Jewel Rodgers

Jewel Rodger (she/her) is an interdisciplinary poet, performer, and visual artist creating with the purpose to connect. She has shared her work across the Midwest and MidAtlantic regions, appearing in spoken word, public speaking, and multimedia projects, including 100 Years | 100 Women (Park Avenue Armony – NY, NY), TEDxLincoln (TEDx – LNK, NE), and Amplifying the Black Experience (Opera Omaha – OMA, NE).

Jewel is a 2022 OEAA nominee for Best Performance Poet in Omaha. Her written word recently received an honorable mention in the 2021 Nebraska Poetry Society’s Open Poetry Contest. Her visual content, a combination of video, images, audio, and text, has been used to promote independently curated events, including THINK. a 5-part traveling conversation series.

Jewel consistently offers her skill for spoken word as a tool to support social intervention, including contributions to The Women’s March and the Charlottesville Vigil in Lincoln, NE. She’s also contributed to organizational efforts like UNL’s Husker Dialogues Diversity Training for incoming college freshmen as a speaker, and the Nebraska Writers Collective’s All Writes Reserved for high school poets as a slam coach.

Alongside her artistic practice, Jewel is working toward reshaping the built environment. After earning a Master’s in Real Estate Development (New York University) and completing a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (University of Nebraska-Lincoln) as a Buffet Scholar, she continues toward the long-term goal of “co-creating our community.” She currently creates and maintains privately held spaces for public interaction, including her most recent project - North Omaha’s Tierra Park (2413 Spencer St).

Follow Jewel on Instagram at: @jewel.rodgers