Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories

I write stories about people, their passions and their magnificent obsessions
  • Home
  • About Leo Adam Biga
  • Introducing Freelance Writing Academy Seminars with Instructor Leo Adam Biga: Book Biga Today
  • Seeking Sponsors and Collaborators
  • From the Archives…
  • Hire Me
  • Follow My Blog on Facebook, Networked Blogs, LinkedIn
  • Film Connections: How a 1968 convergence of future cinema greats in Ogallala, Neb. resulted in multiple films and enduring relationships
  • My Inside Stories, A Professional Writing Service by Omaha-Based Journalist, Author and Blogger Leo Adam Biga
  • Nebraska Screen Heritage Project
  • Going to Africa with The Champ
  • ‘Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden”
  • My Amazon Author’s Page
  • OUT TO WIN – THE ROOTS OF GREATNESS: OMAHA’S BLACK SPORTS LEGENDS
  • “Nebraska Methodist College at 125: Scaling New Heights”
  • Passion Project. Introducing the new – “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”

Archive

Posts Tagged ‘Omaha North High School’

Jana Murrell: Working Towards a New Standard of Beauty

July 4, 2012 leoadambiga 1 comment

Jana Murrell was somewhat of a trendsetter when I did this mini-profile on her in 2005.  She was the first Miss Nebraska who was not Caucasian (though she is biracial she identifies as African-American) and she competed with several other women of color in the Miss USA pageant that year. Since then more African-American women have become pageant winners and finalists both here and nationally.  She went on to compete in other national pageants, including Miss Earth USA.  She was an on-camera television traffic reporter for a time at KETV in Omaha.  But all along she was studying for her Ph.D. in physical therapy.  She went on to work as Essence Pageant emcee and director of operations.  And I just read where she’s newly engaged to be married.  She and other women of color have helped redefine standards of beauty in America that are more diverse and inclusive and that’s a good thing.  Black is beautiful, baby.  So is brown and every other hue.

 

 

Jana Murrell: Working Towards a New Standard of Beauty

©by Leo Adam Biga

Originally appeared in The Reader (www.thereader.com)

 

After years of neglect, women of color are fast emerging as new cultural icons of beauty in America. Reigning Miss Nebraska USA Jana Murrell, a 23-year-old African-American from Omaha competing in the Miss USA 2005 pageant being broadcast April 11 by NBC, is part of this barrier-breaking trend. “I think it’s about time,” said Murrell, gesturing in her best spokesmodel way at her North Omaha home. “You know, it’s really hard to change the public’s opinion of beauty from the blond-haired, blue-eyed girl that’s kind of been IT forever. So, for us to be able to make that change is something pretty powerful. I’m glad society’s being more accepting and more open to different kinds of beauty. Beauty’s everywhere.”

Murrell is one of several women of color competing in the 54th annual event, which takes place at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, MD.

Currently on break from her physical therapy doctorate studies at Creighton University, where she was a 2000 Presidential Diversity scholarship recipient, Murrell defies beauty pageant contestant stereotypes in many ways. The product of an interracial family, the mocha-complexioned, 5-foot-11 Murrell, whose blue eyes change to green, gray and blue-green depending on the light, embodies expectation-bending with her fairly exotic look and eclectic resume. A former competitive athlete who teaches step aerobics, Murrell is also a perennial Dean’s List student. She’s equally comfortable rehabbing patients in a set of scrubs to gliding down a runway in a swimsuit or evening gown to working out in sweats to making an elegant public appearance in a smart ensemble. This combination tomboy, girly girl and nerd enjoys how her versatility keeps people guessing. Her biracial makeup is another expression of her multi-dimensional identity.

“What I like best, which I think actually could help me at Miss USA, is that you can’t tell what I am. A lot of people come up and ask me, ‘What are you?’ And I like that. I like being different looking,” Murrell said. “I like that our society is becoming so mixed and integrated and such a melting pot that sometimes you can’t tell what people are anymore. And when you can’t tell what they are, you can’t label them. They’re just people. Now, beauty is just beauty. Not black or white…”

 

 

 

 

However, she said she still runs up against old attitudes that beg the question, “’What’s it like being a black Miss Nebraska?’” And I’m like, ‘Why don’t you ask me what it’s like being me?’ Or, ‘Why do I have to be the black Miss Nebraska? Why can’t I be Miss Nebraska?’” Good point.

