Poet. Advocate. Leader.

Jewel Rodgers is the 2025 - 2029 State Poet of Nebraska, a three-time OEAA nominee for Best Performance Poet in Omaha. She is also a 2022 Union for Contemporary Art Fellow, a 2023 Andy Warhol - Populus Fund Grantee, and a 2024 Blackberry Peach Poetry Slam finalist. An interdisciplinary poet, performer, and visual artist, Jewel is also an urban engagement specialist, youth coach, and spatial practitioner in the Midwest. 

Jewel has shared her work across the Midwest and MidAtlantic regions, appearing in spoken word, public speaking, and multimedia projects such as 100 Years | 100 Women (Park Avenue Armony NY,NY), TEDxLincoln and TEDxOmaha (Nebraska), and Amplifying the Black Experience (Opera Omaha—OMA, NE) and various civic events throughout the country, including Atlanta, GA and Oklahoma City, OK.

As a spoken word poet, Jewel offers her skill to support social intervention, as with her contributions to The Women’s March and the Charlottesville Vigil in Lincoln, NE. Her work frequently supports mentorship endeavors like UNL’s Husker Dialogues Diversity Training for incoming college freshmen and various community engagement efforts that support the needs of the City of Omaha. She is also a contributing member of the Nebraska Writers Collective’s All Writes Reserved Festival as a slam coach and workshop facilitator.