Julius Fredrick—Contributing Writer and Digital Assistant
br
Fredrick is an award-winning lifestyle writer and nature enthusiast. He currently writes for the trip planning platform Jubel (@jubel.co) and for his personal travel blog, takegoodrisks.com. His wanderlust is global, having toured cities such as Tokyo, Santiago de Chile, Marrakesh, London, and Cardiff with his “dynamite” girlfriend and photographer, Sarah Lemke. While he enjoys urban settings, his favorite place is anywhere that offers obscure, beautiful landscapes and a toasty campfire. When not clacking away at the keyboard or retying his hiking boots for the 20th time that day, Fredrick is likely to be found in some hole-in-the-wall with a slice of New York-style pizza and a pending jukebox request for David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”
Hannah Heser—Editorial Intern
br
Heser was born and raised in Omaha. She is finishing her last two semesters at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, preparing to graduate in December 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in creative media and a minor in communication studies. When she is not in school or working, Heser enjoys singing and songwriting, learning new skills on the guitar, spending time with friends and family, and relaxing. After she graduates, Heser hopes to move to Nashville, Tennessee, to follow her dreams with music and get affiliated with a company that offers journalism/broadcasting jobs in that area. Heser actively posts on her Instagram account, @hannahheser.
Joel Stevens—Contributing Writer
br
Stevens was born and raised in North Omaha. As the ninth of 10 sons, he barely survived childhood and the inevitable deep trauma associated with having eight older brothers. It’s no wonder he married a licensed therapist/social worker. After graduating from Central High School, he studied journalism at UNO. He’s worked as a bartender, cook, video store clerk, researcher for an environmental nonprofit, and as a film critic, entertainment reporter, and sportswriter. When he’s not writing or in therapy, he’s usually exhausted and spending time with his wife, Angee; his four children—Beckett, Finnegan, Juno, and Iris; and dogs Zeke and Cora. He has also served as a judge for the Omaha Film Festival and is active in several local charities and social causes with his wife and children.
WENDY TOWNLEY—Contributing Writer
br
The garden has become Townley’s happy place, second only to the library and a craft supply store. If she hasn’t returned an email or text message yet, chances are she’s finishing an overdue library book, creating some sort of paper craft, or regretting not pulling those weeds sooner. Townley’s first byline appeared in Omaha Magazine in the late 1990s, thanks to an assignment by the magazine’s then-editor—the late, great Eric Stoakes. Townley serves as executive director of the Omaha Public Library Foundation and teaches a journalism course at UNO. She’s grateful that her husband, Matt Tompkins, and their Westies, Barley and Teddy, don’t mind glitter, glue, and dustings of potting soil throughout their house.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