The North High graduate entered her first Miss Nebraska USA pageant only a few years ago. She finished as first-runnerup twice, before winning the crown and sash in Norfolk, Neb. last fall. Always looking for new ways to challenge herself, she views the pageant thing as an opportunity to improve herself and to test the fashion/entertainment waters. She’s “dabbled” in modeling. An agent once urged her to go to New York, but her mother nixed that. School came first. With her long-term professional track charted — Murrell plans working with patients suffering from neurological disorders — she has the security of a career awaiting her. But with a year off from school to fulfill her title’s goodwill obligations, she hopes Miss USA provides a forum for being seen and discovered.

“If I meet the people I would like to meet and get the chances I would like to get,” she said, “then this is the time I can really pursue that and see what happens. It’s kind of like my last chance to really go for that.”

Speaking from Baltimore on the eve of Miss USA, Murrell was prepping for a telecast number in the “little red” Tadashi dress contestants wear. She said the many pre-pageant activities make for 16-hour days. There are meet-and-greet events, photo shoots, tapings, fittings, fashion shows, rehearsals. “It’s fast-paced, go-go-go. You don’t get a lot of sleep. But it’s a lot of fun. I’m still feeling really prepared and ready and confident. And I still feel like I might do it,” she said. Win, or finish high, she means. No Miss Nebraska has ever won and the last semi-finalist from here was in 1980. Whatever happens, she’ll have plenty of family on hand, including her parents. “I’ll have quite a little cheering section.”

She’s struck up a few friendships with contestants. Away from the cameras, she said, the vibe among the women “is like a big slumber party.” Besides meeting some Baltimore Ravens players for a staged game of flag football, she hasn’t hooked-up with any big names or door-opener types yet. Hobnobbing with The Donald, as in pageant principal Donald Trump, is sure to be a highlight as will be pressing-the-flesh with celebrity judge Sugar Ray Leonard. Even if someone doesn’t make her an offer she can’t refuse, Murrell can take solace in the fact “we’re the pageant that’s still on TV,” referring to the rival Miss America pageant’s relative decline.


Related articles
  • Miss Nebraska 2012 pageant gets under way (examiner.com)
  • Mariah Cook crowned Miss Nebraska 2012 (examiner.com)
  • Miss Maryland Takes Second In Miss USA Pageant (baltimore.cbslocal.com)

Share this: Leo Adam Biga's Blog

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
Categories: African-American Culture, Beauty, Entertainment, Omaha, Writing Tags: Creighton University, Essence Pageant, Jana Murrell, KETV Traffic Reporter, Miss Nebraska, Miss USA, Omaha North High School

Wright On, Adam Wright Has it All Figured Out Both On and Off the Football Field

July 6, 2010 leoadambiga 2 comments

Though not a sports writer per se, I love writing about sports and I think I have a certain flair for it. So while I write about anything and everything in the course of a typical year, and certainly do not specialize in sportswriting, I like to keep my hand in it.  The following article is an example from about nine or 10 years ago.  The subject is an impressive young man named Adam Wright who made his mark on the football field at Omaha Nigh High and at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, my alma mater, as a running back.  He wasn’t recruited by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln but the way he developed and dominated at the Division II level at UNO he certainly indicated he could have excelled in Division I and helped the Huskers.  He even made it all the way to the National Football League as a free agent, but successive knee injuries stopped him in his tracks before he ever got to play a down.  This story originally appeared in the Omaha Weekly, a paper that no longer exists.

