Charlene Pierce
Charlene Pierce, a poet and teaching artist, creates welcoming spaces for writers to deepen their craft and connect in community.
She is the founder and President of the Nebraska Poetry Society (launched in 2020) to foster accessibility, equity, and community in the literary arts and an Adjunct Professor at Metro Community College where she helps students strengthen their writing and develop confidence in their ideas.
A Pushcart Prize nominee and Best of the Net finalist, her work has appeared in many literary journals including, Poetry Foundation, TriQuarterly, Whale Road Review, The Good Life Review, Jackdaw Review, and 805 Lit + Art, and has been anthologized in Until There Are No Words Left, Misbehaving Nebraskans, and others.
The Poetry Foundation selected her to teach a poetry workshop, publish a craft essay, and give a public reading for the Form and Features Series.
Her MFA is from Pacific University where she was a Merit Scholar.
She writes with the belief that poetry can help us return to ourselves and to one another.
I design and lead poetry workshops and craft talks for universities, conferences, literary organizations, and community groups.
My focus is on close reading, accessible craft frameworks, and writing as a form of witness, restoration, and connection.
I Offer:
Poetry Workshops
Craft-focused, discussion-driven sessions that blend close reading with generative writing, helping participants deepen their work without intimidation.
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Craft Talks & Keynotes
Thoughtful, accessible talks on topics such as poetry as witness, psychic distance, narrative strategy, and writing as restoration—grounded in published work and real classroom experience.
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Community Conversations & Facilitated Readings
Moderated dialogues that center the poet as a person, not just the poems, fostering connection and sustained engagement.
Experience Highlights
Poetry Foundation Forms & Features instructor, where I taught a national workshop, published a craft essay, and delivered a public reading.
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Invited craft talks and conference presentations, including the University of South Dakota Vermillion Writing & Literature Conference
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Founder & President of the Nebraska Poetry Society, building a statewide literary nonprofit serving hundreds of writers through workshops, readings, and conversations
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Award-recognized poet (Pushcart Prize nominee, Best of the Net finalist) with work published in nationally respected journals
"My writing greatly improved after taking Charlene's "Using Poetry to Improve Your Writing" workshop.
It's not the type of class I would normally take, since I write romance, but really glad I did."
A student who stopped me in Panera to thank me
“Charlene has a way of describing poetry techniques that makes it easily accessible. The examples she uses and the exercises she provides are easy to adopt in my writing."
Mary, workshop participant