BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Francie & Finch Bookshop - ECPv6.16.4//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://francieandfinch.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Francie & Finch Bookshop REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20240310T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20241103T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20250309T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20251102T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20260308T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20261101T070000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:CDT DTSTART:20270314T080000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:CST DTSTART:20271107T070000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250912T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250912T203000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250815T180459Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250815T181216Z UID:10273-1757703600-1757709000@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:An Evening with Author Jeff Chu in Conversation with Pat Leach at First Presbyterian Church DESCRIPTION:Join award-winning author Jeff Chu in conversation with Pat Leach\, host of Nebraska Public Media’s All About Books\, as they explore these powerful themes behind Jeff’s new book Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand.\nFor more information and to save your seat\, visit – https://fpclincoln.org/jeffchu/\nABOUT THE BOOK:\n“In his late thirties\, Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer and enrolled at Princeton Seminary’s “Farminary\,” a 21-acre farm where students learn to work the earth while interrogating life’s biggest questions. Now he unfolds what he learned about creating good soil-both literally and figuratively-drawing lessons from the chickens\, goats\, and zinnias and the rhythms of growth\, decay\, and regeneration that define life on the land. In a series of reflections\, Chu introduces us to the cast of characters\, human and not\, who became his teachers. From the egrets that visited the pond\, to the worms that turned waste into fertile soil\, to the Chinese long beans that got passed over in the farm’s CSA\, Chu considers our relationship with the food on our plates\, the belonging we seek\, and the significance of his own roots\, discovering what the earth is trying to tell us\, if we’ll stop and listen. In gorgeous\, transporting prose\, Good Soil helps readers connect to the land and to each other at a time when we are drawn most to the phones in our hands. For nature lovers\, foodies\, and anyone who has daydreamed about a more meaningful life\, this book is a tribute to friendship\, acceptance\, spirituality\, and how love can grow from the unlikeliest of places”–AOUT \nABOUT THE AUTHOR:\nJeff Chu is an award-winning journalist and editor-at-large at Travel+Leisure. He is the author of Does Jesus Really Love Me? and the co-author\, with the late Rachel Held Evans\, of the New York Times bestseller Wholehearted Faith. Chu is a former Time staff writer and Fast Company editor whose work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine\, The Wall Street Journal\, and Modern Farmer. In his weekly newsletter\, “Notes of a Make-Believe Farmer\,” Chu writes about spirituality\, gardening\, food\, travel\, and culture. He lives with his husband\, Tristan\, in Grand Rapids\, Michigan. \nORDER COPIES HERE!\nBring your copy to the event and meet the author – there will be a book signing after the talk! URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/an-evening-with-author-jeff-chu-in-conversation-with-pat-leach-at-first-presbyterian-church/ LOCATION:NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Jeff-Chu-at-First-Presbyterian.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250919T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250919T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250806T222054Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250813T214707Z UID:10266-1758303000-1758306600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch Event - Alison Pearce Stevens - Detective Dogs: How Working Dogs Sniff Out Invasive Species (Books for a Better Earth) DESCRIPTION:Friends of all ages\, join us on Friday\, September 19th as we welcome back beloved Science Writer & Award-winning Children’s Author\, Alison Pearce Stevens! She will be presenting and signing copies of her new book Detective Dogs!\nTo pre-order your copy\, visit our web store HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nA lively introduction to some of North America’s most troublesome invasive species—and to the industrious dogs and handlers working to stop their spread! \nMeet Fenton and Frost; Fagen and Dia; Hilo\, Diesel\, and Seuss. These intrepid environmental detectives are on the frontlines of the fight to stop the spread of invasive species—and all of them are dogs! \nPervasive and often difficult to locate\, invasive species\, and the economic and environmental harm they cause\, have posed a continued challenge to scientists worldwide who dedicate their time to ecosystem conservation. Now\, environmental scientists are harnessing the amazing olfactory abilities of working dogs to meet this challenge head-on. \nEcologist Alison Pearce Stevens’ engaging and accessible narrative writing showcases three ongoing conservation projects that use working dogs to tackle serious invaders in the U.S. and Canada. Readers will learn more about the threats posed by these species\, and about the way scientists and handlers work with dogs to locate and eliminate them. \nThe book features extensive full-color photographs of detective dogs in action\, taken onsite by the author as she accompanied conservation groups out into the field in Manitoba\, Wyoming\, and the Hudson Valley. Informative backmatter includes an index and bibliography. \nA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection \nAbout the Author:\nAlison Pearce Stevens has an M.S. in zoology and Ph.D. in ecology\, evolution\, and behavior. She has researched and written hundreds of articles for Science News Explores\, Highlights for Children\, and ASK magazine\, among others. Her book Rhinos in Nebraska (Henry Holt BYR) details the discovery and excavation of one of the world’s premier paleontology sites\, and Animal Climate Heroes (Henry Holt BYR) showcases four incredible animals working to protect their ecosystems—and us. Both were Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. She and her husband have three dogs\, one of which would make a great detective dog. \nPraise for Detective Dogs:\nThe writing is concise and informative\, making complex biological and ecological concepts easily understandable for young readers. Photographs and real-world examples further enhance the content\, offering readers both visual appeal and context. . . . a strong purchase for juvenile nonfiction collections.\n—School Library Journal URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-launch-event-alison-pearce-stevens-detective-dogs-how-working-dogs-sniff-out-invasive-species-books-for-a-better-earth/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Alison-Pearce-Stevens-Detective-Dogs-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251001T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251001T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250908T215139Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250910T214744Z UID:10302-1759339800-1759343400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - River Selby in conversation with Timothy Schaffert - Hotshot: A Life on Fire DESCRIPTION:You don’t want to miss this visit from author River Selby on October 1st at 5:30. River will be in conversation with Timothy Schaffert presenting Hotshot: A Life on Fire! Learn more about this fascinating memoir about high stakes adventure\, personal growth\, and humanity below.\nPRAISE FOR HOTSHOT:\nAmazon Editor’s Pick: Best Biographies & Memoirs of August\nA Kirkus Best Book of the Month\nA Most Anticipated Book by Autostraddle and featured in the New York Times\nNPR’s Books of the Summer \n“What a wonderful\, compassionate\, sharply observed\, beautifully researched\, open-hearted book. Selby has lived a big\, courageous life\, and that largesse is evident on every page\, in the form of the rigor and curiosity of the narrative voice. Ostensibly about fire-fighting\, Hotshot turns out to be a beautiful reflection on justice\, the environment\, the self\, and much more.”–George Saunders\, Booker Prize-winning and #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo \n“Hotshot is a brave\, powerful\, deeply moving memoir of survival and strength. It is also a timely\, urgent history of fire\, climate change\, and our complex\, fraught relationship to land stewardship. River Selby’s story is inspiring in its spiritual and emotional inventory. Selby is a wonderfully gifted writer about nature\, about the complexities of trauma\, and the hard-won possibilities of healing.”–Dana Spiotta\, author of Wayward \n“Hotshot is the story of a life forged through crucible. In this wonderous memoir Selby’s life reminds us courage can be grown\, the self can be found and anything can change. A writer of shining talent and tenacity.”–Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah\, New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black and Chain Gang All-Star \n To order a copy of Hotshot\, please follow the link HERE!\nABOUT THE BOOK:\n“A beautiful reflection on justice\, the environment\, the self\, and much more.”–George Saunders \nThe fierce debut memoir of a female firefighter\, Hotshot navigates the personal and environmental dangers of wildland firefighting \nFrom 2000 to 2010\, River Selby was a wildland firefighter whose given name was Anastasia. This is a memoir of that time in their life–of Ana\, the struggles she encountered\, and the constraints of what it means to be female-bodied in a male-dominated industry. An illuminating debut from a fierce new voice\, Hotshot is a timely reckoning with both the personal and environmental dangers of wildland firefighting. \nBy the time they were nineteen\, Selby had been homeless\, addicted to drugs\, and sexually assaulted more than once. In a last-ditch effort to find direction\, they applied to be a wildland firefighter. Two years later\, they joined an elite class of specially trained wildland firefighters known as hotshots. Over the course of five fire seasons\, Selby delves into the world of the people–almost entirely men–who risk their lives to fight and sometimes prevent wildfires. Simultaneously hyper visible and invisible\, Selby navigated an odd mix of camaraderie and rampant sexism on the job and\, when they challenged it\, a violent closing of ranks that excluded them from the work they’d come to love. \nDrawing on years of firsthand experience on the frontlines of fire and years of research\, Selby examines how the collision of fire suppression policy\, colonization\, and climate change has led to fire seasons of unprecedented duration and severity. A work of rare intimacy\, Hotshot provides new insight into fire\, the people who fight it\, and the diversity of ecosystems dependent on this elemental force \nABOUT THE AUTHOR:\nRiver Selby is a former hotshot and wildland firefighter\, a writer\, and a nonbinary person. They hold an MFA in creative writing from Syracuse University; they are currently pursuing their PhD. They were the recipient of the Emerging Writer’s Prize for Fiction from Boulevard Magazine for their story\, “How Certain Fires Burn.” Their writing has appeared in the New Ohio Review\, Bellevue Literary Review\, Vox\, and High Country News. They currently live in Tallahassee\, Florida. