fridays for a potluck meal at 5:30 pm followed by a “potluck” of presentations at 6:30 pm. Presentation topics will range from serious informative to fun informative.

In September, Liz Elliott, Director of the City of Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Department, will discuss the O Street and 14th Street projects. We’ve been experiencing the effects of construction – let’s learn more about the projects! As the lead person for Project “O” Street, Liz Elliott is the best person to ask about the “downtown construction area” that St. Mark’s on the Campus is a part of! Come enjoy good food, listen to Liz’s presentation, and ask your questions!

Note: The potluck meal is optional. SMoC volunteers will focus on providing main entrees (proteins). Guests can bring fruit, vegetables, bread, desserts – or anything they’d like to share. Plates, tableware, and basic beverages will be provided. Dietary concerns? You are welcome to bring your own food and sit to eat and listen with us!

Welcome to Poetry at the Lion! All poets and poetry fans are welcome!

Each month, a featured poet will read from their works and shape the evening’s experience. Poetry lovers can stop on their way to eat out or bring a brown bag meal and stay for the whole evening. Light refreshments will be provided.

The featured poet for October is Todd Robinson.

Todd Robinson is the author of Mass for Shut-Ins (Backwaters Press, 2018) and Note at Heart Rock (Main Street Rag Publishing, 2012). His writing has appeared in such venues as The Adroit Journal, North American Review, Notre Dame Review, Prairie Schooner, Sugar House Review, Cortland Review, and A Dozen Nothing. Recipient of the 2024 Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award and Nebraska State Poet finalist, he has conducted writing workshops with The Seven Doctors Project, The Naturalist School, Nebraska Warrior Writers, Nebraska Writers Collective, and the CÚRAM center for research in medical devices.

Welcome to Potluck Possibilities!

Join us on 4th Fridays for a potluck meal at 5:30 pm followed by a “potluck” of presentations at 6:30 pm. Presentation topics will range from serious informative to fun informative.

In October, Tut Kailech will tell us about NeighborWorks Lincoln.

NeighborWorks Lincoln is a nonprofit community housing development organization that actively partners with residents, businesses, and public officials to increase the supply of affordable housing and strengthen neighborhoods. We open doors for people to achieve their goal of home ownership and for those who are committed to strong and inclusive neighborhoods.

Note: The potluck meal is optional. SMoC volunteers will focus on providing main entrees (proteins). Guests can bring fruit, vegetables, bread, desserts – or anything they’d like to share. Plates, tableware, and basic beverages will be provided. Dietary concerns? You are welcome to bring your own food and sit to eat and listen with us!

Welcome to Poetry at the Lion! All poets and poetry fans are welcome!

Each month, a featured poet will read from their works and shape the evening’s experience. Poetry lovers can stop on their way to eat out or bring a brown bag meal and stay for the whole evening. Light refreshments will be provided.

The featured poet for November is to be announced.

Welcome to Poetry at the Lion! All poets and poetry fans are welcome!

Each month, a featured poet will read from their works and shape the evening’s experience. Poetry lovers can stop on their way to eat out or bring a brown bag meal and stay for the whole evening. Light refreshments will be provided.

The featured poet for December is to be announced.