Fusion preparing for Elements X | Photo by Nicole Cousins

Since 1993, BU hip hop crew Fusion has been bringing their own mix of modern dance-styles to the student body. Now, with the 10^th anniversary of their home-grown competition Elements storming the Theatre District on November 14^th, Fusion is blowing up to prove that the East Coast is a force to be reckoned with.

Fusion directors Ryan Metauro (SMG ’10) and Andre de la Cruz (SMG ’10) have both been dancing with the crew since their freshman year, and remember watching Elements 7 to get an idea of what was expected of them. De la Cruz said that the team has been working on Elements X since the summer, communicating with each other and choreographing to make sure they hit the ground running on their first day of practice.

“We usually spend our first practice getting right to choreography and planning out what we’re going to do for the year,” de la Cruz said.

Metauro said that Elements X is much bigger than any of their previous concert-style competitions, and will

Elements X Promo | courtesy of Fusion

be held off-campus for the first time in history. He added that Elements is looking to be the main Boston-based competition on the East Coast dance competition circuit backed by the Hip Hop Dance Association (HHDA), much like Prelude in New York and The Main Event in New Jersey. Metauro said that these competitions showcase East Coast dance-style that’s coming into its own.

“We’re making it into a part of these bigger competitions, and being Boston. So, it’s Boston, New York, and New Jersey,” Metauro said.

Although many teams from all across the country will be competing and showcasing in Elements, de la Cruz said that as hosts, Fusion will only be presenting exhibition. Although they are not in the competition, de la Cruz explained that the group will be opening and closing the show with their own unique style of hip hop.

“A lot of teams do themed sets, but we try not to restrict our dancers to stay with one particular style,” de la Cruz said.

Eunji Hong (SHA '10) teaching choreography in practice | Photo by Nicole Cousins

Diversity is key in Fusion. From technically-trained ballet and modern dancers to self-taught hip hoppers, de la Cruz said that all of the dancers’ backgrounds heavily influence the choreography of the group. Metauro added that any dancer is allowed to step up and choreograph their own set as long as they have the discipline and passion to do so.

“We’re doing our own thing, which is really important to us,” Metauro said.

De la Cruz said that Fusion prepares for Elements and other competitions by practicing for two hours three times a week. This dedication has paid off, as Fusion is rising up in the hip hop world. De la Cruz said that the group has had many well-known choreographers come out to teach the team new moves and innovative steps. He added that a lot of big-name hip hop teams, like Fr3sh and So RealCru, have reached out to make Elements X a truly big show.  He explained that their work is really leading up to Elements X, which is the groups true introduction as a big name and competition in the East Coast hip hop scene.

“Doing this show is going to be a completely different experience,” de la Cruz said.

De la Cruz said that the group is working really hard to help the east coast develop its own niche. He also said that Elements X is an important step in bridging that gap between the east and west in the hip-hop world. Metauro added that Fusion’s next goal is to continue to build and give their all into every competition this year.

“We want this show to be big to get everyone’s attention, ” Metauro said. “We want say ‘hey,  there’s a community here in Boston that deserves some sort of recognition.’”

Check out more of Fusion’s performances on their Youtube site. Get info on where to buy tix and check out the performers of Elements X on Fusion’s website.

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Photo courresy of Wikimedia Commons

Do the consequences of letting students perform private activity on their university-provided network outweigh the alternative: network monitoring?

It’s an ongoing debate I had mostly shied away from, not because I don’t care (I’m a poor, media-loving, computer-hogging, liberal arts major – read between the lines) but because I had accepted Boston University’s freshman orientation threat of punishment that would make Stalin proud was not going change before I graduated. An acceptance I had held until recently, when someone referred me to an article furiously criticizing BU because they had a network system “so incompetent” that it was impossible to trace wrongdoers.

Digging deeper out of excitement that I might possibly learn that BU’s best-kept secret is their entire network is incapable of tracking intruders, I encountered some minor disappointment: the heavily-biased article in question did a hell of a good job of not making it clear that it was only referencing a judge’s decision on a particular case. I could never find the exact specifics of the case, but I did find a court order to quash a subpoena that challenged BU to reveal its infringers. The court order was issued because “the University has adequately demonstrated that it is not able to identify the alleged infringers with a reasonable degree of technical certainty.” – spawning the article that sent me on this hunt.

