Wabuke Discusses Poetry Book at Francie & Finch
Author and UNL professor Hope Wabuke presented her poetry collection "Blood on the Leaves" at the Lincoln bookstore.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in African-American
Hope Wabuke, an author and professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, presented her poetry collection "Blood on the Leaves" at Francie & Finch on Nov. 5. The event was led by UNL assistant professor Saddiq Dzukogi, who questioned Wabuke about poems in the book.
Why it matters
The collection draws on Wabuke's experiences as a child of immigrant parents and as a woman of color, offering a local literary event for Lincoln readers. Its final poem, a sonnet crown about the 1918 lynching of Mary Turner, centers a historical injustice within the collection.
The event took place at Francie & Finch on Nov. 5, 2026, with Dzukogi leading a question-and-answer format about the book's poems. No sales or attendance figures were reported.
The players
Hope Wabuke
Hope Wabuke is an author and professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln whose work explores identity, immigration, and nature.
Saddiq Dzukogi
Saddiq Dzukogi is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a friend of Wabuke who moderated the event.
The details
The book opens with the poem "Ode to Kale" and moves through themes including Wabuke's upbringing, her difficulties keeping plants alive, climate concerns, and blackness and nature. The collection closes with the title poem, a sonnet crown about Mary Turner, a pregnant African American woman lynched in 1918.
Timeline
Nov. 5, 2026: Wabuke presented "Blood on the Leaves" at Francie & Finch.
Culture Shift
The event reflects a broader pattern of university-affiliated faculty publishing poetry that engages Black history and identity, as seen in works like Wabuke's collection. Readings held at independent Lincoln bookstores give such work a direct public audience beyond academic settings.
Lincoln readers can purchase or borrow "Blood on the Leaves" to engage with the collection's poems on family, nature, and the history of Mary Turner. The book's themes offer a concrete starting point for local discussions about the region's literary community.
The takeaway
Poetry that connects personal family history with documented historical injustice, like the Mary Turner sonnet crown, can build understanding across different experiences. Readers interested in this kind of work can seek out local bookstore events to hear authors discuss their creative choices directly.
Further reading
Explore more African-American culture coverage tied to Lincoln and the Midwest.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Nebraskan.