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-river-selby-in-conversation-with-timothy-schaffert-hotshot-a-life-on-fire/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/River-Selby.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251003T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251003T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250922T221714Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T214734Z UID:10312-1759512600-1759516200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Writers - Teo Shannon\, Saddiq Dzukogi\, and Alina Nguyen DESCRIPTION:Join us on Friday\, October 3rd at 5:30 as we welcome talented writers Teo Shannon\, Saddiq Dzukogi\, and Alina Nguyen! Teo will be in conversation with Saddiq and Alina about his new book of poetry A Chronology of Blood: Poems. Please see below to learn more about our guests. We can’t wait to see you there!\nAbout the Book:\nTeo Shannon’s debut collection of poetry casts an unflinching eye on the issues in the author’s life which includes themes of sexual abuse\, gun violence\, and conversion therapy. The poems in a chronology of blood embrace trauma survivors\, the LGBTQ+ community\, and lovers of poetry. \nA stunning debut collection by a gifted poet\, a chronology of blood explores major traumas in the author’s life. Autobiographical in nature\, the book is broken into three sections that each deal with a trauma the author has endured\, and it explores a range of themes including gun violence\, conversion therapy\, misuse of drugs\, addiction\, and domestic violence. But balancing the anger\, harm\, and pain is hope: above all Shannon is a survivor\, learning to incorporate these experiences into a life filled with healing and lived on his own terms. \nTo learn more or purchase a copy\, follow the link:  A Chronology of Blood: Poems\nAbout the Writers:\nTeo Shannon is a cofounder and a co-EIC of the literary journal Cotton Xenomorph. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He currently lives in Michigan.\n\nAlina Nguyễn was born and raised in Los Angeles\, CA. She is the proud daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. 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 from the California State University\, Long Beach\, where she was awarded the Gerald Locklin Writing Prize. Her risograph chapbook\, Before There Were More Ghosts\, was published by Tomorrow Today. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)\, where she was co-recipient of the inaugural Louis Crompton Prize. Her research interests include Poetics\, Ethnic Literature\, Queer Theory\, and Printmaking. She is an Instructor of Record and Assistant Director of the Writing Center in the English Department at UNL.\n\nSaddiq Dzukogi holds a degree in mass communication from Ahmadu Bello University\, Zaria (Nigeria)\, and is pursuing a PhD in English at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. A 2017 finalist of the Brunel International African Poetry Prize\, he is the author of Inside the Flower Room\, selected by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani for the New Generation African Poets Chapbook series. Dzukogi’s poems have appeared in the Kenyon Review\, Prairie Schooner\, Gulf Coast\, World Literature Today\, New Orleans Review\, Oxford Poetry\, African American Review\, Best American Experimental Writing\, and elsewhere. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-writers-teo-shannon-saddiq-dzukogi-and-alina-nguyen/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Tao-Shannon.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251012T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251012T163000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250915T215656Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250915T221601Z UID:10306-1760281200-1760286600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Rebecca Lexa - The Everyday Naturalist: How to Identify Animals\, Plants\, and Fungi Wherever You Go DESCRIPTION:Fellow nature lovers\, book lovers\, and all of those who love to pick up new hobbies\, come meet author and naturalist Rebecca Lexa as she talks about “Five Reasons to Be an Everyday Naturalist”\, highlighting some great benefits of learning to identify the living beings around you. We will have copies of her book for you to purchase and she will sign when the talk is over. We can’t wait to see you there!\nTo order a copy of the book\, follow the link HERE to Francie & Finch Bookshop’s online store!\nAbout the Book:\nLearn to identify animals\, plants\, and fungi wherever you go with this step-by-step guide for spotting and recording key traits and characteristics. \nIf you’ve ever consulted a field guide to identify a new bird at your feeder\, you know the process isn’t as easy as it sounds. In fact\, it seems like you have to know a lot about that mystery bird to even figure out where to start. \nThe Everyday Naturalist fills in the gaps by explaining what traits to pay attention to when encountering a new species; how and when to use field guides\, apps\, and other resources; what to do if you get stuck; and more. Rather than focusing on one region or continent\, these skills and tools are designed to help you classify nature anywhere you are—whether on familiar territory\, traveling\, or in a new home. \nIn chapters about animals\, plants\, fungi\, and organisms like lichens and slime molds\, naturalist and guide Rebecca Lexa goes into detail about what sets each of these kingdoms apart from each other—from color\, shape\, and texture to reproductive characteristics\, behavior\, and habitat—and includes more than forty full-color photos and drawings to illustrate key points. She also provides detailed case studies to demonstrate how to use all of these traits to identify specimens across multiple kingdoms. \nThis easy-to-follow guide empowers you to learn more about the species around you\, then use what you know to preserve the world you love. And at a time when biodiversity is imperiled worldwide\, nature needs more advocates than ever. \nAbout the Author:\nRebecca Lexa is a certified Master Naturalist\, writer\, nature guide\, and educator in the Pacific Northwest. She has a master’s degree in counseling psychology with a certificate in ecopsychology\, the psychology of how we connect to the natural world. She specializes in helping everyday people learn skills and tools for identifying the animals\, plants\, and fungi around them and gaining a deeper relationship with nature. More about Rebecca and her work may be found at www.RebeccaLexa.com. \nRebecca explains that much of her work was developed on unceded Chinook land in southwest Washington. To learn more\, please visit ChinookJustice.org. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-rebecca-lexa-the-everyday-naturalist-how-to-identify-animals-plants-and-fungi-wherever-you-go/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rebecca-Lexa-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251029T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20250926T223442Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T194351Z UID:10319-1761759000-1761762600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Corinna Barrett Lain in conversation with Professor Eric Berger - Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection DESCRIPTION:Join us to hear about Corinna Barrett Lain’s new book Secrets of the Killing State:The Untold Story of Lethal Injection. She will be in conversation with UNL Professor of Law Eric Berger. You don’t want to miss the conversation\, we’ll see you there!\nPre-order your copy HERE.\nBooks will also be available at the event\, with a book signing to follow the talk.\n  \nAbout the Book:\nLethal injection is nothing like what people think. This is its untold story. \nIn the popular imagination\, lethal injection is a slight pinch and a swift nodding off to forever-sleep. It is performed by well-qualified medical professionals. It is regulated and carefully conducted. And it usually provides a “humane” death. In reality\, however\, not one of those things is true. \nSecrets of the Killing State pulls back the curtain on this clandestine punishment practice\, presenting a view of lethal injection that states have worked hard to hide. Botched executions are a part of this story\, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. For all the suffering that we see\, there is also suffering that we don’t see. Indeed\, the story told here is even bigger than the executions themselves\, for behind the scenes is where it unfolds. Fake science\, torturous drugs\, inept executioners\, prison problems\, and decades of state secrecy have created an execution method hard-wired to go wrong in countless ways. \nThe story of lethal injection is a story of gross incompetence\, law breaking\, torturous deaths\, and a stunning indifference to the way in which human beings die at the hands of the state. These are the secrets of the killing state–all that we know from litigation files\, scientific studies\, investigative journalism\, autopsy reports\, interviews\, and scholarship across a number of fields. Death penalty expert Corinna Barrett Lain uses this groundbreaking journey into the dark reality of lethal injection to shine a light on the American death penalty more broadly and show that the state at its most powerful moment is also the state at its worst. \nWe are now over 45 years into the lethal injection era\, and most Americans still have no idea what states are doing in their name. It’s time they found out. \nAbout the Author:\nCorinna Barrett Lain is the S. D. Roberts & Sandra Moore Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law and the author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection (NYU Press\, 2025). She is one of the nation’s leading authorities on the death penalty and one of the leading voices on criminal justice in Virginia more broadly. Lain is a former prosecutor\, former sergeant in the Army\, an elected member of the American Law Institute\, and a recipient of the University of Richmond’s Distinguished Educator Award. \nAbout the Guest:\nProfessor Eric Berger teaches at the University of Nebraska College of Law. He has worked on lethal injection cases as both a litigator and a scholar. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-corinna-barrett-lain-in-conversation-with-professor-eric-berger-secrets-of-the-killing-state-the-untold-story-of-lethal-injection/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Corinna-Barrett-Lain-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251102T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251102T160000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251017T222934Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251017T223026Z UID:10348-1762092000-1762099200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Publication - Meet the Flatwater Free Press! DESCRIPTION:Join us at Francie & Finch Bookshop as we welcome our friends from the Flatwater Free Press (FFP)! Lincoln reporter Emily Wolf and Managing Editor Ryan Hoffman will be here to let us know what they’ve been working on\, listen to guests share what stories they think FFP should work on next\, and to hand out their 2025 Commemorative Edition newspaper! We can’t wait to see you there!\nA portion of the bookstore sales for the day will support the FFP newsroom. \nTo learn more about Flatwater Free Press visit https://flatwaterfreepress.org/. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-publication-meet-the-flatwater-free-press/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/November-2025-FFP.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251110T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251110T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251017T221306Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T222222Z UID:10344-1762795800-1762799400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - John Stevens Berry - Second Comings\, Final Tour DESCRIPTION:Join us as we welcome Berry Law founder and Pulitzer nominated poet\, John Stevens Berry back to Francie & Finch Bookshop. He will be presenting his newest book of poetry Second Comings\, Final Tour.\nAbout the Author:\nBerry is a decorated Vietnam Veteran\, Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers\, and a Baker Street Irregular. His poetry reflects on service\, justice\, and the human condition — a powerful commentary on a life of meaning and impact. \nTo learn more about John\, visit:\nhttps://nebraskaauthors.org/authors/john-stevens-berry URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-john-stevens-berry-second-comings-final-tour/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/John-Stevens-Berry.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251112T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251112T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251008T222342Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T221620Z UID:10326-1762968600-1762972200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Ilana Masad - Beings: A Novel DESCRIPTION:From the celebrated author of All My Mother’s Lovers\, a new novel based on true events asks whether extraterrestrial life might be what ties us to one another\, to history\, and to reality itself. Please join us in welcoming author Ilana Masad on Wednesday\, November 12th at 5:30 as she presents her new novel Beings!\nTo order a copy\, follow the link HERE!\nAbout the Book:\n“The alien abduction meets lesbian yearning novel that will restore your faith in the universe. Ilana Masad excavates the juiciness of historical archives and the otherworldly mysteries of the everyday in her most brilliant work yet.” –Ruth Madievsky\, author of All-Night Pharmacy \nNamed a “Most Anticipated Book” by the LA Times\, Washington Post\, Autostraddle\, Town and Country\, Boston Globe\, Chicago Tribune\, Lit Hub\, and The Millions \nIn 1961\, an interracial couple drove through the dark mountains of New Hampshire when a mysterious light began to follow them. Years later\, through hypnosis\, they recalled an unbelievable brush with extraterrestrial life. Unintentionally\, a genre was born: the alien abduction narrative. \nIn Ilana Masad’s Beings\, the couple’s experience serves as one part of a trio of intertwined threads: Known only by their roles as husband and wife\, Masad explores the pair’s trauma and its aftermath and questions what it means to accept the impossible. In the second thread\, letters penned by a budding science-fiction writer\, Phyllis\, to her beloved\, Rosa\, expose the raw ache of queer yearning\, loneliness\, and alienation in the repressive 1960s-as well as the joy of finding community. In the present day\, a reclusive and chronically ill Archivist attempts to understand a strange forgotten childhood encounter while descending into obsession over both Phyllis’s letters and the testimony of the first alien abductees. \nOver the course of a decade\, Phyllis wrestles with her desires and ambitions as a lesbian writer\, while the abducted couple grapple with how to maintain control of their narrative. All the while\, the archive shatters and reforms\, redefining fact and fiction via the stories left behind by the abductees\, Phyllis\, and the Archivist themself. Masad makes human what is alien and makes tangible what is hidden – sometimes by chance and sometimes intentionally – in the archive. \nAbout the Author:\nIlana Masad is a writer of fiction\, nonfiction\, and criticism whose work has been widely published. Masad is the author of the novel All My Mother’s Lovers and is co-editing the forthcoming anthology Here For All the Reasons: #BachelorNation’s Franchise Fascination. \nPraise for the Book:\n“Three gripping narratives entwine as supernatural encounters and personal revelations transform lives in the 1960s and the present… Miraculously\, Masad makes this dense braid of stories easy to follow\, elegantly blending serpentine sentences\, endearing and intimately observed characters\, natural dialogue\, and playful\, generous asides to keep the reader in enthralled suspense. A dazzlingly original testament to companionship\, curiosity\, and faith in ourselves in times of fear and loneliness.” —Kirkus (starred review) \n“An incandescent exploration of memory\, narrative\, and sexual identity\, Beings is certain to delight readers of literary fiction with sf elements.” —Booklist (starred review) \n“Masad (All My Mother’s Lovers) spins an affecting tale of aliens\, alienation\, and archives… The interconnected narratives reveal the power of stories and archival material to reach across time and help an isolated person find themselves. Readers will be swept away.” —Publishers Weekly URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-ilana-masad-beings-a-novel/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Ilana-Masad.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251113T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251113T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251015T220720Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251015T223516Z UID:10336-1763055000-1763058600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Max Perry Mueller in conversation with Gabriel Bruguier - Wakara's America DESCRIPTION:Join us as we welcome Max Perry Mueller in conversation with Gabriel Bruguier (Yankton Sioux Tribe) about Mueller’s new book Wakara’s America: The Life and Legacy of a Native Founder of the American West.\nPre-order your copy of the book HERE\nAbout the Book:\nThe forgotten life and complex legacies of Wakara\, the mighty\, once-notorious Native leader whose battles and conquests shaped the American West.The Native American leader Wakara (ca. 1815–1855) was among the most influential and feared men in the nineteenth-century American West\, famed as a fierce warrior\, a merciless trader of Indian slaves\, and history’s greatest horse thief. \nIn Wakara’s America\, historian Max Perry Mueller illuminates Wakara’s complex and sometimes paradoxical story\, revealing a man who both helped build the settler American West and defended Native sovereignty. Wakara was baptized a Mormon and allied with Mormon settlers against other Indians to seize large parts of modern-day Utah. Yet a pan-tribal uprising against the Mormons that now bears Wakara’s name stalled and even temporarily reversed colonial expansion. Through diplomacy and through violence\, Wakara oversaw the establishment of settlements\, built new trade routes\, and helped create the boundaries that still define the region. \nDrawing together deep archival research with Native oral histories\, archaeology\, geology\, and ecology\, Wakara’s America offers an innovative new vision of the history of the American West with Native people at its center. It serves as a powerful testament to Wakara’s legacy\, which endures in his story\, in his tribal descendants\, and in their stewardship of their ancestral lands today. \n\nMax Perry Mueller is an associate professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and is the author of the award-winning Race and the Making of the Mormon People. His writing has appeared in the Atlantic\, the New Republic\, and Slate. He lives in Lincoln\, Nebraska. \nGabriel Bruguier is an Assistant Professor and Teaching and Learning Librarian at the University of Nebraska Libraries. He is an enrolled member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe and grew up in Vermillion and Sisseton\, South Dakota. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln\, a B.A. in philosophy from University of Minnesota Morris\, and a Licentiate in International Relations from the Universidad de las Americas-Puebla.  He is the City of Lincoln Commissioner on the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs. \nPraise for the Book:\n“Gripping… an eye-opening and layered new vision of the American West.” – Publishers Weekly \n“With attentive care\, Max Perry Mueller has pieced together the chaotic and previously under-studied history of the famous Ute leader\, Wakara\, whose power both terrified and galvanized Native and non-Native peoples across the West. This book offers a sobering reassessment of the history of the Great Basin and locates the disruptive and violent influences of colonialism at its center.”–Ned Blackhawk\, National Book Award–winning author of The Rediscovery of America \n“A poignant and fascinating history\, Wakara’s America tells how the great leader Wakara led his Ute people through good times and bad and helped to create the American West.”–Kathleen DuVal\, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Native Nations \n“Wakara was a power to reckon with in western North America. In this eye-opening and engaging work\, Max Perry Mueller demonstrates the adaptability and resourcefulness of a Native leader and his people while highlighting the incredibly harsh choices they faced.”