I n d ep en d en t
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October 2012
Volume 25
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Boise, Idaho
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A Volt in the dark iting Writing Award
Alan Heathcock’s “Volt” wins Wh
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Twilight Zone Alan cock h t a He The ILC Zone presents a new exhibit based on The Twilight Zone.
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photo courtesy alan heathcock
Alan Heathcock, an instructor at Boise State, recently won a Whiting Writing Award for his book of short stories, “Volt.”
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Alan Heathcock, instructor of creative writing at Boise State, has traveled a life-long path woven of darkness and light on his writing journey—a journey which arrived this week in New York. The Whiting Writing Award is given each year to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and playwriting, and on Tuesday, Oct. 23, this esteemed literary award went to Heathcock. Heathcock’s book of short stories, “Volt,” published in 2011 by Graywolf Press, is a disquieting study of people who struggle to move from darkness into the light, and the author has conducted their journey with a masterful and empa-
thetic pen. you turn away.” are a few of the book’s preSince 1985, the Mrs. Giles And rarely has anyone mium accolades. Whiting Foundation has turned away from “Volt.” In Heathcock agreed his stosupported creative writing the year and a half since the ries are “harrowing,” but said and writers with awards of book’s well-attended launch he doesn’t write just to give $50,000 to each recipient. party in Boise, Idaho, Heath- emphasis to the darkness in Candidates are proposed by cock’s collection of stories people. At the many readnominators ings he has from across done in the the country People who know me now, but don’t know last year and and chosen how I grew up in Chicago, think of me as a hap- a half of book by a small tours, Heathpy, funny guy. They don’t know what awful expe- cock read the committee of writers, liter- riences I might have had. But how well do you horrific story, ary scholars know anybody? Smoke—a —Alan Heathcock and editors. tale of acciThe Whitdental muring Awards committee said has been validated by 13 der, inspired by an incident Heathcock’s stories are, major writing and literary that occurred to Heathcock’s “intense …harrowing … awards. The list is impres- grandfather. The characters gorgeous, muscular prose, sive: Publisher’s Weekly Best in the eight stories that com(wherein) Heathcock paints Book 2011, Chicago Tri- prise “Volt,” are condensed a mythic vision of rural bune Best Book 2011, New from the unforgiving shadAmerica that, for all its hor- York Times Editors’ Choice ows in every man’s soul ror, evokes a deep and genu- and the recently announced, because, Heathcock ine sympathy that won’t let GLCA New Writers Award, said, “everyone has
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something dark inside them. But, …their ultimate need is to find a way out of the horror their lives have become.” “People who know me now, but don’t know how I grew up in Chicago, think of me as a happy, funny guy,” Heathcock said. “They don’t know what awful experiences I might have had. But how well do you know anybody? As you get older you understand that you’ve misunderstood who someone is, that you didn’t know what was inside them.” At an interview with Heathcock last week on the Boise State campus, Heathcock sported his characteristic fedora and dark-rimmed glasses. His gaze was intense
See Heathcock I page 6
Final debate covers foreign policy topics Sanja Lazic Staff Writer
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The Arbiter
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Monday, Oct. 22, President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney sat down for their third and final debate of this election. The debate saw both candidates more subdued, less confrontational when compared to last week’s town hall face-off and in agreement on most issues of the evening. The subjects on which the candidates clearly differed were military spending and China. The main segments, as designed by moderator Bob Schieffer, dealt with the changing face of the Middle East, America’s role in the world, military spending, threat of a nuclearly armed Iran, America’s backing of Israel, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges China poses. When asked how the candidates’ performances compare to last week’s debate, Ross Burkhart, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of political science, said in an email, “President Obama largely retained his sharpness from last week’s debate,” and saw Romney as “less sure-footed” and “rather passive in his refusal to answer charges from President Obama of inconsistency in his for-
eign policy views.” In the first segment dealing with the new face of terrorism, Romney stated how although “a number of disturbing events” have occurred in the Middle East, his answer is not to “kill our way out of this mess” but “to put in place a very comprehensive and robust strategy to help the world of Islam and other parts of the world reject
this radical violent extremism.” During this segment, Obama directly attacked Romney for his previous stance on al-Qaida stating, “A few months ago when you were asked, what’s the biggest geopolitical threat facing America, you said Russia, not al-Qaida, you said Russia. And the 1980s are now calling to ask for their foreign policy back.”
On the issue of Iran developing nuclear weapons both Obama and Romney agreed they would do whatever is necessary to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capability. “As long as I’m president of the United States, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon,” Obama said. Romney echoed the statement and said, “Military action is the last re-
sort. It is something one would only, only consider if all of the other avenues had been tried to their full extent.” Regarding the foreign policy topics covered in the debate, Burkhart believes that the financial crisis in Europe and its impact on U.S. foreign policy should have been included
See Debate I page 3
mct campus
Presidential hopefuls spar on foreign policy issues in the final debate of the election. arbiteronline.com