So what did this mean? Essentially, that I had discovered nothing about BU’s network. Despite further searching, I was unable to determine if this meant BU was never able to identify intruders or if this was an exception. An e-mail sent out to the IT department about the source article yielded this response:

“I’m not familiar with the particulars of this case, nor would it likely be appropriate to recount them if I were, but my quick impression is that the article is grounded in false premises and assumptions consistent with the author’s obvious bias, and then elaborated inaccurately from there.

As I recall, the court’s decision was unrelated to the ISP’s ability or inability to reliably identify its subscribers generally, but rather in this case specifically. As you can appreciate I’m sure, there are circumstances in which transactions can be tracked to a device technically, but not necessarily to a person with certainty.”

Fortunately, in my search I discovered something else: numerous communities devoting time not just to Internet freedom as a whole, but also to Internet freedom specifically amongst universities. Lawrence Lessig, a Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, runs an organization pushing for free speech and civil rights in the digital age. Also working furiously behind the scenes it the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization pushing for digital rights since 1990. I wrote to them with their opinion on college network security and they referred me to several articles for and about the subject that raise some interesting points.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation fights Big Brother so you can keep your privacy

According to the EFF, it seems the biggest crime these schools that monitor are committing is a betrayal of academic principles. It writes that academic communities function on innovation and the spread of ideas, especially by means of such an open network such as the Internet. Surveying the network for potential wrongdoers results in a “chilling effect on academic discourse”. Theoretically, students who fear being monitored will be less inclined to experiment in new digital ideas. And they have a point. Some of the most profitable and widely used tools can be credited to college students such as Google (Stanford), Facebook (Harvard), and Napster (Northeastern – let’s not forget that despite Napster’s eventual shutdown, a little company called Apple rose up and made a multi-billion dollar business out of its model).

A second, an obvious, argument against network monitoring is invasion of privacy. The University of Wyoming once had a program that traced all file-swapping traffic on its network. Every song, video, and document swapped was examined, along with emails, personal information, and web pages. While this “fingerprinting” curriculum may very well lead to the capture of copyright violators, (and why? So the RIAA can bankrupt college kids?) it also intercepts tons of personal information. As the EFF says, amassing large data collections can lead to disaster if the collections are hacked. And let’s face it -with today’s large accessibility of digital resources, anything can be hacked.

Finally, the point that stood out the most to me, the one that brings us back to Boston University’s successfully quashed subpoena, the one that is so incredibly simple to sum up, is that network monitoring is not required by law. The law requires a service to act only when it is aware that it is assisting in infringement. “Potential” wrongdoers do not apply. Why invest the time, the money, and the manpower on monitoring a network of thirty thousand when all those assets can be focused elsewhere?

Despite lacking conclusive evidence to determine how strong Boston University’s network is, a subpoena such as the one issued to the school is a huge step in the battle for internet freedom. Ray Beckerman, a New York attorney who is also a member of the EFF, had this to say on the case:

“There’s an important lesson to be learned here. If the IT departments of the colleges and universities targeted by the RIAA would be honest, and explain to the Courts the problems with the identification problems, there is a good chance the subpoenas will be vacated. Certainly, there is now a judicial precedent for that principle.”

There are also others who are willing to look for alternatives. Two years ago, Fred von Lohmann of the Washington Post proposed a solution to illegal file sharing on college campuses: a blanket license paid by the university (similar to the license paid for on-campus cable and performance groups) that goes to the big corporatists as compensation for the swapping of music and movies. The effect? A slight increase in tuition, perhaps.

Of course, the plan isn’t perfect. I can only imagine the amount of parents that would be up in arms about having to pay for other students’ illegal activities. But by proposing such a logical and thoughtful solution, von Lohmann has taken steps that many haven’t: an acceptance that file sharing has become the norm, an acceptance that it is inevitable, and an acceptance that we must start adapting to it if we are to continue to function. Regardless of whatever conclusion is reached in this ongoing war between internet freedom and pro-network surveillance fighters, Boston University – any university – should not be spending time case-by-case trying to adhere to the demands of those unhappy with the way things are going.

