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

Each month, featured poet or poets 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 poets for July 11 will be Katie Marya and Jessica Poli.

Katie Marya

Katie Marya is a writer originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Her poetry, creative nonfiction, and translation have appeared in several literary magazines and her debut poetry collection, Sugar Work, was the Editor's Choice for the 2020 Alice James Book Award and a finalist for both the 2023 Julie Suk Award and The Society of Midland Authors Award. Marya lives in Lincoln and teaches writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Jessica Poli

Jessica Poli is a writer, editor, and educator living in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her debut poetry collection, Red Ocher, was a finalist for the 2023 Miller Williams Poetry Prize. Along with Marco Abel and Timothy Schaffert, Poli co-edited an anthology, More in Time: A Tribute to Ted Kooser, which won a 2022 Nebraska Book Award. Poli is currently the managing editor of Prairie Schooner. Originally from Pennsylvania, Poli lived in Central New York and in Nebraska, where she has worked seasonally on farms for ten years. She received an MFA from Syracuse University, and an MA and PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.