Leo Biga

It took me a long time to answer the question, "What do you do?" with the words, "I am a writer" without halt or hesitation or doubt. Now, I simply, unequivocally declare who I am and what I do as a matter-of-fact truth and reality that feels second nature. The writer's life suits me. It is equal parts something I have chosen and that has chosen me.

I am a journalist and author. My cultural journalism covers a multitude of subjects. My books include "Alexander Payne; His Journey in Film". You can preview the book at www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga. You can purchase it on my blog, leoadambiga..com.

A new edition of the Payne book, featuring content about the filmmaker's most recent project, "Nebraska," will be out in 2016 or 2017.

I have completed a new nonfiction book about the life and career of a much-traveled retired Catholic priest who did missionary work overseas, becoming close friends with Mother Teresa and running large humanitarian aid programs for Catholic Relief Services. The book, "Crossing Bridges: A Priest's Uplifting Life Among the Downtrodden," will be published in September, 2015. I am now working on two new book projects: a history book for a 125-year-old institution and a biography, both of which will be published in 2016.

As the recipient of the 2015 Andy Award for International Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, I recently traveled to Uganda and Rwanda, Africa on a reporting mission. I accompanied two-time world boxing champion Terence Crawford of Omaha and his fourth grade teacher, Jamie Fox Nollette, whose Pipeline Worldwide supports sustainability and self-sufficiency projects in those nations. My stories about the experience are appearing in various Omaha publications this summer.

Sample my work at leoadambiga..com. It's a blog where I repurpose my published print work for the onlne community. There, you will find my stories about people, their passions and their magnificent obsessions.

I am also developing the Nebraska Film Heritage Project, a multi-media platform to celebrate the contributions of Nebraskans to the film industry, both in front of the camera and behind the camera. I intend to create a website, a book, a documentary and a lecture series around it.