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Terriers: Derailed.

Article by Josh Mellits and Brian Roach

After posting a 9-2-3 record through its first 14 games, including a five-game unbeaten streak featuring wins over No. 1 teams, the men’s soccer squad was mired in a four-game losing streak, almost costing them a playoff spot. Although they won their final two games, let’s examine what happened to derail the Terriers, a team that once was ranked number two in a NCAA Northeast Regional poll. Statistics are through October 21.

OFFENSE

After averaging 1.7 goals per game through the first 14 contests, the Terriers managed to find the back of the net only four times during their four-game losing streak.  The Terriers have been somewhat of a streaky offensive team all season – scoring two or three goals a game for several games before stumbling upon extended dry spells (the Terriers have been held without a goal twice this season).

The loss of senior forward Shaun Taylor has certainly not helped an offense that is struggling to score goals.  Taylor, who has been sidelined by a leg injury since early September, finished the 2008 campaign tied for second in the conference in total goals scored (9) and tallied 21 total points, which ranked third overall in the America East conference.  However, the loss of Taylor cannot fully explain the Terriers’ late-season offensive woes.  Junior forward/midfielder Aaron O’Neal has emerged as an offensive force, leading the Terriers in goals scored (10) and total points (23), and the Terriers had been playing good soccer (prior to this point) – beating the University of Connecticut handily and handing then-top-ranked St. John’s University a 1-0 loss.

The offensive opportunities have been there for the Terriers: even during its four-game losing streak, the team out-shot its opponents 55-39.  However, the Terriers must look to parlay their shots on goal into goals.  While the team also led their opponents in shots on goal during the slide, 23-21, opponents have converted 9-of-21 of their shots on goal into points, while the Terriers have converted only four times on 23 shots on goal.

The net has been a challenge for late-season Terriers

GOALKEEPING

Through the season’s first 14 contests, the Terrier defense and senior goalkeeper Hrafn Davidsson were holding opponents to a stifling 0.64 goals per game.  This impressive statistic included eight shutout performances and a 270-minute shutout streak that spanned 11 days.  However, things in the net got a little shaky.  In four games, the Terriers have allowed nine goals (a goals per game average of 2.25, raising the season average for this statistic to about 1 goal per game).  Although Davidsson’s 1.04 goal per game average and .742 save percentage are well below opponents’ 1.49 and .726 averages, respectively, the Terriers’ offensive struggles have made brilliant play in net a necessity.  And, let’s face it, in a four-game span, the Terriers and their net minder gave up as many goals (9) as they did in their prior 14 contests.

MENTAL

A prolonged slide can take its toll on both individual players’ psyche as well as general team morale. In each of the first four conference losses, a specific lapse contributed to BU’s unraveling:

Oct. 7: Hosting the University of New Hampshire, the Terriers took a lead into halftime. But the Wildcats scratched back with two second-half scores, including a header off a cross. With 20 seconds remaining, BU earned a corner kick, but after a scramble, Davidsson’s last-ditch kick toward the opponents’ far post fell short. Final score: UNH 2, BU 1.

Oct. 10: The Terriers worked the University of Hartford on the road to a 1-1 tie after an O’Neal goal. But just two minutes later, sophomore midfielder Ryan Shea earned a red card and was ejected from the contest. BU let up two more goals to the Hawks without the extra man and dropped the game, 3-1.

Oct. 16: Aired live on the Fox Soccer Channel, the Terriers came to Binghamton University and damaged their cause early. Just five minutes into the game, a BU defenseman tried to head the ball back to Davidsson, but it fell weakly and Bearcat freshman Jake Keegan gathered it before knocking into the net. The Terriers couldn’t come back and fell, 2-1.

Oct. 21: The Terriers celebrated Senior Night in their home finale against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Again, BU came out strong and got on the board first. But the visiting Retrievers responded merely 30 seconds later with the equalizer, and within five minutes, took the lead and the air out of the once-energetic home crowd. Another 2-1 defeat for the Terriers.