 

 

 

Wright On,  Adam Wright Has it All Figured Out Both On and Off the Football Field

©by Leo Adam Biga

Originally published in the Omaha Weekly

Adam Wright has been so indestructible for the streaking UNO Maverick football team this year that no one foresaw this walking Adonis being sidelined by injury. After all, the senior has been the one constant and main workhorse for the often sputtering UNO offense in 2000, lugging the ball 30 times per contest the first seven outings. Time and again, the big bruising tailback with the ripped body crashed into a human wall at the line of scrimmage and came out the other side still intact, if not unscathed. He has taken many hard knocks, but delivered some too, usually leaving a litter of bodies in his wake. “I take pride in knowing I’m not going to be stopped by any one guy, no matter who he is, no matter how big he is,” Wright said. “I’m always looking to turn into somebody to dish out some punishment.”

But Wright, a bright and amiable student-athlete with a career in engineering (he is a civil engineering major) awaiting him if a hoped-for stint in pro football fizzles, was not always so assertive. The Omaha North High School graduate played quarterback as a prepster and arrived at UNO lacking the requisite toughness to be a hard-nosed tailback. As a freshman, he was even moved to wide receiver for a week. His passivity on the field was an off-shoot of his desire to blend in off it, where he grew up in an interracial home struck by tragedy. After losing his father at age 8, he watched his two older siblings make some bad life choices and set about being a model child for the sake of his mother.

He did anything to avoid being branded a troublemaker, even to the point of not using his God-given size to run over smaller players on the gridiron. Even after bulking up in college from 195 to his present 230 pounds, the 6’1 back steered clear of putting all of himself into runs. It took an attitude change, plus watching tapes of great backs, before he became the physical runner he is today. UNO Offensive Coordinator Lance Leipold recalls a heart-to-heart talk he had with his ballcarrier: “I said, ‘You’ve built yourself into this big back, now you’ve got to play like one.’” He said Wright, a devoted weightlifter, now not only “finishes off runs” but possesses a keen sense for the game: “He’s learned the blocking schemes better. He knows what’s really happening up front — where the hole is going to hit.”

His brute-force style, smarts and occasional breakaway speed (He cut his 40-yard dash time by two-tenths of a second over the summer — to a 4.7 electronic.), put Wright atop the NCAA Division II individual rushing chart for a time and allowed him to shatter UNO’s career rushing mark. He has 1,216 yards this season (just 100 yards short of the UNO single season record) and 3,761 overall. Earlier this year he recorded a stretch of three straight 200-yard-plus rushing performances. It’s been that kind of productivity that’s made him a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II’s Heisman).

By mid-season, he was a bruised but unbowed target for opposing defenses, absorbing hit upon hit but always picking himself up off the turf to get back into the fray. More often than not, tacklers were worn down by game’s end, not him.

Late, when defenses are tiring, he said, “you go for the kill. You put your head down a little lower, squeeze the ball tighter, fire out and go stronger.” Indeed, his late game heroics sealed wins against Northern Colorado and South Dakota. But with one twist of the knee early in the first quarter of UNO’s October 28 game versus South Dakota State, Wright went down in a heap, the medial collateral ligament in his left knee sprained. The injury happened on his first carry, a draw designed to go up the middle that he bounced wide. A defensive back came up on the play, making helmet contact just below Wright’s bent knee. As Wright tried to pull out of the tackle, his leg extended back and he felt his knee “wobble.” Playing in pain all season from tendinitis, he stayed in for a second carry, then with the knee only “getting worse,” he limped off, unable to return to a game UNO won 24-7 thanks in part to the steady play of his backup, redshirt freshman Justin Kammrad.

After week-long treatments, Wright was available for emergency duty last Saturday but with UNO dominating and Kammrad running wild (for a school record 239 yards) in a 45-7 win over Augustana. Wright did not see action. Instead, he nervously paced the sidelines — loudly encouraging his teammates. He should be close to full strength for this Saturday’s regular season finale at home against Top 20 foe and North Central Conference rival North Dakota (8-2). A healthy Wright will be a timely addition, as the 1 p.m. contest at Al Caniglia Field has major regional and national implications. Featuring a swarming defense that allows less than 10 points a game and a battering-ram offense that runs the ball down opponents’ throats, No. 5 UNO, now 9-1 and on a nine-game winning streak, is poised to capture just its second outright NCC title ever and to secure home field for the opening rounds of the NCAA playoffs. With their go-to guy back, look for the Mavs to feed the ball to No. 6 and, if his knee holds up, to ride his strong back as many times as needed.

