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 poets for February will be Alina Nguyễn and Caroliena Cabada.

Alina Nguyễn was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She earned her B.A. in English Literature and Asian American Studies from the California State University-Northridge and her M.F.A in Creative Writing (Poetry) from the California State University-Long Beach, where she was awarded the California State University-Long Beach Gerald Locklin Writing Prize. She is the author of the risograph-printed chapbook,Before There Were More Ghosts, from Tomorrow Today.

She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Creative Writing (Poetry) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with interests in Poetics, Ethnic Literature, Queer Theory, and Printmaking. She strives to be a Professor ... and possibly a Hot Dog Cart Owner as well.

Caroliena Cabada is a Ph.D. student in English at UNL with a focus in Creative Writing. Her writing has been published in online and print magazines and anthologies, and has been selected for Best Small Fictions 2021.

Prior to attending UNL, she earned her B.A. in Chemistry from New York University, worked for science communication and advocacy nonprofits in New York City, and earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University, where she was the 2018-2019 Pearl Hogrefe Fellow in Creative Writing.

When not writing, reading, or teaching, you can find her procrasti-baking vegan cupcakes and playing Stardew Valley.