–Andrés Reséndez\, author of The Other Slavery \n“The place that is Wakara’s America feels vaguely familiar—Utah and its environs—but it turns out to be a different country altogether. Fighting off generations of erasures\, Max Perry Mueller blends personal reportage and tautly narrated history to reveal the complex life and legacy of the wide-ranging Ute leader who shaped unfreedom\, trade\, and settlement across a huge expanse of the American West. Rich in detail and subtle in analysis\, Wakara’s America is a classic page-turner that grabs a reader and won’t let go.”–Philip J. Deloria\, Harvard University URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-max-perry-mueller-in-conversation-with-gabriel-bruguier-wakaras-america/ LOCATION:NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Max-Perry-Mueller.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251122T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251122T173000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251022T215707Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251103T225859Z UID:10352-1763829000-1763832600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - John T. Price - Goethe’s Oak: A Holocaust Story DESCRIPTION:Join us as author John T. Price visits Francie & Finch Bookshop and reads from his newest work of non-fiction\, Goethe’s Oak: A Holocaust Story.\n“A tree that thinks — most of us would imagine this impossible. Yet in Goethe’s Oak\, John Price has created a compassionate\, compelling\, and utterly believable narrator. Its story is a meditation on nature\, loss\, rebirth\, and time. Most of all\, it’s a treatise on how to be human.”—Hope Edelman\, The AfterGrief \nOrder your copy of the book HERE! \nAbout the Book:\nWriting from the perspective of the legendary Goethe’s Oak\, John T. Price reimagines and honors the life of an extraordinary tree. Drawing on centuries of human remembrances\, from the tree’s namesake\, writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe\, to prisoners at Buchenwald in the 1940s\, Price intertwines their stories with recent scientific research into the underground communication networks of trees. Goethe’s Oak offers readers a poignant yet inspiring picture of nature’s ability to comfort. (icecubepress.com) \nAbout the Author:\nJohn T. Price is the award-winning author of four books of creative nonfiction\, most recently All is Leaf: Essays and Transformations (2022)\, and Goethe’s Oak: A Holocaust Story (2025).  He is also editor of The Tallgrass Prairie Reader (2014)—the first nature writing anthology entirely dedicated to the tallgrass environment.  A recipient of a prose fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts\, his work has been featured in numerous journals\, magazines\, and anthologies. He teaches at The University of Nebraska at Omaha\, where he directs the English Department’s Creative Nonfiction Writing Program. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-john-t-price-goethes-oak-a-holocaust-story/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/John-T.-Price.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251128 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251130 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20241108T225025Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251126T224732Z UID:10008-1764288000-1764460799@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Plaid Friday and Shop Small Saturday at Francie & Finch Bookshop DESCRIPTION:It’s that time of year again for our annual celebration!\nCome visit us on Plaid Friday\, November 28th\, or Shop Small Saturday\, November 29th to join in the fun!\nLoads of new inventory\nOriginal Art\nHomemade treats and hot cider\nFree ARC with purchase\nand as always\, free gift wrapping! \nVisiting Authors on Shop Small Saturday!\n10am – 12pm – John Shaw – Cameron the Capitol Cat\n11am – 1pm – Bruce Arant – Ethan Eats Hot Lunch/Ethan Goes to Reess/Simpson’s Sheep Just Want to Sleep/Simpson’s Sheep Won’t Go to Sleep\n12pm – 2pm – Barbara Mayes Boustead – Wilder Weather\n2pm – 3pm – Kolleen Meyer-Krikac – Enneagram Series for Kids \n  \nPlus\,  **Every time you shop\, between now and 12/15\, you’ll be entered into our annual $100 Shopping Spree drawing (in-store AND online).\nYour support throughout the year means so much to us\, so please think of us this holiday season and join in on the fun! URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/plaid-friday-and-shop-small-saturday-at-francie-finch-bookshop/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Plaid-Friday-Shop-Small-Saturday-2025.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251204T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251204T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251105T230403Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251129T172126Z UID:10360-1764869400-1764873000@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Susan Bruzas - Turning on the Light: My Mysterious Illness and the Year that Transformed Me DESCRIPTION:Join us on Thursday\, December 4th as we welcome memoirist Susan Bruzas to Francie & Finch Bookshop. She will be reading from her new book Turning on the Light: My Mysterious Illness and the Year that Transformed Me.\nThis powerful new memoir shines a light on the silent struggle of a life-threatening\, unexplained illness—and the resilience it takes to reclaim your life when the odds are against you.” – Kirk House Publishers\nYou can order your copy through Francie & Finch HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nThe story of a woman whose “mysterious” illness takes over a year of her life. I felt like I had been completely absent. It was like coming out of anesthesia. It was as if I was emerging from a big blank. A void. I was waking up. And what I woke up to was hearing someone say\, “She’s sleeping.” I knew they were talking about me. Was I sleeping? No. I knew I wasn’t sleeping. Looking back on this now\, I can see that I was at a turning point. I had to decide whether I would continue on the trajectory I’d been on\, one that was headed straight for death or into a life in which I might not be fully conscious\, in which I wouldn’t be “me” anymore. Or would I decide to come back into the joyous\, often underappreciated life I’d been living? Which was it going to be? \nAbout the Author:\nSsusan Bruzas is living in Lincoln\,Nebraska. She spends her time traveling\, meditating\, visiting her grandchildren\,and returning often to the Pacific Northwest—where her life-altering journey began. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-susan-bruzas-turning-on-the-light-my-mysterious-illness-and-the-year-that-transformed-me/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Susan-Bruzas.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251205T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251205T200000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251129T182743Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251129T182743Z UID:10383-1764957600-1764964800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Live Music at Francie & Finch! - Prairie Psycho DESCRIPTION:Join us on Friday\, December 5th as we have some fun with Prairie Psycho\, a Lincoln based garage-rock/power pop band!\nDo some holiday shopping\, enjoy live music\, and enjoy some cozy treats!! We can’t wait to see you there! URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/live-music-at-francie-finch-prairie-psycho/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Prairie-Psycho-2025.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251206T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251206T160000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251203T233420Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T233420Z UID:10386-1765033200-1765036800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Celebration - The Day We Found Yesterday DESCRIPTION:Join us for a fun celebration of Tamara Dever’s new book The Day We Found Yesterday! \n\n\n\n\nAbout the Book:\nThe Day We Found Yesterday\nA picture book that bridges generations with stories\, songs\, and a little retro magic. What if the greatest treasure isn’t something you find\, but something you share? \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJoin Eileen and her brothers as they set off on a secret quest to find something their Papa Jack and Nana Diane have been missing for years. Along the way\, they uncover stories\, laughter\, and music that bring their family’s memories to life. \nThe Day We Found Yesterday is a vibrant\, intergenerational story that celebrates connection\, creativity\, and the power of the past to shape our present. Written for children ages 5–8 and their GenX elders\, it’s a joyful read-aloud that invites conversation and is sure to inspire a few rounds of “name that tune.” \nThe Day We Found Yesterday is more than a picture book—it’s a multigenerational adventure wrapped in a nostalgic experience. \n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Author:\nTamara Dever is an award-winning author and founder of TLC Book Design\, where she’s helped hundreds of authors publish their dreams. Beyond her beloved day job\, Tamara is a full-blown ’80s enthusiast—her office is a retro museum filled with cassette tapes\, Trapper Keepers\, vintage toys\, MTV memorabilia\, and cubical of Rubik’s Cubes. \nShe’s the creator of The Day We Found Yesterday and the Ultimate Mix Tape quiz books\, all inspired by the music\, magic\, and memories of her favorite decade. Tamara has hosted and guested on dozens of retro-themed podcasts\, sharing stories about music\, nostalgia\, and publishing. Tamara has been a featured guest on over 35 episodes and has interviewed iconic ’80s artists including Ivan Doroschuk (Men Without Hats)\, Ian Haugland (Europe)\, Michael Hanson (Glass Tiger)\, and Walfredo Reyes Jr. (Chicago\, Santana). \nWhen she’s not designing\, writing\, or rocking the keyboard in her band through the SW Austin School of Rock\, Tamara enjoys life in south Austin with her husband\, kids\, and a lovable dog named Bandit. You’ll often find her spinning vinyl\, scouting vintage treasures\, or simply chilling out with friends. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-celebration-the-day-we-found-yesterday/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Day-We-Found-Yesterday.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251210T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251210T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251112T224756Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251208T224751Z UID:10365-1765387800-1765391400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Tom Chorneau - Mrs. Cook and the Klan: Booze\, Bloodshed\, and Bigotry in America’s Heartland DESCRIPTION:Join us on December 10th at 5:30 as we give a warm welcome to Tom Chorneau! He will be discussing his book Mrs. Cook and the Klan.