Wright will gladly bear the load, too. “If it takes 40 carries for our offense to be successful, then give it to me 40 times,” he said. Following a 37-carry, 151-yard performance versus UNC on October 7, including gaining 38 yards on a crucial 4th quarter drive, Wright gouged South Dakota for 130 yards on 34 attempts the very next week. The more carries he gets, the more he starts “getting into a rhythm.”  When he and his linemen get into that flow, running turns effortless. “It seems like once the ball is snapped, I’m beyond the hole. I’m in the secondary already. It’s kind of weird. It’s like, all of a sudden I’m there. I don’t even remember the run.”

The last few minutes of the SDU game offered another gut-check for UNO and Wright when, tied 7-7 in the 4th, the Mavs ground out two drives — with Wright the main weapon — to secure a 21-7 victory. With only minutes left, he was feeling the effects of all the pounding, but refused to sit out for even a play. “To tell you the truth, there was a point in time when I got up really slow and I was pretty sore. It was ridiculous. It was like being hit by a car — twice. My teammates were telling me in the huddle to get out of the game, but I knew J.J. (reserve tailback James Johnson) had sprained his knee and that Justin Kammrad was only a redshirt freshman. I felt I had to stay in. It was a close ballgame. And with only four minutes to go, I was like, ‘Ah, I’ve already been hit 30 times, what’s four more?’” Wright made his last four carries count, too, tearing through a tiring Coyotes defense on a short drive he capped with a nifty 23-yard touchdown run.

Doing whatever it takes has been ingrained in Wright since he lost his father, Jesse, to cancer in 1985. He has fond memories of the man, who was a packing house laborer. “The weird thing is, I can hardly remember his face, but I can remember a lot of lessons he taught me about life — about honesty, about integrity, about loyalty.” Prior to his father’s death, Wright’s mother, Liz, had been a stay-at-home mom. She returned to school (to study nursing) and entered the work force to provide for her three children. The demands took her away from her family more than she wanted. By the time her two oldest kids reached their teens, they were running wild. Adam, the youngest, sat back and saw how much grief his siblings’ behavior caused her and determined he would do nothing to add to her worries.

“My brother and sister pushed the limits to see how far they could go,” he said. “I saw how hard our mom was working just so we could have a chance for a better life and I didn’t want to disappoint her and make all the things she was doing be in vain. I tried not to disappoint anybody. Today, all of us are on the straight and narrow, but we each took different paths to get there.”

Liz Wright, an RN, recalls how as a child Adam displayed a maturity beyond his years. “Adam sort of comes from an underdog situation — being of mixed race, growing up in a poor area of the city and losing his father so young. I could have easily lost him to the crime environment in north Omaha.” She said his coming of age amid the near northside’s gang culture offered real temptations he resisted. “He didn’t take that path. A lot of his friends did. And what I admire most about him now is he doesn’t judge people who live that life. He’s a fair person. He’s kind of a keeper of justice.” Such congeniality, combined with male model good looks and a penchant for doing the right thing (he mentors disadvantaged youths), endear Wright to just about anyone he meets. For example, he was elected co-captain of the football squad and was recently voted vice president of the UNO student government.

His coaches — past and present — uniformly sing his praises. Herman Colvin, the head football coach at North High during Wright’s two years on the varsity there, became a father figure to the player. “He’s somebody I have a tremendous amount of respect and love for,” said Colvin, now assistant principal at Monroe Middle School in Omaha. “I really love the guy. He has made some good choices and I’m really happy with his choices. Has he done a lot to make me proud? He certainly has.” UNO Head Football Coach Pat Behrns said, “Adam’s a great guy. He does any type of public service work we ask him to. He’s great with young people. He’s a very classy young man. We’re going to hate to see him go.” Wright’s position coach, Lance Leipold, added, “He’s been a pleasure to work with because of his outstanding work ethic. He’s done a lot of little things to make himself a very quality back for us. But he’s not going to be one of those guys who’s going to be real frustrated if pro football doesn’t work out. Adam, from day one, has had such a plan in life. Someday, I might be working for him.”

