Articles
From 2004 to 2007, I worked for a local student-run newspaper publication,
The Heartbeat. Starting off as a mere writer, after a few months I secured the position of Editorial Department Head, and, several months thereafter, became the Senior Publisher. Below is a select sample of articles I wrote, most under a pseudonym, during my time with the paper. Following graduation in May 2007 and my departure from the executive office,
The Heartbeat was discontinued.
→ Something “Supernatural” This Way Comes
The Heartbeat: Issue 24 (2006)
For the avid horror fan it is far and in-between that a decent motion picture hits the silver screen, and with the media’s newfound fascination in non-fiction and “real life” drama, these once-a-year rarities we call “horror films” have become once-a-decade marvels. Oh, and you are looking for a horror picture with an actual plot? Sorry, that is a once-a-century sighting. More or less, it is an understatement to say the movie industry is missing a little suspense and fright. But, oh, we have corny football coaches and talking animals, so all must be well in the foreign palace of plastic we call Hollywoodland.
The above is the opening snippet to a lengthy review for the first season of
Supernatural. I ran a monthly column out of the Entertainment Department from late 2006 to mid 2007 reviewing horror media; this was published with that column.
→ The... Non-Opinionated?
The Heartbeat: Issue 21 (2006)
Year after year, generation after generation, youth are always given the stereotype of being “over-opinionated.” This especially applies to teenagers, a section of the population accused with everything from scandalous behavior to rotten attitudes to obscene outlooks on various matters. If a survey were to be conducted, geared towards those thirty-five-years and older, most would impute today’s youth of having no sense of decency, respect or comprehension of how the world works, thus giving us fruitless, unreasonable opinions regarding society, morality and human conduct.
If only such were the case.
While running the Editorial Department, there was one month in which none of the writers submitted a single article, no matter how much I pushed. I wrote this in reply, a piece that goes on to detail youth's reluctance to put anything to paper, be it for lack of conviction or responsibility.
→ Editor's Note
The Heartbeat: Issue 28 (2007)
“No one wants to read a letter from the senior publisher,” or so wrote the S.P. of The Current. Now where this probably isn’t the best quote to open with—other than the fact I just quoted The Current of all papers to quote—it holds a good grain of truth. That and I’m not sure many of you read letters by the editors, let alone the publisher. But regardless, here it is, whether you love it, hate it, or feel indifferent.
Little did I know at the time that this would be the final edition of
The Heartbeat. Rereading these articles now, it occurs to me that I was probably the snarkiest and most sarcastic person on staff. Be that a positive or negative thing, I haven't the faintest idea. (As a note,
The Current was a local arts and editorial newspaper known for its ability to stretch the truth and fabricate politics.)
