"Loren Eiseley's 119th Birthday Reading" - Free In-Person Event

In-Person Event: Loren Eiseley's Birthday Reading

Date: Sunday, September 6, 2026

Time: 3pm to 4pm CDT

Location: Irvingdale Park, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

This September we are commemorating Loren Eiseley's 119th birthday with a celebration of his life and works.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a birthday reading and light discussion in-person on Sunday, Sep. 6, at 3pm Central Daylight Time. All are welcome to join us!

Feel free to bring a favorite poem or short passage from his writings to share at our in-person event.

For information on how to find our event or ask questions about it, email hello@eiseley.org

Imagining Young Loren Eiseley’s Favorite Day with John Cimino - Free Zoom Event

Tell me the story of the comet, father, when I was three and you put me up on your shoulders so I could try to touch it with my fingers. -- Comet and Stars: A Memory of My Father

 

Online Event: Imagining Young Loren Eiseley’s Favorite Day with John Cimino

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025

Starting Time: 3pm CST

View Recorded Event on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZM0WeD82jc0

Zoom Connection Info: For information on how to join our Zoom session, email hello@eiseley.org

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES wishes to invite you to attend John Cimino’s presentation of his new book via Zoom on Saturday, December 13, at 3pm Central Time. All are welcome to join us!

The Star Thrower - Musical Evening with John Cimino and Jon Klibonoff in Omaha, Nebraska

 

In-Person Event: The Star Thrower - Musical Evening with John Cimino and Jon Klibonoff in Omaha, Nebraska

Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

Time: 7:30pm CDT

Location: University of Nebraska Omaha, Small Recital Hall in Omaha, Nebraska

View Recorded Event on YouTube: An Evening with Loren Eiseley's The Star Thrower (recorded at UNO, Omaha, Nebraska)

The Loren Eiseley Society would like to invite you to attend a free performance of a Musical Evening with Loren Eiseley's "The Star Thrower" on Tuesday, May 27th at 7:30 PM Central Daylight Time. All are welcome to join us!

There will be reflections from composer, performer and Eiseley scholar John Cimino discussing and performing highlights of his Eiseley-inspired musical dramatization, THE STAR THROWER together with pianist and conductor, Jon Klibonoff.

This event is sponsored by the Loren Eiseley Society, Hod Kosman, Western Nebraska Community College, The University of Nebraska Omaha, Associated Solo Artists, and The Renaissance Center.

The Star Thrower - Musical Evening with John Cimino and Jon Klibonoff in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

In-Person Event: The Star Thrower - Musical Evening with John Cimino and Jon Klibonoff in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Date: Friday, May 23, 2025

Time: 7:30pm MDT

Location: Western Nebraska Community College Recital Hall in Scottsbluff, Nebraska

The Loren Eiseley Society would like to invite you to attend a free performance of a Musical Evening with Loren Eiseley's "The Star Thrower" on Friday, May 23rd at 7:30 PM Mountain Daylight Time. All are welcome to join us!

There will be reflections from composer, performer and Eiseley scholar John Cimino discussing and performing highlights of his Eiseley-inspired musical dramatization, THE STAR THROWER together with pianist and conductor, Jon Klibonoff.

This event is sponsored by the Loren Eiseley Society, Hod Kosman, Western Nebraska Community College, The University of Nebraska Omaha, Associated Solo Artists, and The Renaissance Center.

To ask questions about our event or if you require directions, email hello@eiseley.org

Dedication of the Loren Eiseley Historical Marker

In-Person ONLY Event: Dedication of the Loren Eiseley Historical Marker

Date: Friday, April 11, 2025

Time: 1:30pm to 2:30pm CDT

Location: Irvingdale Park, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

The Loren Eiseley Society is pleased to announce the unveiling of a new Nebraska Historical Marker commemorating Loren Eiseley. Our dedication event is scheduled for Friday, April 11, 2025 in Lincoln, Nebraska's Irvingdale Park from 1:30pm to 2:30pm CDT.

Distinguished guests include Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Loren Eiseley Society President Bing Chen.

We are grateful for the support of the Nebraska Historical Society, Lincoln Parks & Recreation, and the Irvingdale Country Club as well as the Indian Village Neighborhood Associations.

For information on how to find our event or ask questions about it, email hello@eiseley.org

 

To donate in support of this project, please visit: https://www.eiseley.org/donate/

 

"The Unexpected Universe - Technology, Science, and Civilization" with Bing Chen, PhD

Online Event: The Unexpected Universe - Technology, Science, and Civilization with Bing Chen, PhD

Date: Saturday, January 11, 2025

Starting Time: 2pm CST (USA)

Location: Online via Zoom

The Loren Eiseley Society would like to invite you to attend a brief public online Zoom presentation on Saturday, January 11th at 2 PM Central Standard Time (USA) on "The Unexpected Universe," the second in a triad of books on Man and Nature by noted naturalist Loren Eiseley who Ray Bradbury considers to be the greatest essayist on Nature of the 20th century. Bing Chen, PhD, LES President, will be utilizing a number of Eiseley quotes to enhance a discussion that he gives to his senior students in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNL when reviewing humankind's Pleistocene development and arrival upon the great stage of life which Eiseley refers to as the Immense Journey (his first book of the triad). Please plan on attending if you have the opportunity and interest and then feel free to participate in the discussion that follows. All are welcome to join us!

To ask questions about our event, email hello@eiseley.org

"Loren Eiseley's 117th Birthday Reading" - Free In-Person Event

In-Person Event: Loren Eiseley's Birthday Reading

Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024

Time: 11am to 12 noon CDT

Location: Irvingdale Park, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

This September we are commemorating Loren Eiseley's 117th birthday with a celebration of his life and works.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a birthday reading and light discussion in-person on Saturday, Sep. 7, at 11am Central Daylight Time. All are welcome to join us!

Feel free to bring a favorite poem or short passage from his writings to share at our in-person event.

For information on how to find our event or ask questions about it, email hello@eiseley.org

"Loren Eiseley's 115th Birthday Reading" - Free Zoom Event

Online Event: Loren Eiseley's Birthday Reading

Date: Saturday, September 3, 2022

Starting Time: 2pm CDT

This month we are commemorating Loren Eiseley's 115th birthday with a celebration of his life and works.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a birthday reading and light discussion via Zoom on Saturday, Sep. 3, at 2pm Central Time. All are welcome to join us!

Feel free to bring a favorite poem or short passage from his writings to share at our Zoom event.

Also, we would like you to know that we have a $15,000 challenge grant for The Star Thrower musical dramatization and we will be mentioning this at the birthday reading on how you can contribute.

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

"Loren Eiseley and the Subterranean World" with Susan Maher

Online Event: Loren Eiseley and the Subterranean World with Susan Maher

Date: Saturday, June 25, 2022

Starting Time: 2pm CDT

The Loren Eiseley Society invites you to attend our next Public Forum via Zoom on Saturday, June 25th at 2 PM CDT.  Our special guest is Susan Maher, PhD and her topic will be  “Loren Eiseley and the Subterranean World.” All are welcome to join us!

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

Across Loren Eiseley’s oeuvre, revelations about science, humanity, and the natural world often happen in subterranean spaces. Whether exploring deep time or more personal, psychological disturbances, Eiseley is drawn to tunnels, cellars, culverts, and caves. In the dark, he probes connections between past and present, collapsing time and space into lyrical encounters with all manner of life forms, whether fossilized or living. His essays, often journeys in the dark, uncover truths about life, death, and the boundless realms of the human imagination.

Susan Maher co-edited “Artifacts and Illuminations: Critical Essays on Loren Eiseley” with Tom Lynch. Her book “Deep Map Country” also includes a chapter on Eiseley. She has published widely on Great Plains writers, including Willa Cather, Wallace Stegner, and John Janovy, Jr. Her current book project is “Authoring Landscapes: Literary Pilgrimage in the Interior of North America.” She is Professor of English at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

"Animals in Me" with Qianqian Cheng

Online Event: Animals in Me with Qianqian Cheng

Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022

Starting Time: 2pm CDT

This month we are inviting Qianqian Cheng to present a talk entitled "Animals in Me: The ecological implications in Eiseley’s thoughts".

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a presentation and discussion via Zoom on Saturday, March 26, at 2pm Central Time. All are welcome to join us!

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

Qianqian's talk offers a concise analysis of how Eiseley fosters readers' ecological consciousness by focusing on the bonds between humans and nonhumans; and the reason why Eiseley needs to be appreciated as a necessary voice in the urgent mission to make individuals realize their responsibility to respond ethically to the living world. 

Qianqian Cheng obtained her PhD in English from the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, France. She has taught English at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and Chinese at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès. She has published articles on animal studies as well as on Loren Eiseley.

"The Star Thrower" Opera Overview with John Cimino

Online Event: The Star Thrower Opera Overview with John Cimino

Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021

Starting Time: 2pm CST

This month we are inviting John Cimino of Associated Solo Artists to present an overview of his Star Thrower Opera to the group.

Also see https://www.eiseley.org/projects/ for more information on the opera and how you can support this production tentatively slated for October 2022 in both Omaha, NE as well as Scottsbluff, NE.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a presentation and discussion via Zoom on Saturday, December 4, at 2pm Central Time. All are welcome to join us!

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

"Loren Eiseley's Birthday Reading" - Free Zoom Event

 

Online Event: Loren Eiseley's Birthday Reading

Date: Sunday, September 12, 2021

Starting Time: 2pm CDT

This month we are commemorating Loren Eiseley's 114th birthday with a celebration of his life and works.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, LES will offer a birthday reading and light discussion via Zoom on Sunday, Sep. 12, at 2pm Central Time. All are welcome to join us!

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

"Traces of a Vanished Nebraska" - Free Zoom Event

Online Event: Traces of a Vanished Nebraska

Date: Saturday, June 26, 2021

Starting Time: 2pm CDT

The rocks and fossils of western Nebraska that captured Eiseley’s scientist’s mind and inspired his poet’s soul. A look at the remarkable geological and paleontological record that forms the landscape of Nebraska and the complicated puzzles of Earth history and evolution they have posed and (to some extent) answered.

As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, Professor George Engelmann will offer a discussion via Zoom on Saturday, Jun. 26, at 2pm Central Time.

For information on how to log in, email hello@eiseley.org

"John Cimino's Star Thrower Operetta" - Free Zoom Event

Online Event: John Cimino's Star Thrower Operetta

Date: Saturday, March 27, 2021

Starting Time: 2pm CST

You are invited to join in our next Eiseley Public Forum.

The Star Thrower is among the best known of all of Loren Eiseley’s essays. It is our pleasure to have with us John Cimino for this next public forum, Saturday, March 27th at 2 PM central standard time, to share his story of creating The Star Thrower opera.

He was commissioned to transform the famous essay into an opera by the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, North Carolina back in 1992 for their International Creativity and Innovation Networking Conference. 

A former scientist and teacher, John discovered his musical gifts only in his mid-20s winning numerous awards for singing even before his formal training at the Juilliard School. He went on to sing with opera companies all around the world including opposite the great Luciano Pavarotti whose singing competition John had won the previous year.

John will share with us his process in creating this musical dramatization of The Star Thrower, including his decision to utilize only Eiseley’s own words as the text and lyrics of the opera. There will be time for questions and discussion with John.

The Zoom invitation and links for you are shown below. We look forward to having you join us in what I know will be a most engaging talk and stimulating time.

"Storymapping Loren Eiseley's Nebraska" - Free Zoom Event

Online Event: Storymapping Loren Eiseley's Nebraska 

Date: Saturday, December 5, 2020

Starting Time: 2pm CST

Loren Eiseley (1907-1977) was a world renowned writer and anthropologist who spent his formative years in Nebraska. Much of the writing he did for the rest of his life was based on his childhood experiences in Lincoln and on the time during his college years when he worked on archaeological digs in western Nebraska. Focused on these two areas, "Loren Eiseley's Nebraska" is a digital story map representing some of the major locations in Eiseley's life and writing. As a public forum presented by the Loren Eiseley Society, Professor Tom Lynch will offer a discussion of the project via Zoom on Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2:00 Central Time. For information on how to log in, contact Tom Lynch.

A Community reading from the works of Loren Eiseley to commemorate his 110th Birthday

Loren Eiseley was born 110 years ago this September. To commemorate his birth and to celebrate his legacy, the Loren Eiseley Society is hosting a community reading from his works. All are welcome to join us. Feel free to bring a favorite poem or short passage from his writings to share.

Sunday September 17
1:30-2:30
Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room
Bennett Martin Public Library
136 S. 14th St, Lincoln
Free and open to all

For more information contact Tom Lynch: tplynch2@gmail.com

Invitation to Celebrate Loren Eiseley's 106th Birthday

The Board members of the Loren Eiseley Society send you our warmest wishes and invitation to attend Loren Eiseley’s birthday party being held at the Meadowlark (1624 South St. in Lincoln, NE) from 2-4 pm on September 7, 2013. Bring your favorite Eiseley passages to share with the other celebrants. We look forward to seeing you there.

LES Public Meeting at Lauritzen Gardens

Dear Loren Eiseley Society members,

This is an invitation for you to attend the next meeting of the Loren Eiseley Society on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at Omaha’s Lauritzen Gardens in the main visitor center.

11:30 – 1 PM  Public Meeting

Tom Lynch presentation  “Artifacts and Illuminations”
Tom Lynch, PhD, is with the UNL English Department and has just published this book which is available on Amazon with Susan Maher, PhD, Dean of College of Arts & Sciences, University of Minnesota-Duluth.

Jim Locklear: Eiseley’s Sunflower Forest at Lauritzen Gardens
Jim is the Director of Conservation and Interim Director of Education at Lauritzen Gardens and has directed the Sunflower Forest program at Lauritzen Gardens involving elementary and middle school students in a pilot program sponsored by the Peter Kiewit Foundation. With an entrance fee, you will also have the opportunity to visit the Sunflower Forest if you choose to enter the botanical gardens.

If you plan to attend, please respond to Polly Wimberly so that your name can be forwarded to the front desk. You will need to check in at the front desk upon arrival. We will meet in a room adjacent to the dining area.

Address:
Lauritzen Gardens
100 Bancroft St.
Omaha, NE 68108

Link to map: http://g.co/maps/ahxa6

We look forward to your joining us on this part of the Caravan.

Warmest wishes,
Bing Chen, LES President

Loren Eiseley Society Annual Meeting

Date: Sunday, November 7, 2010
Time: 1-3:30 p.m.
Place: Loren C. Eiseley Public Library
Community Meeting Room 1
1530 Superior St
Lincoln, NE 68521

Free and open to the public

Program includes:

• Refreshments
• Innocent Assassins reproduction skull and The Loren Eiseley Reader Teacher's toolkit available for viewing

The Loren Eiseley Reader

The Loren Eiseley Reader is now available for purchase from the Nebraska Book Source. Price: $26.95 S&H: $5 (1st book) + $1.50 (each additional book) Tax: NE residents pay 7% sales tax