The final tally: In two of these games, the Terriers surrendered an early lead, either after the half, or after several minutes of play. The other two games were knotted at one before the opposing offenses tallied the game-winner.

As with any slump, the Terriers were caught in a rut and have been coming up short in places where they used to excel. The Terriers managed to salvage the season as they enter the America East tournament as the No. 6 seed and visit No. 3 Hartford Saturday, Nov. 7. Either way, for BU men’s soccer, 2009 will be remembered as the year that could have been.

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East German Border | Credit Wikipedia User ChrisO

November 9^th will see the 20^th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Last week I spoke with Jonathan Zatlin,  a BU associate professor, about how The Wall fell and what it means today. Professor Zatlin said that while the anniversary has seen attention in academic circles, it has not seen much attention in the United States. He also believes ( and I am inclined to agree) that the fall of communism is “the most important historical event since 1945.” In order to understand The Wall’s importance, we first must understand what it was like in 1989.

Europe’s borders in 1989 were very different from the Schengen-free movement zone that exists today. While travel amongst western European states was open, travel to and, more importantly, from the east was restricted. To enforce these regulations, Eastern Bloc states built massive border fortification systems that they claimed were necessary to keep out the “fascist” west. The primary objective of these fortifications was to keep Eastern Bloc citizens from defecting to the west. The Berlin Wall is the most famous of these border fortifications.

Early 1989 saw a tremendous amount of change in the Eastern Bloc countries. In April, the Polish solidarity Movement won all the seats allotted to it during the first “free” elections. According to Professor Zatlin, the free elections in Poland are a result of the dire economic situation there and the necessity to bring the opposition into government in order to pass unpopular measures to deal with Poland’s debt to the west. The next crack formed in Hungary, in particular its border with Austria.  The Hungarian Government had been working with the West for several years and joined the IMF.  In exchange for loans from the west, in particular West Germany, Hungary began to dismantle its border-fence with Austria allowing East Germans to escape via Austria into West Germany.  The East German government attempted to “sell the wall” but completely botched it, Professor Zatlin said, leading to the events in later in the fall of 1989.

October saw the removal of Erich Honecker, the leader of the GDR since the early 70′s and a communist hardliner.  Large protests began in October and Honecker attempted to use military force and the secret police but was unsuccessful when protesters refused to be come violent. The protests continued to grow reaching 1 million people by November 4th.  The GDR was brought to a complete standstill.

The pressure on the East German government was enormous. During a November 9th press confrence, GDR Politburo member Günter Schabowski announced that East Germans would be allowed to travel without restrictions to the west. When a reporter asked about the timing of the  implementation of new policies, Schabowski was non-committal but indicated that the relaxed regulations would take effect immediately. Hearing this news, East Berliners flocked to The Wall by the thousands, demanding to be allowed through the border. Border Guards had not been informed, as the changes were supposed to be effective soon but not immediately, and initially resisted the rush but soon became overwhelmed and began stamping passports without hesitation. The Wall was no more.

The end of The Wall meant the end of Communism and the beginning of the world that we know today. But why is it important? As the conservative voice here at The Quad, you may be expecting me to say something like the following: ” The fall of communism is important because it showed that Ronald Reagan scared the Soviets into submission because they knew that once we got ‘Star Wars’ operational, they were toast.”  Communism fell because it is flawed, because people desire to be free and to choose the society in which they live.  West Germans led far more prosperous lives than their East German counterparts and East Germans could see this on television every day. East Germans were beaten and killed for thinking about alternatives to the communist regime while they could hear and see free elections and the open exchange of ideas just across the wall. This anniversary is important because it shows how much better the free world is compared to the ideological regimes despite all of our flaws.  In dealing with the ideological regimes that still define today’s world, it is important to remember that the Berlin Wall fell because the people who lived behind it decided that that the western way of life was better than oppression and sought to change their society. History repeats itself, and if it can happen in Eastern Europe it can happen in the other oppressed nations around the world.

Images not otherwise credited come from the Budesarchiv’s Digital Photo Collection

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U.S. Capitol Building during Obama's Inauguration | Photo by Mike Pitter

At the inauguration of President Barack Obama, millions of people rejoiced together for a new beginning in America. I saw tears, smiles, various expressions reacting to the notion that this new president would bring massive change to political and social realms of this country. “Yes we can!” in unison made manifest the momentum behind the people’s will to lift America from an abyss of corruption, racism, class tension, economic depression, and war. The tainted reputation of the United States would be washed away with Barack Obama leading the “free world”. There were Obama shirts, bumper stickers, hats, scarves, dolls, pins, posters, pens, ring-tones, mugs and more demonstrating the wild frenzy for the election of America’s first black president. During the course of the campaign, people laughed, cried, marched, spoke, wrote and sang for the senator because of the faith they had in his seemingly genuine leadership. I knocked on door after door after door spreading the word on Obama’s plans during the Rhode Island primaries to express my enthusiasm for the progress many people hoped to see. Even with the realization that President Obama was still a politician, I was still optimistic about the changes to come during this new administration.

Today, here and now, almost a year after the inauguration, the idealism and unity that many felt in those days has been overshadowed by pessimism, impatience and disappointment. Many people have grievances towards the new administration, believing that the president has not delivered what he had promised during the campaign. President Obama had strong intentions to lift our economy from ruin through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In this document, he vows that 95% of working families will receive tax cuts, hoping to strengthen the middle class. Because a strong middle class maintains stability in the state, it preserves the status quo. However, as I worked over the summer, canvassing on behalf of the Democratic National Committee, many people that I conversed with about the Obama administration have told me that they have experienced the opposite of what they had anticipated in January. Some say that their taxes have been raised. As the president addresses the various other issues, there seems to be more and more disagreement among the people as to how to go about fixing this country, hence the decreasing amount of Barack Obama paraphernalia.

Though President Barack Obama has accomplished much of he had promised, like creating alliances with other countries, focusing on health care and education reform, I sometimes wonder how and why he does not completely adhere to what he had laid out during his campaign. Does the unwavering establishment, the un-malleable consolidated system, thwart him, somehow? Is he a puppet for this system? Let us wait and see.

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Time to get friendly with your absentee ballot

Election. Now that Obama is securely in office and there are no major ideological races to be had, will college students continue to participate in politics? The hope is fading.

Mayoral races are occurring this month in most cities across the country. Back in my hometown of Danbury, CT, the incumbent  Republican mayor Mark Boughton is being challenged by Democrat Gary Goncalves. The likely turnout rates for such a race are expected to be much, much lower than in 2008. But why?

Whether or not students think it makes a difference, a mayor has important decisions to make. His office presides over all the lawmaking on the local level, and also submits an annual municipal budget. The office is not something to be underestimated or taken lightly; but that’s something that far too many people, particularly students, do.

Billy Taylor, the Citywide Field Director for the Gary Goncalves campaign, said that voting in local elections “is very important because it is your first and easiest way to interact with people making important decisions that affect your community.”

Melanie Duzyj, (CAS ’11) is a registered democrat who is involved in politics and has worked in various campaigns, including Congressional races. She does not plan on voting in her local election back home in Michigan, where she is registered, however.

“I’m now following the elections in Boston, as that’s the news I’m exposed to,” Duzyj said, “I’m not as well informed about the local elections in my voting district at this point. I’m not going to cast my vote for politicians I don’t know much about.”

Consider visiting your local ballot box when going home on weekends| photo courtesy of wikimedia commons

Taylor has seen firsthand how resistant some constituents have been to participating in local  politics, going door to door to canvas for Goncalves and aiding some state representatives in the past.  He said the biggest problem is that constituents do not seem to know the issues in local races as well as they would for a national race, and a distinct lack of publicity doesn’t help matters.

“In a local election it is tough to get press unless your campaign is doing something unusual,” Taylor said.

Natalie Johnson (SMG ’12) is registered back in her hometown of San Diego, California. She is planning on voting in her local election this year.

“I think its your duty to your country,” Johnson said, “and if you don’t want to have someone else making those decisions for you, you should vote.”

Even if the race in Boston will always lean Democrat, consider voting back home and making a difference, even if on only a local level. Every vote matters and so does every office.

An easy way to increase the local governments’ interest in the concerns of our generation, according to Taylor, is simply by getting out there and casting that ballot.

“The bottom line is that although your vote is private, the fact that you voted isn’t. When parties run their numbers and report turnout, they will care least about the group that doesn’t vote,” Taylor said. “if elected officials don’t see that you care on election day,” he added, “they certainly won’t care what you think on a regular day.”

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photo courtesy of wikimedia

If you step into any given classroom, dining hall or party at Boston University, you’ll notice a common theme: there is a large population of LGBT(“lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender” for those who are unfamiliar with the term) students on campus. The presence of LGBT students on campus is obviously ubiquitous, but I think straight students remain unaware of the gay dating world by getting wrapped up in their own melodramas and romances.

One of my close gay friends at BU, a fashionable 21-year-old with an extroverted personality, mentioned that one of the most common preconceived notions straight people have is that putting two gay guys in a room will automatically lead to romance and/or sex.

Gay guys and lesbian women have just as much preference over who they choose to date, a Women’s Resource Center volunteer and Feminist Collective member (who wishes to be left anonymous) said.

“Do you want to screw every guy you see?” she asked. “No! It’s that simple!”

BU sophomore Ben Timmins has had experience with gay blind-dating: he hooked up and dated a guy that he met through another friend during his freshman year at college.

“I have a couple people say, ‘Oh, you’re gay, and my best friend is gay, which means you two would get along really well and you should get at it,’” he said.

Unfortunately, one of the troubles in the LGBT dating world is knowing exactly who is straight, bi, or gay – a prevailing theme which all of my sources lamented.

“Finding someone in the gay world is actually harder than straight world,” my 21-year-old extroverted gay friend said. “You can’t assume every guy is gay. Since people take offense if you think they are gay because of the negative connotation in society, the only way to find out is if girl friends tell you their status.”

Even though BU is known for hosting many gay students, the large campus actually hinders the ability to meet guys romantically, Timmins said.

“BU is a lot of guys and a lot of them are gay, but you get the feeling that there are a lot of them out there that you’ve never met and you don’t have a way to meet them,” he said.

I recently went to a party thrown by a Spectrum member with an army theme: the “Do Ask, Do Tell” party

LGBT students are looking to find a lasting partner, too | photo coursesy of wikimedia commons

(clever, right?!), where most attendees were either gay or lesbian. Being one of the only straight girls at a lesbian party and trying to operate as a wing-girl for my lesbian friend, I experienced another girl trying to “turn” me. “Turning” is something that is quite common in the lesbian world, my WRC friend said.

“There are definitely girls who go out trying to pull girls and convert straight girls,” she said. “It’s an emerging thing: hot lesbians trying to get with the hottest girls. That attitude is definitely rampant.”

A girl approached Timmins at the party, asking my name. He told her, but informed her I was straight. She apparently told him, “Well… we’ll see about that.”

Social party norms that I had established from years of party-going were abolished at the “Do Ask Do Tell” party. While at most parties being in a group of girls is a signal that you’re single, being with a same-sex friend at a gay party means people assume you’re a couple. I barely left my friend’s side all night, and we had a hard time finding other girls to converse with. When I finally did step away to use the bathroom, I came back 5 minutes later to find multiple girls flirting with my friend.

Gay and lesbian students also run into the problem of selecting mates from a small dating pool, Timmins told me.

“BU’s gay circle is small enough that it all starts closing in, and then you’re going to start sleeping with the same people,” he said.

While the norms and assumptions of the LGBT dating world can be mind-blowingly different than the straight world, there are also many similarities. My WRC friend listed things that turn her off from some girls, such as cockiness, coming on too strong, flirting with every girl in the room, and being a player – all characteristics that straight girls would normally list as turn-offs from certain guys.

Another common theme in the college-aged gay and lesbian dating world is the notion that most students are looking for a friend with benefits, rather than an actual relationship. Finding the right outlets to meet potential dates that could lead to love is tough in the gay world, my gay sources told me.

“You can go to gay clubs, but those guys just want to hook-up,” my 21-year-old friend said. “If you are not just looking for a hook-up, finding a relationship is very hard.”

“A lot of what you see and what you know is the hookup,” Timmins agrees. “It’s a lot of meeting random people, making out, dancing, and hooking up, but a lot of us wish it was more relationship-based.”

There is, however, hope for the future: Timmins spotted a gay couple holding hands in the GSU, the first time in his two years at BU that he spotted LGBT public displays of affection. Hopefully, more and more couples will keep popping up, showing the world that they have conquered the gay dating world.

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Photo by Isabel Slepoy

Adam Cesare, CAS/COM ’10, started writing fiction before his freshman year of college. A fan of horror literature and movies, he turned to writing darker stories. Since then, Adam’s work has been featured in numerous publications, including a short story in Shroud Magazine, which hits stores this month. You can learn more about Adam on his website, brain-tremors.com. The story he submitted, Flies in the Brain, appears after this short interview.

When did you start writing?

A little before college. I’d always been doing screenplays, but I’d never really finished anything. I feel like it was once I really sat down and was like, ‘okay, now I’m going to put on my writer’s hat.’ I count when I actually finish stuff, and that was a little before freshman year. So I’m a latecomer to the game as far as writers go.

Did you start out writing horror?

I wanted to start out doing something I enjoyed. My main interest, since I was a little kid, has always been film. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family where we weren’t allowed to watch T.V. 24 hours a day, so I read. I read a lot, and I had a very free-minded family, so I was allowed to pick up whatever I wanted, and I gravitated towards a lot of the darker stuff. But I always try to diversify. My favorite author is probably Cormac McCarthy, who’s not a horror writer, per se.

How have you worked on improving?

If you read any kind of writing book, and I think everyone does when they first think they’re going to try and do this, you know that you have to read a lot and you have to write a lot, and you’ll just incrementally get better. And I hope I have. I hope the story I wrote this week is better than the story I wrote in Myles freshman year.

Talk about how you started to sell stories. What gave you the confidence to start to do that?

I completely was just BSing, thinking that I was just doing it for myself. And then, one night I was just futzing around on the internet, and I found listings for magazines, and I was like, ‘oh, I’m sure they get thousands of people sending in wanting to be in these things. Why don’t I just add my name to the pile?’ I kind of liked this one story, so I sent it in, and then about a month later I got an acceptance, and I went through the roof. I was so happy about it.

After you submitted your first story, what did you do?

It’s funny because you’re supposed to get a million rejection letters, you’re supposed to have stacks and stacks of rejection letters before you get your first acceptance. So, I got such a swelled head getting the one acceptance letter. And then when I finally started getting rejection letters, I was like, ‘why is this happening to me? Why am I suddenly getting rejection letters?’

But it’s just one of those perseverance things. You keep going. Sometimes you get form letters, sometimes you get personal rejections, which is a lot better than getting a form letter, and you just keep pushing. And now I’ve gotten a couple more [acceptances], and a few paid ones.

How did you get the idea for Flies in the Brain?

I had heard that line at the beginning that the father says to the son about ‘in medieval times, they thought that there were flies in people’s brains, and that’s what made them crazy.’ I literally don’t even know where I picked that up from. So I just took that and ran with it. But it’s a bunch of things. I like stories that take place in bars. It’s a very Ketchum thing to do. So I figured I’d set part of it in that kind of a Bukowski-esque drinking man, down on his luck reflection, so I could get some pathos into it. And then, of course, copious amounts of insects.

What do you want people to take away from this story, and your writing?

I’m very interested in highbrow meets lowbrow. I don’t like it when people in the really high-culture, artsy community pooh-pooh on the stuff I like. But then again, I really like some of the stuff that’s really held up by the art community. So I see myself as the ground floor guy on the very bottom looking up. So I write with very pulpy, very “silly,” air quotes there, material, but I always try to at least have something in it than can be some kind of artistic expression, even if it’s in the most obvious of ways.

As far as Flies in the Brain goes, it’s kind of about loss, it’s kind of about sadness. I wanted to infuse loss and themes and tones like that into a fun story.

I hope people are entertained, but they can think about it when they’re sitting in bed at night.

Think about it, or be kept awake by it?

I’ll take both. That would be perfect.

Read Adam’s story Flies in the Brain on the next page.

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