\n“Booze\, law\, politics\, temperance\, racism\, and organized crime all converged one hundred years ago in Iowa. Tom Chorneau uncovers the origins of how each of these components became engrained in society\, making a small Iowa town a microcosm of the broader country and dooming Mrs. Cook.”—Brian Haara\, author of Bourbon Justice: How Whiskey Law Shaped America\nOrder your copy HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nOn the day she was murdered\, Myrtle Underwood Cook boasted to local authorities about new evidence of a major bootlegging ring operating out of the Rock Island train depot behind her house in a small farming town in eastern Iowa. Then\, as she sat at her parlor window sewing\, she took a single slug through the heart. She was president of the local temperance union; her killing made the front page of the New York Times. The next day her funeral made national news due to the eerie presence of a small army from the Ku Klux Klan\, its members donned in full regalia\, drawn from three surrounding states. \nIt was September 1925\, and Al Capone had just taken over the Chicago Outfit\, evangelist Billy Sunday was converting thousands to temperance\, and the KKK had just marched on Washington\, DC. During its first half century of statehood\, Iowa lurched from wet to dry and back eight times before Prohibition was ratified in 1919. And back when Iowa was still a territory\, its Black Codes imprinted generations with a legacy of intolerance and racism. \nMrs. Cook and the Klan is a true crime investigation that not only sheds new light on Myrtle Underwood Cook’s unsolved killing but also explores the confluence of the social\, political\, and economic forces that brought the Klan\, lawless street gangs\, a local mob boss\, and the temperance movement together in a small American town. \nAbout the Author:\nTom Chorneau spent more than three decades in mainstream news as a reporter and editor\, with stops at the Associated Press and the San Francisco Chronicle among other outlets. He is the father of two wildly successful daughters and a grandfather to four blessed children. He lives in Sacramento. \nMore Praise for the Book:\n“Tom Chorneau’s account of a century-old mystery murder also tells an exceptional history of Iowa and the nation emerging around it. Meticulously researched\, this sweeping examination of liquor\, politics\, and Iowa society reveals an unforgettable cast of crooks\, bosses\, ministers\, crusaders\, and drinkers.”—Laura and James Wasserman\, authors of Who Saved the Redwoods? The Unsung Heroines of the 1920s Who Fought for Our Redwood Forests \n“Tom Chorneau’s deeply researched book revives memories of the feverish battles in America’s heartland over alcohol and race relations. This is a rich and entertaining history that is essential reading.”—Ray Locker\, author of Haig’s Coup: How Richard Nixon’s Closest Aide Forced Him from Office URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-tom-chorneau-mrs-cook-and-the-klan-booze-bloodshed-and-bigotry-in-americas-heartland/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Tom-Chorneau-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20251217T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20251217T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20240403T050000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251209T210254Z UID:9642-1765992600-1765996200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch - Carole Levin & Marguerite A. Tassi - Creatively Expanding the Premodern: Historical and Literary Afterlives DESCRIPTION:Join us as we celebrate the release of Creatively Expanding the Premodern: Historical and Literary Afterlives \nby Carole Levin\, Marguerite A.Tassi\, Christine Stewart-Nuñez and Julia Griffin\nCo-authors Carole Levin and Marguerite A.Tassi will read from the book with Q&A and booksigning to follow.\nAbout the Book:\nThis book highlights the stories of women from premodern history and literature through models of adaptations\, retellings\, and criticism such as poems\, plays\, and essays. In reviving these voices from the background\, it widens the appeal and accessibility of scholarship in the humanities. \n  \nAbout the Authors:\nCarole Levin is Willa Cather Professor of History and Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at the University of Nebraska where she specializes in early modern English women’s and cultural history. She received her Ph.D. from Tufts University. Her books include\, Shakespeare’s Foreign Worlds: National and Transnational Identities in the Elizabethan Age\, co-authored with John Watkins (Cornell University Press\, 2009); Dreaming the English Renaissance: Politics and Desire in Court and Culture (Palgrave Macmillan\, 2008); The Reign of Elizabeth I (Palgrave Macmillan\, 2002); and The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power (University of Pennsylvania Press\, 1994)\, which was named one of the top ten academic books of the 1990s by the readers of Lingua Franca\, September\, 2000. She has worked on two major exhibits\, “Elizabeth I: Ruler and Legend” at the Newberry Library in Chicago and “To Sleep Perchance to Dream” at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC. She has been the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities long-term fellowships. She is the past president of the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women\, the co-founder and president of the Queen Elizabeth I Society\, and is Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. \nMarguerite A. Tassi is Professor of English at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She is the author of The Scandal of Images: Iconoclasm\, Eroticism\, and Painting in Early Modern English Drama (2005) and Women and Revenge in Shakespeare: Gender\, Genre\, and Ethics (2012) and the editor of Poetry for Kids: William Shakespeare (2018). \nPurchase Creatively Expanding the Premodern: Historical and Literary Afterlive  HERE\n  URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-carole-levin/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Carole-Levin-2025.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260117T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260117T203000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260114T214750Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260114T214750Z UID:10413-1768676400-1768681800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:The Librarians at Joyo Theatre DESCRIPTION:Taco Tuesday Familia is a community of neighbors\, friends\, and families who come together to stand up for justice\, dignity\, and compassion in Nebraska. We are Latinos and allies who believe that when we share our stories and meals\, and take action together\, we can build a stronger\, more welcoming state for everyone.\nFrancie & Finch is proud to help promote this amazing organization!\n\nJoin Taco Tuesday Familia for a free screening of The Librarians at the Joyo Theatre.\n“America’s war on books is more than a war on words.”\n\nBring a food donation for the Little Free Pantry. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/the-librarians-at-joyo-theatre/ LOCATION:NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Taco-Tuesday-The-Librarians.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260124T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260124T173000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20251208T223955Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251208T231256Z UID:10391-1769272200-1769275800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Brad Bigelow - Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts DESCRIPTION:Join us on Saturday\, January 24th as we welcome writer Brad Bigelow to Lincoln! He will be presenting his upcoming book Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts. Published by the University of Nebraska Press\, this new book tells the story of writer and editor Virginia Falkner. You don’t want to miss this fascinating history!\nPre-Order your copy of the book from Francie & Finch Bookshop HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nFeatured writer for the Washington Post at twenty. Author of a hit novel at twenty-one. Coaxed Greta Garbo out of seclusion for a Hollywood party. Ghostwrote the memoirs of New York’s most famous madam\, Polly Adler. It’s no wonder Virginia Faulkner was spoken of as the next Dorothy Parker. \nBut Faulkner also struggled with alcoholism and depression\, lost respect for her own work as a writer\, and at age forty-two returned to her hometown of Lincoln\, Nebraska\, unsure what her next move would be. Asked to assemble an anthology to celebrate Nebraska\, she joined the University of Nebraska Press and soon found herself fascinated by the challenges of work as an editor. The press\, she realized\, offered her the opportunity to champion the work of the writer she respected above all others: Willa Cather. And after finding an ideal colleague and life partner in Bernice Slote\, Faulkner launched a series of books that helped establish Cather as one of America’s greatest writers. \nIn Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts\, Brad Bigelow tells Faulkner’s story—one that’s lively\, irreverent\, and rich in its commitment to literature of lasting importance. Though her own books have since been forgotten\, Faulkner left a legacy of achievement and success in American literature against social and personal odds\, and her voice and spirit shine forth in the pages of this book. \nAbout the Author:\nBrad Bigelow is a writer and editor living in Missoula\, Montana. He is the editor of the Recovered Books series for Boiler House Press and has been writing the NeglectedBooks.com website since 2006. With more than six hundred articles\, the site celebrates the work of little-known writers like Virginia Faulkner. \nAdvance Praise for the Book\n\n“Intimidating\, brilliant\, and scathingly funny\, Virginia Faulkner is a true American original. She fled her corn-fed Midwestern childhood in 1928 and reinvented herself as an international sophisticate and renowned wit. . . . Famous for her impeccable taste and stubborn eccentricities\, Faulkner masterminded the literary reputations of authors ranging from Polly Adler to Willa Cather\, but her own fascinating story has been forgotten until now. Brad Bigelow brings this complex\, trailblazing woman back to life and restores her to her rightful place in American history.”—Debby Applegate\, Pulitzer Prize-winner and author of Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler\, Icon of the Jazz Age\n  \n“Virginia Faulkner: A Life in Two Acts is a fascinating tribute to literary obsession. Not only does Brad Bigelow offer a captivating tale of Virginia Faulkner’s mad devotion to Willa Cather; he provides a portrait of how profoundly one scholar\, one editor\, can amplify one writer’s voice.”