She’s also the youngest person ever to hold the position!
Omaha native Jewel Rodgers has just been named as Nebraska’s new poet laureate, KETV News reports. An author and accomplished poet, Rodgers’ appointment is historic, becoming the youngest at just 27 years old and the first African American to hold the position in the state. Rodgers is the daughter of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers, and she credits her parents for inspiring her to pursue poetry and work hard at it, saying she began writing in the sixth grade.
“My father, Johnny Rodgers, is directly responsible for my work ethic. I try really, really hard, and I know no other way because of him, said Rodgers.
“[My mother has] always encouraged the arts in me; she saw the value in my voice, my pen, and my hands when nobody else did,” Rodgers added.
Governor Jim Pillen appointed Rodgers as the state’s Poet Laureate, saying her work and performance art really sealed the deal for him. Rodgers regularly performs at various schools, conferences, and other public events across the state. She is a three-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Award nominee and a three-time TEDx speaker. Rodgers is a teaching artist with the Nebraska Writers Collective and has received numerous awards and accolades, including becoming a 2022 Union for Contemporary Art fellow, a 2023 Andy Warhol Populus Fund grantee, and a 2024 finalist in the Blackberry Peach Poetry Slam.
“Think it’s easy for everybody to see that this appointment is a grand slam,” said Gov Pillen at the announcement ceremony.
In her new role as Poet Laureate, Rodgers will travel the state for five years, promoting poetry, reading, and youth engagement. Rodgers plans to use her platform to empower the youth and shine a spotlight on other Nebraska authors and artists.
“Thank you so much for choosing to honor my gift in this way. I am beyond privileged and honored…With this platform as both a privilege and an opportunity, I intend to uplift as many Nebraska voices as possible,” she said.
Her father said he was extremely proud and was front row and center at the ceremony announcing her appointment.
“It’s indescribable…She’s been thinking about this for a long time and proved it that you can do whatever you want to do if you just want to do it bad enough. It’s almost incredibly impossible that my daughter would be the first African American to win such an award for the state of Nebraska,” said the elder Rodgers.
Cover photo: Jewel Rodgers Makes History as First African American Poet Laureate in Nebraska/Photo credit: Nebraska.gov