By Will Roper
Sept. 17, 2018

Lincoln Calling, the city’s largest multi-day music festival, returns this Wednesday through Saturday and promises to  deliver yet another year of amazing and diverse artists at downtown venues. Another large aspect of the festival, however, is the multitude of speakers and free workshops that will be showcased throughout the week, turning the great music festival into something much more for everyone.

On Sept. 19-23, Lincoln Calling will dominate the capital city with wonderful music, art, markets, workshops and plenty more.

KZUM is proud to partner with Lincoln Calling and present many of the workshops and discussions in this series.The theme for the speakers and workshops portion of the festival revolves around innovation and entrepreneurship. These workshops will run from Wednesday, Sept. 19, to Saturday, Sept. 22, and will be held in venues like The Mill, The Bay, Trago Park and others.

Wednesday:

Dominique Morgan will be one of the moderators for “Stop & Listen” on Wednesday at The Mill (dominiquemorgan.com).

STOP & Listen – 5 p.m. at The Mill at Telegraph

According to the Lincoln Calling website, this workshop will focus on ways to be an ally in your community to underrepresented groups such as women, people of color, LGBTQA communities and other minorities. The talk will be facilitated by performing artist Dominique Morgan and poet activist Danielle Renae. Other panelists include Ishma Valenti, Abbi Swatsworth, Jacoby Vann, Andy Dillehay, Belinda Acosta and Andira Losh. The talk starts at 5 p.m., and, like all Lincoln Calling workshops, is free and open to the public. For more info and to R.S.V.P., go here.

Thursday:

Healing the Mind and Body – 5 – 7 p.m. at The Graduate

The second workshop, scheduled for Thursday, is titled Healing the Mind and the Body, and will be held in The Graduate Hotel from 5 – 7 p.m. This workshop’s theme is centered on the future of women’s wellness in keeping both a healthy body and mind. The moderator of the event will be Erin Poor, with featured guests including former U.S. soccer player Lori Lindsay, fitness editor Jen Sinkler, author Erin Brown, yogi and entrepreneur Mary Claire Sweet, massage and healing therapist Brianne Key, sport psychologist and entrepreneur Dr. Jenni Bruning Brown.

For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Friday:

Hakim, performing here at Lincoln Calling 2017, will be a panelist at “Keep Ya Head Up” on Friday (Kyle Gibson/KZUM).

Keep Ya Head Up – 6 p.m. at Bodega’s Alley

At 6.pm., Bodega’s Alley will feature  an inspirational talk centered on growing and supporting local hip hop and R&B scenes. Facilitated by performing artist and producer Kethro, featured artists include Sleep Sinatra, M Shah, Ria Gold, HAKIM, Cesar Comanche the Entertainer, Alfred Banks and Bourbon Venue Owner Jeremiah Moore. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Women at Work – 7 p.m. at 1867

This event will start at 7 p.m. and will be hosted at 1867 bar. This discussion will showcase women within all parts of the music industry, including band members, festival organizers, booking and marketing managers and others. The event will be facilitated by KZUM’s Shannon Claire, host of X-Rated: Women in Music, and will include panelists Aramara Quintos Tapia from Histrionic, Melissa Wurth from Omaha Girls Rock, Andrea Fabiano from The Bourbon Theater, Kelsey Graves from 1867 bar, hip-hop artist Ria Gold and Rebecca Lowry from All Young Girls Are Machine Guns. This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Listen to Lincoln Calling’s Madeline Christensen discuss music and workshops at the festival on KZUM’s “Story Strong”

Saturday:

Wellness in the Workplace – 10 a.m. at The Bay

The Bay kicks Saturday off with a workshop focused on remaining healthy and attentive in a work environment. Moderator for the workshop will be WorkWell director Lisa Henning, with panelists Greg Howe of Lincoln Industries, Director of Partnership for a Healthy Lincoln Bob Rauner, Executive Director of Continuum Employee Assistance Training & Consulting Gail Sutter, YMCA Health & Wellness Director Melissa Walker and Wellness Coordinator Cheto Cerda of Tabitha Health Care Services. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Building Your Own Way – 11 a.m. at The Bay

This event will be a conversation led by moderator Dr. Kyle Gibson, with special guests Maura Gibson, President of Front Gate Tickets, Ian Whitmore, photographer and designer, and Jonathan Hischke, musician and bass player for The Shins, Norah Jones and Broken Bells, speaking on finding national success from Nebraska beginnings. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

MAKE LINCOLN  10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Trago Park

Trago Park will be holding the largest workshop of the festival from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. put on by the organization Make Lincoln. This organization, established in 2013, will lead multiple workshops on creativity and creation through hands-on means. From their website, the organization’s mantra states, “As technology continues to pervade our society, we believe that many skills and methodologies for “Making” are at risk of becoming lost arts. Our directive and ambition is to preserve that skill and knowledge and spread it throughout our community.” Scheduled creatives for the event include Reagan Pufall and his Mantis Photogrammetry, Hannah Gesserit with Healing BodyArt and BodyWork, and many others. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Finding Your Sound  10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Malone Center

This workshop will feature hands-on demos and performances from musical creatives performing and speaking on the differences between analog and digital sound. This workshop will be held at the Malone Center from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., with a discussion panel starting at 1 p.m.

“Stay Tuned”: A presentation, panel discussion, and celebration – 3:30 – 6 p.m. at The Graduate

This KZUM celebratory event, hosted at The Graduate, will start with the “State of the Station,” where our general manager and board members will deliver updates on our yearly financials, projects and other station happenings. This will be followed by a KZUM 40th Anniversary history presentation featuring KZUM archives, video and panel discussion with past and present programmers, staff and/or volunteers. Cocktails and refreshments will be provided! For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Heidi Ore, performing here with Domestica at Lincoln Exposed 2018, will be a featured panelist during “No Sleep ‘Til Lincoln” on Saturday (Alex Durrant/KZUM).

No Sleep Til Lincoln  – 7 p.m. at 1867

This workshop will showcase artists’ and musicians’ stories from their road trip tours, as well as best practices for starting your own projects through do-it-yourself means, facilitated by KZUM’s Slacker Dave and Shannon Claire. Panelists include Aaron Galvin and Cortney Kirby from FREAKABOUT, Jordan Elfers from Universe Contest, Zach Watkins and Ishma Valenti from The Fey, Nathan Richardson from Relentless Merch and Salt Creek, Jon Dell from Bonehart Flannigan, and Heidi Ore and Jon Taylor from DOMESTICA. For more information and to RSVP, go here.

Overall, Lincoln Calling’s diverse range of informative and creative workshops will keep music and art lovers plenty busy during the festival’s time period. Be sure to check out as many as you can, as they are free and open to the public.

KZUM is proud to partner with Lincoln Calling. For a write-up and full schedule of music and performances, click here.

Will Roper is an editorial intern with KZUM.