—Timothy Schaffert\, author of The Titanic Survivors Book Club and The Perfume Thief\n  \n“I’m a bit embarrassed to confess that I’d never even heard of Virginia Faulkner before I met her in this engrossing biography\, and now I wish I could have met her in person.”—Nancy Pearl\, author of the best-selling Book Lust and More Book Lust URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-brad-bigelow-virginia-faulkner-a-life-in-two-acts/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Brad-Bigelow.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260206T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260206T193000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260120T183736Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260120T185200Z UID:10421-1770399000-1770406200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:February First Friday Celebration with artist Tom Sheppard DESCRIPTION:Join us as we welcome back beloved local artist Tom Sheppard as he presents his new show! We will be open late\, until 7:30\, for a reception during Lincoln’s First Friday Art Walk on February 6th! We can’t wait to see you there! \nAbout the Artist:\nTom Sheppard is a well-known Nebraska artist\, often associated with Lincoln\, who is primarily a watercolorist\, former art teacher for Lincoln Public Schools (LPS)\, and coach\, known for his balanced\, intuitive style\, and is featured at local spots like the Burkholder Project and Francie & Finch. He studied art at Hastings College and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL)\, blending logical and creative approaches in his work\, which sometimes includes local subjects like the Nebraska State Capitol.  \nNote from the Artist:\n“After graduating from Hastings College I began my teaching career but I also began painting in earnest\, having discovered it to be the most enlightening activity I had encountered.  I began entering competitions with my paintings and maintained as rigorous of a schedule as I could\, trying to experiment and refine my work.  I have always considered watercolor a favorite and use it to advance my technique and develop better hand-eye coordination.  Many examples of my watercolors will be considered to be representational (but rarely what I consider to be realistic).  Most of my larger paintings on canvas are abstract and non-objective.  Even so\, I consider my time painting in watercolor as my primary method to further enhance my skill\, even on the larger more abstract work.  The Sheldon and the Museum of Nebraska Art (MONA) both have examples of my work in their holdings.” URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/february-first-friday-celebration-with-artist-tom-sheppard/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Tom-Sheppard-February-First-Friday-February.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260210T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260210T193000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260105T232523Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T224507Z UID:10404-1770744600-1770751800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch Celebration - Kristen Hoerl - The Impossible Woman: Television\, Feminism\, and the Future DESCRIPTION:Join us as we celebrate the book launch of Kristen Hoerl’s new book The Impossible Woman: Television\, Feminism\, and the Future! \nTo order your copy today\, visit the link HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nAlthough it may seem like the proliferation of strong women on television is a feminist achievement\, a deeper look into their stories tells us otherwise. The Impossible Woman examines a variety of scripted US television series across multiple genres to show how the cultural value of television’s extraordinarily talented female characters often rests upon their ability to endure—but not overcome—sexism. Looking at Parks and Recreation\, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt\, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel\, The Queen’s Gambit\, Game of Thrones\, and Queen of the South\, Hoerl argues that these series contribute to sexist realism\, or the cultural assumption that there is no alternative to patriarchy. Situating impossible women’s struggles in the context of contemporary feminist politics\, Hoerl explains how the problems facing television’s strongest women illustrate mainstream feminism’s paradoxical dependence upon on cultural misogyny\, neoliberal individualism\, and racism. The Impossible Woman encourages readers to seek out alternative stories that might help them envision more just feminist futures. \nAbout the Author:\nKRISTEN HOERL is an associate professor of rhetoric and public culture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the author of The Bad Sixties: Hollywood Memories of the Counterculture\, Antiwar\, and Black Power Movements. \nPraise for The Impossible Woman:\n“The Impossible Woman provides a much-needed conceptual framework for understanding the proliferation of quality television series featuring extraordinarily talented female protagonists. Brilliantly demonstrating how strong female leads mediate and embody the contradictions around contemporary feminism\, the book also exposes media entertainment’s  disturbing and persistent inability to imagine a truly feminist future.”\n— Catherine Rottenberg \n“Hoerl’s rhetorical analysis of television is simply unparalleled. The Impossible Woman is a must-read for everyone interested in television’s portrayals of women and the backlash against contemporary feminist politics. Working across the landscape\, Hoerl demonstrates how television’s competing agendas routinely defang feminism. Hoerl’s work is insightful\, critical\, robust\, and ultimately optimistic—again\, unparalleled.”\n— Sarah Kornfield URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-launch-celebration-kristen-hoerl-the-impossible-woman-television-feminism-and-the-future/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Kristen-Hoerl.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260219T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260219T193000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260116T233407Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260121T183930Z UID:10417-1771524000-1771529400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Beyond Adventure Speaker Series - Kevin Fedarko - ***at the Swanson Auditorium in the Nebraska Union DESCRIPTION:On February 19th\, author and adventurer Kevin Fedarko\, will be presenting for the Beyond Adventure Speaker Series and signing books at the Swanson Auditorium in the Nebraska Union. You don’t want to miss it!\nAbout the Book:\nThe Grand Canyon is an American treasure\, visited by more than 6 million people a year\, many of whom are rendered speechless by its vast beauty\, mystery\, and complexity. Now\, in A Walk in the Park\, author Kevin Fedarko chronicles his year-long effort to find a 750-mile path along the length of the Grand Canyon\, through a vertical wilderness suspended between the caprock along the rims of the abyss and the Colorado River\, which flows along its bottom. Consisting of countless cliffs and steep drops\, plus immense stretches with almost no access to water\, and the fact that not a single trail links its eastern doorway to its western terminus\, this jewel of national parks is so challenging that when Fedarko departed fewer people had completed the journey in one single hike than had walked on the moon. The intensity of the effort required him to break his trip into several legs\, each of which held staggering dangers and unexpected discoveries. \nAbout the Author:\nKevin Fedarko has spent the past twenty years writing about conservation\, exploration\, and the Grand Canyon. He has been a staff writer at Time\, where he worked primarily on the foreign affairs desk\, and a senior editor at Outside\, where he covered outdoor adventure. His writing has appeared in National Geographic\, The New York Times\, and Esquire\, among other publications. He is the author of The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon\, which won the Reading the West Book Award\, and A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon\, which won the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. Both books were also New York Times bestsellers and winners of a National Outdoor Book Award. Fedarko lives in Flagstaff\, Arizona. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/beyond-adventure-speaker-series-kevin-fedarko-at-the-swanson-auditorium-in-the-nebraksa-union/ LOCATION:NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=application/pdf:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/260219_OAC-S26-Beyond-Speaker-Series-Poster_22x28.pdf END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260221T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260221T190000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260120T185916Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260203T185039Z UID:10426-1771696800-1771700400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Authors - Lexi Rodriguez and Kelsi Kautz- The Big Little Dream DESCRIPTION:Join us on Saturday\, February 21st as we welcome author and volleyball player Lexi Rodriguez and her co-author Kelsi Kautz to Francie & Finch Bookshop! Together they will present their new children’s book The Big Little Dream.\n“Working with Lexi on this project has been a dream. We can’t wait to see how The Big Little Dream resonates with young athletes and young readers around the world.” – Kelsi Kautz \nTo learn more abou the book\, visit https://www.thebiglittledream.com/\nAbout the Book:\nThis story dives into the life of Little Mia and her big dream – to find her sense of belonging through sport.\nIllustrated by Danika Runyan. Find her on Instagram! @danikas_drawings \nAbout the Authors:\nLexi Rodriguez is a 4 time All-American libero from the University of Nebraska\, Adidas affiliate athlete\, and AAU Sullivan Award Winner. Lexi is entering her second season in the United States’ first professional women’s volleyball league\, LOVB\, and represents Team USA in the Volleyball Nations League. Lexi’s participation in the 2023 Nebraska Volleyball Stadium Match sparked worldwide conversation about the importance of representation for women’s sports. The match was more than just a world record to the young athletes who witnessed it — it offered inspiration and validation that women’s sports are to be valued and celebrated on a world stage. Lexi hopes to deepen her connection with fans and readers through her debut children’s book\, The Big Little Dream. \nKelsi Kautz had a vision to bring to life the impact that Lexi and her teammates have had on female athletes around the world. With her combined experience in education and marketing\, she saw the opportunity to expand Lexi’s impact beyond the traditional\, and demonstrate the importance of representation in women’s sports in a new and creative way. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-four-time-all-american-libero-lexi-rodriguez-the-big-little-dream/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Lexi-Rodriguez-and-Kelsi-Kautz.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260224T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260224T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260204T184143Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T182321Z UID:10442-1771954200-1771957800@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch- Melissa J. Homestead in conversation with Emily Rau - The Professor's House by Willa Cather DESCRIPTION:Join us at Francie & Finch Bookshop as we celebrate the newest edition of Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House\, with Melissa Homestead! Homestead\, a Professor of English and Program Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies at UNL\, brings to life this new edition with a brand new introduction and notes for those looking to dive deeper into the work of Cather. Melissa will be in conversation with Emily Rau\, Editor of the Willa Cather Archive.  We can’t wait to see you there!\n                               Order your copy of the book HERE\nABOUT THE BOOK:\n‘I knew at once I had come upon the city of some extinct civilization\, hidden away in this inaccessible mesa for centuries’ \nThe Professor’s House (1925) depicts the mid-life crisis of Godfrey St. Peter\, a history professor at a midwestern state university who is disillusioned with his wife and daughters\, his university\, and the materialism of American culture. He longs for Tom Outland\, his most brilliant student\, who died on a World War I battlefield. At the same time\, Tom’s recollection of discovering hidden cliff dweller ruins in New Mexico interrupt Godfrey’s narrative. Cather’s own experiences of travel in the Southwestern US with her partner\, Edith Lewis\, shadow and enrich her depictions of Tom’s New Mexican experiences. \nCather’s sixth novel is a compelling modernist work of art that raises questions that are still compelling a century later. What is the purpose of a university education? Are the sacrifices of war worth the outcome? To whom do the American past and the country’s future belong? A daring experiment in form\, the novel is haunted by war and love. \nABOUT THE SERIES:\nFor over 100 years Oxford World’s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford’s commitment to scholarship\, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features\, including expert introductions by leading authorities\, helpful notes to clarify the text\, up-to-date bibliographies for further study\, and much more. \nABOUT MELISSA J. HOMESTEAD\nMelissa J. Homestead is Professor of English and Program Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln\, where she directs the Cather Project and is co-editor of The Complete Letters of Willa Cather. She has published widely on American women’s writing and authorship\, including American Women Authors and Literary Property (2005) and The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis (2021). \nABOUT EMILY RAU:\nEmily J. Rau is an Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries and the Editor of the Willa Cather Archive. She received her MA from Lehigh University and her PhD from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-launch-melissa-j-homestead-the-professors-house-by-willa-cather/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Melissa-Homestead-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260303T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260303T183000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260211T184443Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260211T190350Z UID:10461-1772559000-1772562600@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch - Carolyn Zeisset - Caught in the Middle DESCRIPTION:Francie & Finch Bookshop is pleased to welcome back author and historian Carolyn Zeisset as she presents her newest novel for kids and adults\, Caught in the Middle\, a story about twelve-year-old Alice who is caught between childhood and adulthood\, changing women’s roles\, and World War I America and a German-speaking\, peace-church heritage. The novel follows Alice as she must decide who she is.\nOrder your copy HERE\nABOUT THE BOOK:\nAlice Janzen chafes that she must do all the girl chores in a family with five brothers. Her parents treat her like a child\, but expect her to be responsible for her little brother\, teaching him to write the German her family speaks\, though it is banned at school. Her parents say war is wrong\, but her brother Simon follows war news in the weekly paper. \nNew student Rebecca is the most interesting person in school\, though others belittle her. Alice learns Rebecca’s family lost their small farm to oil speculators and that the girl’s step-brothers are on the war’s front lines. \nFrau Fleming serves tea from a samovar and tells Alice about bringing it to America when the Russian czar changed rules so that German-speaking men had to be in his army. She says if she must move again\, she will take the samovar\, “unless there is a girl who keeps our ways.” \nPeople harass German-speaking neighbors\, especially members of peace churches. During a raid that vandalizes farms\, Rebecca’s little brother falls off his horse as he rides with the mob. Rebecca blames Alice for her brother’s fall. Alice’s three draft-age brothers each understand their religious beliefs differently and have different war experiences. Alice’s sister and husband emigrate to Canada when they are threatened with imprisonment. Spanish flu closes public places and spreads in military camps. \nAfter the war\, Alice learns that Rebecca’s brother was wounded in battle\, and Simon saved him. Alice thinks she should write a story about Rebecca’s brothers\, but she is torn by the feeling she should instead write her own brothers’ story. What decision will she make? \nABOUT THE AUTHOR:\nAs she grew up\, Carolyn Zeisset was interested in ways families of her father (English-Scotch-Irish) and mother (German from Russia) were different and alike. This sparked a life-long interest in culture\, language\, and history\, She heard stories all around her and wrote and illustrated her first story at the age of eight. \nHer first historical novel\, Then the Rules Changed (2022)\, tells a story of Isaac\, a boy whose family immigrates from South Russia to the Great Plains in the 1870s. The new one\, Caught in the Middle\, shows Alice\, Isaac’s young daughter\, caught between identities as an American with German-speaking heritage during World War I. Readers of both books are 9-99+. \nCarolyn is a life-long educator and has taught and written curriculum for preschool\, elementary\, middle school\, and adult levels in public school\, religious\, and business settings. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-launch-carolyn-zeisset-caught-in-the-middle/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Carolyn-Zeisset-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260314T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260314T180000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260127T181448Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T184943Z UID:10436-1773505800-1773511200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Book Launch - Alison Pearce Stevens - When Beavers Move In DESCRIPTION:Join us as we welcome back beloved children’s author Alison Pearce Stevens as she brings hands on demonstrations to dive us into the world of her newest book When Beavers Move In!\nPre-Order your copy today by following the link HERE! \nAbout the Book:\nWhen beavers move in\, they chew down a tree.\nThey nibble the bark.\nAnd they drag the branches into a stream. \nBeavers topple trees and build dams\, which can cause floods and disrupt neighborhoods. So what do we do when beavers move in? In Puget Sound\, we call the Tulalip Tribes. They send biologists to help relocate our furry friends to a place far from people\, where the beavers can be free. \nPoetic text and gorgeous art makes this an irresistible read with gentle STEM tie-in. \nAbout the Author and Illustrator:\nAlison Pearce Stevens is a former scientist who writes award-winning nonfiction books for the world’s most curious people to inspire them to protect the world outside their doorstep. She is the author of Junior Library Guild Gold Standard books Rhinos in Nebraska: The Amazing Discovery of the Ashfall Fossil Beds (which won the Nebraska Book Award in three categories) and Animal Climate Heroes (March 5\, 2024). She co-authored National Geographic Kids Books’ 5\,000 Awesome Facts 3 and three books in their Weird But True series and has published hundreds of STEM-based magazine and online articles for kids. \nTo learn more about Alison\, visit apstevens.com. \nNatasha Donovan is an illustrator originally from Vancouver\, Canada. She works primarily on children’s books but also loves illustrating comics and graphic novels. Past titles include the award-winning Mothers of Xsan series by Brett Huson\, Classified by Traci Sorell\, and When the Stars Came Home by Brittany Luby. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/book-launch-alison-pearce-stevens-when-beavers-move-in/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Alison-Pearce-Stevens-When-Beavers-Move-In.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260321T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260321T173000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260304T182642Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T191008Z UID:10475-1774110600-1774114200@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Poetry Reading - 'until there are no words left' - Nebraska Poets Writing Amidst the Storm DESCRIPTION:Join us on Saturday\, March 21st at 4:30 PM as we welcome 5 Nebraska poets to read from the new book ‘until there are no words left’ – Nebraska Poets on Writing Amidst the Storm\, in which they all contributed!\nThis book was edited by Chuck Peek. \nPhip Ross – Fulbright Scholar\, teaches at SCC\nJes Vetter – Motivated by the opportunity to make a difference\nMary K. Stillwell – Author of The Life and Poetry of Ted Kooser (NU Press)\nRachel Hruza – Writer\, teaches English at SCC\nTwyla M. Hansen – Nebraska State Poet 2013-2018 \nTO ORDER A COPY OF THE BOOK STOP BY THE SHOP OR CALL US AT 402-781-0459 URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/until-tpoetry-reading-there-are-no-words-left-nebraska-poets-writing-amidst-the-storm/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/March-2026-Poetry-Reading-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260328T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260328T173000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260317T171156Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260317T173436Z UID:10495-1774715400-1774719000@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Ron Rosmann - A Practical Farmer's Journey: A History of Community\, Stewardship\, and Resilience DESCRIPTION:Join us at Francie & Finch Bookshop as we welcome farmer and author Ron Rosmann! He will be talking about his work in sustainable and organic farming\, and will give us a “blueprint” for sustainable farming in our own area.\nStop by the shop or follow the link HERE to order your copy today!\nAbout the Book:\nPart historical memoir and part “blueprint” for sustainable farming and the future of agricultural communities\, this works follows the life of a born and raised farmer\, and the changes to his trade witnessed over a lifetime. \nA Practical Farmer’s Journey revolves around three promises. The first was fulfilled for many immigrants who came and settled in western Iowa\, allowing them to purchase land\, start farms\, and build new lives and communities. The second promise\, however\, was broken during Ron L. Rosmann’s fifty-year farming career\, when the corporatization and industrialization of agriculture led to farm consolidation\, monocropping and vertical integration\, ecological destruction\, and the steady decline of rural communities. The third promise focuses on restoring what was broken\, detailing how agricultural communities can adopt thoughtful and sustainable farming practices. Through the narrative of the farmer and author\, using these promises as its framework\, this book explores how to combat climate change in agriculture and create healthier farms and food systems\, aiming to restore the unfulfilled potential of rural America. \nAbout the Author:\nRon and Maria Rosmann\, along with two of their sons\, David and Daniel and families\, own and operate Rosmann Family Farms near Harlan in western Iowa. Their third son\, Mark\, works for the Foreign Agricultural Service of USDA as a Foreign Service officer in Bogota\, Colombia. Ron is now semi-retired. He and Maria turned over the farming business to their sons David and Daniel in 2025. Ron started farming in 1973 upon graduation from Iowa State University with a B.S. degree in Biology. He stopped the use of pesticides in 1983 on their farm. They have been certified organic since 1994. \nThey now have a 700-acre diversified organic crop and livestock farm raising over 15 crops annually. Some of these crops include corn\, soy\, oats\, wheat\, barley\, hybrid rye\, field peas\, popcorn\, hay\, pasture\, and numerous cover crops They have a cow-calf operation\, a farrow to finish hog operation and egg layer operation. Maria has a store on the farm named “Farm Sweet Farm” which began in 2012. Daniel and his wife\, Ellen\, own and operate a local foods restaurant in Harlan that is called “Milk and Honey”. \nRon helped to start the “Practical Farmers of Iowa” (PFI) in 1986 and was the second board president. This organization now numbers over 10\,000 members. The organization is dedicated to doing on-farm research trials to both improve individual profitability and environmental sustainability but also to share with other farmers and their rural communities. The goal is to create viable farms and vibrant rural communities. He and his two sons have completed over 50 randomized and replicated on-farm research trials with PFI and Iowa State University. He was on the board of the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz\, California from 1998-2004\, serving as board president for three years. He was on the board of National Catholic Rural Life in Saint Paul\, Minnesota from 2012-2018. He has been very active over the years in his local parish of St. Boniface\, Westphalia\, Iowa. \nRon has been involved in agricultural policy work all of his career as a farmer. He has testified numerous times before the United States Senate and House of Representatives Agricultural Committees. \nRon has written numerous articles and editorials in several magazines and newspapers\, including Newsweek\, The Des Moines Register\, and the Omaha World Herald. \nHe has recently written a book entitled: “A Practical Farmer’s Journey\, A History of Community\, Stewardship\, and Resilience”. The publishing company is Hamilton Books which is a division of Bloomsbury Press. \nRon and Maria have seven grandchildren\, one of whom is deceased. They have been married for 47 years. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-ron-rosmann-a-practical-farmers-journey-a-history-of-community-stewardship-and-resilience/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Ron-Rosmann-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260418T163000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260418T173000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260318T172612Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T175403Z UID:10500-1776529800-1776533400@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Visiting Author - Elizabeth Zaleski - The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure DESCRIPTION:With excitement\, Francie & Finch welcomes you to join us for a visit from author Elizabeth Zaleski! She will be presenting her new book of personal essays\, The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure and writes about the book\, “If you’ll bear with me\, we’re going to get a bit technical. And then\, I promise\, it will all start to matter.”\nTo order a copy\, follow the link HERE!\nAbout the Book:\nWhether failing to restrain herself from trying to find greater meaning in roadkill\, or to convince her dad that psychedelic mushrooms will not save his marriage\, or to believably perform enthusiasm for her teammates\, Elizabeth Zaleski is trying hard and failing spectacularly\, and thankfully\, she takes us along for the ride. \nFunny\, intimate\, and candid\, The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure debuts an exciting new voice. From growing up in a quirky family in rural northeast Ohio and attending a Mennonite high school as a lapsed Catholic to struggling to get over a particularly well-endowed lover and suffering intestinal calamity while searching for closure\, Zaleski’s stories are at once captivating in their singularity and recognizable in their truthfulness. Fans of Tim Kreider and Sloane Crosley will appreciate Zaleski’s levity and wit as she takes aim at such time-honored institutions as pet ownership and gives clear-eyed dispatches from the no man’s land that is an HPV diagnosis. \nAs Zaleski writes\, “If you’ll bear with me\, we’re going to get a bit technical. And then\, I promise\, it will all start to matter.” \nAbout the Author:\nElizabeth Zaleski is the author of The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure. Elizabeth grew up in rural northeast Ohio\, in Amish country. After living and traveling all over the US\, she now lives in slightly less rural northeast Ohio\, outside Akron. She works as an editor and is the curator of GreatFartsofLiterature.com. Her essays have appeared in journals such as Hippocampus\, The Normal School\, and The Missouri Review. \nPraise for The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure:\n“Funny and introspective. . . . Wit and intelligence shine through the prose.” —Julia Dillman\, Foreword Reviews \n“I read an advanced copy of Elizabeth Zaleski’s The Trouble with Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure based on a single newsletter sent out from her publisher at Belt\, Anne Trubek. It’s a delight to pick up a book by a writer totally unknown to you and finish it in a single day.” —Austin Kleon\, NYT-bestselling author of Steal Like an Artis \n“Softly deviant\, . . . [Zaleski’s] collection of essays on failure is charming and frank and disproves my hypothesis that publishers only release personal essay collections by the world’s dullest people. Zaleski: not dull! An oddball from rural Ohio with a crazy family who writes what I always wanted ‘alt lit’ to be: the lucid prose of an original mind living an unconventional life. . . . It is the type of book destined to be ignored by the few remaining reviewing organs\, and everything about it is hostile to any conceivable algorithm. So\, vote with your dollars!” —Molly Young\, former book critic for the NYT\, book recommender extraordinaire\, and maker of many cool things \n“Turns breakups\, lost faith and literary letdowns into sharply funny reflections on failure. . . . I would call the score-keeping unhealthy if it weren’t so funny[\, but] I must admire the courage Zaleski provides in her unsparing honesty.” —Brendan Tynan Buck\, Newcity Lit URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/visiting-author-elizabeth-zaleski-the-trouble-with-loving-poets-and-other-essays-on-failure/ LOCATION:Francie & Finch Bookshop\, 130 S. 13th Street\, Lincoln\, NE\, 68508\, United States ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Elizabeth-Zaleski.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260419T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260419T170000 DTSTAMP:20260625T155733 CREATED:20260408T172400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T190748Z UID:10510-1776585600-1776618000@francieandfinch.com SUMMARY:Tom Hallman\, Jr.\, - Dispatches Across America DESCRIPTION:Calling all writers that believe in the power of story to connect\, illuminate and move readers.\n  \nTom Hallman Jr.\, who won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing\, is a senior editor at Colliers magazine. He is in charge of Dispatches Across America\, a gathering place for stories that rise from the ground beneath our feet that reveal the texture of American life. Here\, essays and stories arrive like brushstrokes on our vast cultural canvas\, each one drawn from somewhere across the heartland. A small town at dusk\, a metropolitan city after dark\, a fleeting moment\, a hidden subculture\, a quiet crossroads. \nTogether\, they form a living portrait of America as it is felt in real time — tender\, restless\, ordinary\, extraordinary. It is the voice of the people\, shared with the nation. \nIf you are interested in contributing\, contact Tom at thallmanjr@gmail.com \nAll of Tom’s books\, Stories from the Banks\, Dispatches from 1320\, Sam: the Boy Behind the Mask and A Strangers Gift are all available for puchase at Francie & Finch Bookshop. URL:https://francieandfinch.com/event/dispatches-across-america/ LOCATION:NE ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://francieandfinch.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/tom-hallman.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR