September 28, 2025
Nebraska Comic Books with Bob Hall and Richard Graham
Bob Hall, born in Lincoln, NE, is a theatre director, playwright, and acclaimed comic book artist. A graduate of Lincoln High School and the University of Nebraska with degrees in theatre and fine arts, he moved to New York in the 1970s, directing theatre and illustrating for Marvel Comics on titles such as The Avengers, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange, co-creating West Coast Avengers and Squadron Supreme. He later worked for Valiant and DC Comics, producing notable works like Shadowman, I, Joker, and Batman DOA. Hall has directed over 100 plays, co-founded the Flatwater Shakespeare Festival, and served as Artistic Director of the Nebraska Repertory Theatre. His recent projects include educational comics for UNL and the COVID-era C’rona Comix. His honors include the Governor’s Arts Award, two Lincoln Mayor’s Arts Awards, and UNL’s Distinguished Alum Award.
Richard Graham is a Professor of Libraries and Chair of Teaching Partnerships at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. He holds a courtesy appointment with the English department, where he teaches a comics as literature course and co-teaches a history course that uses graphic novels as both primary and secondary sources. His research interests include using comics as instructional methods or tools, and comics artists and narratives from and about the Great Plains. His book, Government Issue: Comics for the People (Abrams ComicArts) was nominated for an Eisner award in 2012 and he served as an Eisner award judge in 2015. He is currently the Managing Editor of SANE: Sequential Art Narratives in Education, an open access, peer-reviewed journal focusing on comics in the classroom.
October 26, 2025: Allison Bitz & Alena Bruzas
This reading was postponed from an earlier date.
Allison L. Bitz hails from Lincoln, NE, where she lives with her spouse, two kids, and various rescue pets. When she’s not writing a novel or a song, Dr. Bitz is helping clients in her private counseling practice, planning some form of political action, or trying to track down a pastry to enjoy with her coffee. Her debut novel, The Unstoppable Bridget Bloom, was a 2024 Nebraska Book Award winner. Her latest novel is Three Things About Emmy Crawford.
Alena Bruzas grew up in Seattle, spent some time in Olympia, and currently lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with her family. Alena has been writing since she was a kid, and writing with the intention of being published for more than ten years. Ever Since is her first novel and her most recent is To The Bone. When she's not writing, Alena serves on the board for Ten Thousand Villages, Lincoln. She also occasionally cooks dinner, worries about commas, and wanders the prairie.