On Writing Presents: Zedeka Poindexter

Every second Tuesdayof the month, join us in the BT lobby for an intimate conversation and reading with local authors of all disciplines from poetry to plays and more.

This month we welcome local poetic legend and Co-Director of Nebraska Writers Collective, Zedeka Poindexter to get us in the mood for spooky season with her Stranger Things Character Poetry Book!

“As a North Omaha-born writer and performer, I find inspiration in building a historical record through poems and essays that engage all five physical senses, connecting intimately with my readers and listeners. I grew up in a multi-generational home, raised by descendants of the Great Migration. I fuel my artistic expression by drawing on the complexities of race, class, struggle, and joy.

My work is a tribute to the stories of individuals moving through space and time, aiming to preserve the essence of what my community carries and holds dear. The cultural legacy of my family, reflected in my accent, dinner table, foods, sensory experiences, prayers, and idioms, becomes the language I capture in my writing.

My one-woman show “Sense of the Pandemic” combines essays and poetry into a time capsule that catalogs my personal journey as a Black woman against the backdrop of the transformative events of 2020/2021. Each segment of the show focuses on a different physical sense, weaving together a larger narrative.

I am the Co-Executive Director of the Nebraska Writers Collective, an organization devoted to building community and empowerment through the power of the written and spoken word. Leading this organization allows me the opportunity to spread the transformative power of writing across the region.”