Riverside Chats

Zedeka Poindexter and Gina Tranisi are co-executive directors of the Nebraska Writers Collective. NWC is responsible for the annual All Writes Reserved Youth Spoken Word Festival, formerly known as Louder Than a Bomb, which reaches more than 30 schools and 500 students across Nebraska and Iowa with free spoken word poetry lessons, workshops with local writers, open mics, and a space to be heard. NWC will also host National Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Pacheco for a performance on Oct. 12 at Dry Spokes, located at 19th and Leavenworth. Zedeka Poindexter is a North Omaha-born writer and performer with a background in management and communications. She holds a bachelor's degree in communication from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Poindexter has built a historical record through poems and essays that draw on physical senses to connect with readers and listeners. Before assuming her current role, she spent ten years with the NWC as a teaching artist. Gina Tranisi is a leader, educator, and poet who has comp