The man instrumental in getting Wright to refuse Division I scholarship offers for UNO, Mid-American Energy CEO and fellow North High alum David Sokol, also commends Wright, whom he speaks of as a kind of protege (Wright has been an intern at Mid-American since 1996). “He has two characteristics I think are particularly important. One is, he has a very high character level. He is very cautious about keeping himself out of situations where, you know, bad things are liable to happen. The second thing is, he is extremely hard working and he has his priorities pretty well laid out. I think he can probably do anything he wants to, whether it’s the NFL or corporate America. We certainly would be more than happy to hire him after graduation.”

Clearly, the NFL is not an all-or-nothing proposition for Wright. It remains what his mom calls “a little boy’s dream.” As Wright himself said, “I’m a realist. I know it’s extremely hard to get there. If the opportunity presents itself, fine. But I’m going to leave my options open and do what’s in the best interests for my future.”

Carrying extra weight as “a cushion” against all the wear and tear he can expect to incur, Wright has his sights set on helping the Mavs make a run for the national title. “The way our defense is playing, if our offense can just control the clock, grind out the yards, get first downs and keep getting in the end zone, we have the potential to win every game.” Being on the sidelines has almost been more than he can take. “It’s killing me. I want to be on the field when we win.” he said. He will do whatever it takes to return. “I’ll argue, scratch and claw to get out there.”

Related Articles
  • Georgia Tech 2010 Offensive Preview: Running Backs (bleacherreport.com)
  • Arby’s Pick Five should be ready soon (chicagonow.com)

Share this: Leo Adam Biga's Blog

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Print
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
Categories: Adam Wright, African-American Culture, Athletics, Football, Omaha, Sports, UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha), Writing Tags: Adam Wright, African-American Culture, Athletics, Football, Omaha Nebraska, Omaha North High School, Sports, UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha)
RSS feed
  • Google
  • Youdao
  • Xian Guo
  • Zhua Xia
  • My Yahoo!
  • newsgator
  • Bloglines
  • iNezha

Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film

Check out my brand new Facebook page & Like it–
Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderPayneExpert/

The work-in-progress page is devoted to my acclaimed book about the Oscar-winning filmmaker and his work.

“This is without question the single best study of Alexander Payne’s films, as well as the filmmaker himself and his filmmaking process. In charting the first two decades of Payne’s remarkable career, Leo Adam Biga pieces together an indelible portrait of an independent American artist, and one that’s conveyed largely in the filmmaker’s own words. This is an invaluable contribution to film history and criticism – and a sheer pleasure to read as well.” –Thomas Schatz, Film scholar and author (The Genius of the System)

The book sells for $25.95.

Available through Barnes & Noble, on Amazon, for Kindle and at other bookstores and gift shops nationwide.

Purchase it at–https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRORX1U?ref_=k4w_oembed_c1Anr6bJdAagnj&tag=kpembed-20&linkCode=kpd

You can also order signed copies by emailing the author at leo32158@cox.net.

Mini-Profile

leoadambiga

leoadambiga

Author-journalist-blogger Leo Adam Biga resides in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. He writes newspaper-magazine stories about people, their passions, and their magnificent obsessions. He's the author of the books "Crossing Bridges: A Priest's Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden," "Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film" (a compilation of his journalism about the acclaimed filmmaker) "Open Wide" a biography of Mark Manhart. Biga co-edited "Memories of the Jewish Midwest: Mom and Pop Grocery Stores." His popular blog, Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories at leoadambiga.com, is an online gallery of his work. The blog feeds into his Facebook page, My Inside Stories, as well as his Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, Tumblr, About.Me and other social media platform pages.

Personal Links

  • Leo Adam Biga's Google profile
  • Leo Adam Biga's LinkedIn Profile

View Full Profile →

Twitter Updates

  • Time out with T.O. - Catching up with a UNMC legend | UNMC unmc.edu/news.cfm?match… via @twitterapi 1 year ago
  • Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne play catch up leoadambiga.com/2019/08/26/pau… https://t.co/TJvUaONLEG 3 years ago
  • Native Omaha Days Story Compilation leoadambiga.com/2019/07/31/nat… https://t.co/Pi9UJC0Icn 3 years ago
Follow @leoadambiga

Like Me on Facebook

Like Me on Facebook

My Favorite Tags

African-American African-American Culture African-American Empowerment Network African Ameican Culture African American Alexander Payne Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film Art Arts Athletics Author Authors Authors/Books/Literature Books Boxing Business Cinema Civil Rights Community Creighton University Education Entertainment Entrepreneur Entrepreneurial Family Film Film Books Film Streams Food Great Plains Theatre Conference History Hollywood Holocaust Hot Movie Takes Jazz Jewish Culture Journalism Latino/Hispanic Leo Adam Biga Media Metropolitan Community College Military Movies Music Nebraska Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame Nebraskans in Film North Omaha North Omaha Nebraska North Omaha Summer Arts Omaha Omaha Community Playhouse Omaha Nebraska Omaha Public Schools Pamela Jo Berry Photography Playwright Politics Pop Culture Pot Liquor Love Race Screenwriting Social Justice South Omaha Sports Television Terence "Bud" Crawford Terence Crawford Theater United States University of Nebraska at Omaha UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha) World War II Writing Youth

My Favorite Categories

African-American African-American Culture Alexander Payne Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film Art Arts-Entertainment-Culture Athletics Authors/Literature Books Boxing Business Cinema Civil Rights Community/Neighborhoods Education Entertainment Entrepreneurial Family Film Food Health/Wellness History Hollywood Jewish Culture Journalism Latino/Hispanic Leo Adam Biga Media Movies Music Nebraska Nebraskans in Film North Omaha Omaha Personalities-Characters Playwright Politics Pop culture Race Screenwriting Social Justice South Omaha Sports Television Theater Uncategorized UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha) War Writing Youth

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 7,010 other subscribers

Calendar of Blog Posts

January 2023
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  
« Aug    

Categories from A to Z and # of Posts

Subjects/Themes

My Community

RSS Links

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Top Posts

  • Wright On, Adam Wright Has it All Figured Out Both On and Off the Football Field
  • The Storz Saga: A Family Dynasty – Their Mansion, the Brewery that Built It, the Man Who Loved It, a Legacy of Giving, the Loss of a Dream
  • The Last Hurrah for Hoops Wizard Darcy Stracke
  • Nancy Bounds, Timeless Arbiter of Fashion Beauty, Glamour, Poise
  • John Knicely: A life in television five decades strong 
  • Kenton Keith’s long and winding journey to football redemption
  • Duncans turn passion for art into major collection; In their pursuits, the couple master the art of living
  • Paul Williams: Alive and well, sober and serene, making memorable music again
  • The Magnificent Obsession of Art Storz Jr., the Old Man and the Mansion
  • Having attained personal and professional goals, Alina Lopez now wants to help other Latinas

Recent Posts

  • Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne play catch up 15 years after ‘Sideways’
  • Native Omaha Days Story Compilation
  • Kindred spirits Giamatti and Payne to revisit the triumph of ‘Sideways’ and the art of finding truth and profundity in the holy ordinary
  • Women still calling the shots at the Omaha Star after 81 years
  • Street prophets and poets depict ‘A Day in the Life’ of the homeless in new play by Portia Love
  • Duncans turn passion for art into major collection; In their pursuits, the couple master the art of living
  • North Omaha Summer Arts (NOSA) presents An Arts Crawl 8
  • The fringe of it all: Omaha Fringe Festival fulfills founder Tamar Neumann’s dream
  • Orsi’s: Historic Italian bakery-pizzeria reaches 100
  • Jazz to the Future – The Revitalization of a Scene
  • On cusp of stardom, Omaha singer-songwriter Jocelyn follows to thine own self be true path
  • Omaha native Phil Kenny a player among Broadway co-producers and investors 

Blog Stats

  • 950,079 hits

Top Clicks

  • gravatar.com/writtenbywat…
  • robertreedwriter.com
  • r.zemanta.com/?u=http://w…
  • automattic.com/cookies
  • leoadambiga.wordpress.com…
  • danmirvish.com
  • joevitaleondrums.com
  • leoadambiga.files.wordpre…

Blogroll

  • (downtown) Omaha Lit Fest
  • Abbott Sisters Project
  • Arguably the best African American blog
  • Artist Therman Statom
  • Author and Playwright Rachel Shukert
  • Author and Radio Personality Otis XII
  • Author Joy Castro
  • Author Kurt Andersen
  • Author Richard Dooling
  • Author Timothy Schaffert
  • Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts
  • Best of the Web Blogs
  • Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering
  • Billy McGuigan
  • BLOG HINTS
  • BlogCatalog
  • Bloggapedia
  • Bloggernity
  • BlogTopSites
  • Blue Barn Theatre
  • Boys Town
  • Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre Company
  • David P. Murphy, Author/Songwriter
  • Durham Museum
  • Empower Omaha
  • Expedoodle
  • Facebook
  • Film Streams
  • Filmmaker/photographer Charles Fairbanks
  • Girlfriends Book Club
  • Google
  • Great Plains Theatre Conference
  • Heart Ministry Center
  • How to Party with an Infant
  • I Love Black History
  • Institute for Holocaust Education
  • Jewish Press
  • Joslyn Art Museum
  • KANEKO
  • Kent Bellows Studio & Center for Visual Arts
  • KVNO News
  • Laura Love
  • Lazy-i
  • LinkedIn
  • Loves Jazz & Arts Center
  • MAHA Music Festival
  • Malcolm X Memorial Foundation
  • Metro Magazine
  • Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame
  • Nebraska Center for Writers
  • Nebraska Coast Connection
  • Nebraska Independent Film Projects
  • Nebraska On Film
  • Nebraska StatePaper.com
  • New Horizons
  • Nomad Lounge
  • Omaha Community Playhouse
  • Omaha Fashion Week
  • Omaha Film Event
  • Omaha Film Festival
  • Omaha Performing Arts
  • Omaha Public Library
  • Omaha Publications
  • Omaha Symphony
  • Omaha World-Herald
  • Omaha.Net
  • OmahaHype
  • OnToplist.com
  • Opera Omaha
  • Planet USA Search Engine
  • Playwright, Director and Actor Kevin Lawler
  • Playwright, Journalist, Blogger, Digital Filmmaker Max Sparber
  • Postcards from Omaha
  • Princess Lasertron
  • Project Interfaith
  • Radio One
  • Rebel Interactive
  • Sacred Heart Parish
  • SheWrites
  • Silicon Prairie News
  • Spirit of Omaha
  • Stadium Views
  • Stonehouse Publishing
  • The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog
  • The Black Scholar
  • The Lit Coach's Guide to The Writer's Life
  • The Pajama Gardener
  • The Reader
  • ThisCan'tBeHappening.net
  • Topix Local News Omaha, NE
  • Trocadero
  • Turner Classic Movies
  • Underground Omaha
  • University of Nebraska at Omaha
  • UNO Department of Black Studies
  • UNO Magazine
  • UNO Wrestling
  • Waking Past Innocence
  • White Readers Meet Black Authors
  • Winners Circle

My Pages

  • “Nebraska Methodist College at 125: Scaling New Heights”
  • ‘Crossing Bridges: A Priest’s Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden”
  • About Leo Adam Biga
  • Film Connections: How a 1968 convergence of future cinema greats in Ogallala, Neb. resulted in multiple films and enduring relationships
  • Follow My Blog on Facebook, Networked Blogs, LinkedIn
  • From the Archives…
  • Going to Africa with The Champ
  • Hire Me
  • Introducing Freelance Writing Academy Seminars with Instructor Leo Adam Biga: Book Biga Today
  • My Amazon Author’s Page
  • My Inside Stories, A Professional Writing Service by Omaha-Based Journalist, Author and Blogger Leo Adam Biga
  • Nebraska Screen Heritage Project
  • OUT TO WIN – THE ROOTS OF GREATNESS: OMAHA’S BLACK SPORTS LEGENDS
  • Seeking Sponsors and Collaborators
  • Passion Project. Introducing the new – “Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film”

Goodreads

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events

Top
Blog at WordPress.com.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories
    • Join 1,146 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: