"Between the Lines" is a look at four Omaha Magazine team members.

Chris Bowling—Contributing Writer

 Bowling grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Nebraska in 2014 to study journalism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Back then he knew nothing about the state aside from its cheap tuition and football team, but after telling stories here the past few years, he has found inexhaustible fascination—from cities like Omaha and Lincoln to the Sandhills and rural towns. When he’s not writing, Bowling loves to play guitar in his band Talent Show and hang out with his cadre of plants and Siamese cat, Kevin.  

Jeff Lacey—Contributing Writer

 Lacey has lived most of his life in Omaha. This writing teacher at Ralston High School believes in practicing what he preaches, so he has been freelancing since 2019. He believes in the power of stories to celebrate the goodness of everyday people; he loves writing anything, but especially loves when he is asked to celebrate the quiet heroes of America in his stories. Besides being a writer and poet, Lacey is a certified Nebraska Master Naturalist, and enjoys supervising the writing hike program at Fontenelle Forest. Lacey graduated from Ralston High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, an M.Ed. from the University of Arizona, and has a master’s degree in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Stories are incredibly powerful tools for creating change,” he believes. “They have the power to unleash light into the world.” 

Andrew Nelson—Contributing Writer

  Nelson is a former newspaper reporter turned freelance writer/wannabe novelist. He is a Fremont native, a fifth-generation Nebraskan and a graduate of the University of South Dakota and the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. For 11 years, he was a reporter at the Omaha World-Herald. He keeps his interview skills sharp not only with Omaha Magazine, but in the Nebraska Army National Guard, where he is a military historian. He eagerly awaits the reopening of his favorite Omaha bars, bookstores, and coffee shops, but until then Omahans might find him on his front porch, reading and writing. Feel free to say hello—from a safe distance.

Liz Stevens—Contributing Writer

 At age 7, Stevens wrote her first story about her findings at the local Baker’s. In her mind, the story was a literary masterpiece that would withstand the test of time. She fell in love with writing while composing that story. Gradually, she moved past writing tales about the wonders of perishable products and learned how to tell stories by studying public relations and advertising at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Now, she is a self-identified extrovert whose location can easily be given away by her loud, boisterous laughter. In her free time, she can be found with a cup of black coffee in hand searching for unique finds from her favorite shops in Benson and Dundee. After finding her home in e-commerce jewelry sales, she started freelance writing for Omaha Magazine in 2018. Whether in sales, writing, or floral design, she tries to add her creative flair to everything she does.

This article was printed in the May 2020 edition of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.