Thursday, March 3, 2016
Inspire eSports - 3/3/16 - NA/EU LCS Week 7 Recap and Highlights
It is with great pleasure that I share with you all my first published article for Inspire eSports. This is the start of my own exclusive column with Inspire eSports entitled The Baron Call, a weekly recap/highlight segment that looks at the most memorable moments and Baron calls for the NA LCS and EU LCS Splits. Enjoy!
Original post: http://www.inspireesports.com/news/baron-call-expectations-defied
Week 7 was an emotional rollercoaster for fans of both EU and NA. Surprise plays, unlikely victories, and shocking news all mark this as one of the most exciting and exhausting weeks in the Split so far. With all that said, let’s get into the some of the most memorable moments of the week that was:
EU LCS - Day 1 highlights
G2’s slow, methodical start against Elements gave the latter the time they needed to aggress into the lead, but G2 seized the win after capitalizing on mispositioning errors from Elements. Vitality maintained their top 3 spot with a commanding win vs. GIANTS, thanks to superb shotcalling by Kasing. Meanwhile, a struggling Origen continued to find some breathing room with a calculated win against Splyce. A very close game between H2K and Fnatic ended with a spectacular victory for H2K, but soon turned bittersweet; Forg1ven revealed in his post-game interview that after this week, he would be stepping down from H2K to answer the call of the Greek armed forces and return to active duty. Rounding out the day was yet another big surprise: ROCCAT pulled an upset and claimed the win against the Unicorns of Love, due in huge part to massive showings from ROCCAT’s new support player, Noxiak.
BARON CALL OF THE DAY - GIANTS vs. Vitality
Kasing’s shotcalling around the neutral objective takes our Baron highlight for the day. After denying GIANTS’ vision around the Baron area, Vitality are able to draw GIANTS into the fog of war and pick them off with Quinn flanks and hooks from Thresh and Nautilus, allowing them to secure Baron for a huge push that snowballs them to the finish. Although the Baron buff is powerful in of itself, plays like this show the latent advantages in how a team controls the area, using the incentive of the buff to make plays.
EU LCS - Day 2 highlights
The opening match of the day, Origen vs. G2, was messy on all sides, with Origen seemingly losing their momentum from the past weeks. G2’s execution was rough but solid, although Origen’s missteps gave G2 the extra edge. H2K took another strong win against GIANTS, although foiled attempts to close by H2K resulted in a 48-minute game. Hylissang was the MVP in Unicorns of Love vs. Splyce, making huge plays on Thresh with Steeelback and hooking a dominant victory for his team. Fnatic continued to show steady improvement in their match against ROCCAT, with Spirit finally hitting his stride on Lee Sin and Fnatic taking the win. Vitality vs. Elements ended the weekend, with Nukeduck’s Quinn razing through Elements’ members as his own one-man (plus one bird) army.
BARON CALL OF THE DAY - GIANTS vs. H2K
For this highlight, we will focus on a Baron defense, rather than a Baron secure. GIANTS finally managed to fight back against a dominant H2K and secure Baron, but ineffectual lane pushes and a stalwart defense by H2K actually wastes the Baron buff on GIANTS, defusing the momentum that GIANT had been building up.
NA LCS - Day 1 highlights
Dardoch kicked off the first match of the day in TIP vs. TL, bringing in some classic Lee Sin mechanics. A play around Baron allowed Dardoch to Insec-kick Mash into the waiting Team Liquid before casually walking away from four members of TIP. TSM had an overall dominating performance against Echo Fox, despite some questionable tower play from Doublelift (which he blamed on low in-game sounds). REN held a strong early game lead against NRG, but were unable to transition that lead to mid-game macro plays and were eventually taken down. Cloud9 remained on the rise as Balls on Pantheon continued to step up, though Jensen led the crushing victory over DIG, going 13-1-0 on LeBlanc. However, all of today’s games were seemingly eclipsed by CLG taking down the juggernaut known as IMT. The glorious match was equally glorious in conclusion with Darshan backdooring IMT’s exposed Nexus, xPeke-style. Immortal no longer!
BARON CALL OF THE DAY - IMT vs. CLG
The undisputed Baron highlight of the day was Xmithie’s amazing Baron steal against the 5-man force of IMT. Early shutdowns on Reignover coupled with excellent map movements by Xmithie had already mounted the advantage for CLG, but Xmithie’s clutch Smite was the final nail in the coffin for IMT, allowing them to, in the words of Trick2g, “open the gates” to victory.
NA LCS - Day 2 highlights
NRG continued to struggle going into the match against TIP. Despite a strong Jugger-Maw draft on the side of NRG, strong performances from Pirean and Mash allowed TIP to take the game. The match of the week, C9 vs. CLG, saw the latter in their second hyped game of the weekend. Action-packed from the first minutes in and the advantage continuously swinging back and forth between both teams, CLG finally pulled the win after a 40-minute game. Meanwhile, in TL vs. TSM, Dardoch continued to shine on Lee Sin, and TL ended the game pre-30 minutes with a dominating 24-4 kill score. On the other side of the spectrum, REN and DIG fans were surely going mad over their match. Although REN pulled the miracle win against DIG to end their 12-game losing streak, Summoner’s Rift was the true victor in this matchup; BillyBoss and Kiwikid got executed during a three-man tower push, and Crumbzz and Hakuho got executed by Rift Herald, all before 5 minutes into the game. IMT and Echo Fox wrapped up the day, and the one-sided victory for IMT was best summed up by Reddit users in the post-match threads: “BAN SORAKA!”
BARON CALL OF THE DAY - C9 vs. CLG
CLG are two-for-two for Baron plays this weekend! A well-timed Bard ultimate from Aphromoo stopped Cloud9 mere seconds before they slay Baron, and despite quickly taking the buff afterward, CLG took out four members of C9 before they could even leave the Baron pit. Though the match continued on with further back-and-forth exchanges, this was among the numerous insane moments of what is being considered the best game of the Split.
The LCS takes a break next weekend as teams head off to play in IEM Katowice, but will return the following week for the next set of games. Only 2 weeks remain in the Split before playoffs, and if these recent days have been any indication, anything can happen from here on out!
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Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Inspire eSports - 3/2/16 - Player Highlight Articles
I'm a bit late in posting this, but I'm very happy to share some journalism-style writing I have done for Inspire eSports. It was quite an endeavor to get these articles done; the players are based in Berlin, Germany, and trying to catch them on Skype and TeamSpeak for an interview was tricky. In the end, I was pleased with my results, and the team owner apparently liked my writing enough to post it same day I submitted it with no edits. Enjoy!
Original post: http://www.inspireesports.com/players
Top - Max "Satorius" Günther
From the first day of the 2016 EU Challenger Series, Max “Satorius” Gunther has shown himself as a force to be reckoned with, putting up impactful performances on champions such as Malphite, Trundle, and even Gragas. And there appears to be no slowing down for Inspire’s top lane powerhouse as they continue their ascent into European League of Legends history. For Satorius, determination and a willingness to improve are the keys to being an amazing player, and with his Worlds dreams including matching up against the likes of ROX Tigers and other renowned international teams, we can expect great things from him as the season unfolds.
Off the Rift, Satorius unwinds by playing football and engaging in outdoor activity. Though his repertoire is comprised of many tanks and bruisers, Satorius has shown a surprising palette for different champions. Beyond his top lane AP Gragas, he has expressed a fondness for Yasuo, and a dislike for Maokai. The most unusual choice, however, is his top lane Blitzcrank, which he claims has beaten a Riven in lane.
Jungle - Nubar "Maxlore" Sarafian
Among the star players who emerged from the 2015 Challenger Summer Qualifiers, Nubar “Maxlore” Sarafian stands out as one of the most talented junglers going into the 2016 season. A former member of Gamers2 and other UK teams, Maxlore brings a fiery energy to the already formidable Inspire roster, and hopes to one day stack up against the best junglers from the LCK and LPL in the near future. For Maxlore, it is LCS or bust, and with proven mastery over jungle champions such as Graves and Lee Sin, combined with his team’s strong showings in the Challenger Series, he looks to be unstoppable in his quest to the top.
It’s not all smites and fights for Maxlore, though. Outside of the Rift, Maxlore plays piano and partakes in recreational sports such as football, tennis, and squash. He also considered a career as either a maths teacher or musical performer before getting into professional gaming. So what’s Maxlore’s advice to anyone looking to break into professional League of Legends? “Don’t let your ego or emotions stop you from improving.” And his advice for beating Inspire coach LeDuck in a 1v1? “Ban Blitzcrank = free win.” Wise words indeed!
Mid - Sofyan "CozQ" Rechchad
A breakout player in the 2016 European Season, Sofyan “CozQ” Rechchad is already making a name for himself as a skilled mid laner alongside long-time veterans of the EU scene. His resume as a player is impressive; past team interims include LowLandLions.White, Copenhagen Wolves Academy, and E-corp Gaming. With a new season ahead and a new team behind him, CozQ looks to reach top 5 with Inspire in their first LCS Split, and even hopes to one day challenge two-time World Champions SKT T1 at Worlds.
Despite his individual skill and synergy with the Inspire roster, CozQ remains ever-humble and ever-diligent in evolving as a player. He advises aspiring players to “try to look for every mistake you make and try to improve on them...and of course, play a lot of games!” But don’t let his humility fool you; there is no shortage of confidence for CozQ as he and Inspire march forward to the LCS. “We are getting better and better every week. And for my individual performance, I think I can compete the top mid laners in EU.”
AD Carry - Pawel "Woolite" Pruski
A veteran of Copenhagen Wolves and ROCCAT, Pawel “Woolite” Pruski has firmly established his name among the noteworthy players of the European scene, and now forges a new path to glory with Inspire eSports. Woolite is no stranger to the LCS, having been named Rookie of the Year in 2015 during his time with the Wolves and reaching 4th place with the Wolves in the Summer Playoffs. However, titles and top 4 are only the tip of the iceberg for Woolite. His long-standing history as a player only serves as motivation to return to the LCS and break into Worlds, where he can prove his mettle against superstar teams such as SKT T1 and Immortals.
Woolite is a fan of Twitch (the champion, not the streaming site), and harbors a hatred for Malphite. When he’s not wrecking bot lane on the Rift, Woolite spends his free time playing ping pong, doing calisthenics, and watching movies. He is also confident in his 1v1 odds against coach LeDuck. “Ducky is much shorter than me but heavier, so it could be a close one...however, I’m really confident in my IRL fighting skills, so he would not stand a chance!” Not quite the 1v1 we were looking for, but we admire his spirit!
Support - Daniel "Wendelb0" Wendelbo
As one half of Inspire’s deadly bot lane duo, Daniel Wendelbo, better known as just “Wendelbo,” looks to make his mark on the European League scene and help carry Inspire eSports into the LCS. Having played with teams such as Denial eSports and Intellectual Playground (whose roster included future contenders Zven, Santorin, and GodBro), Wendelbo brings experience in the form of past Challenger series performances, and most notably a 2-0 win with Denial eSports at eSports Festival 2015 in Belgium. He continues to strive with Inspire, and is eager to challenge the top teams of the EU LCS, as well as international teams such as SKT T1.
When it comes to gaming, Wendelbo keeps it focused yet fun. He enjoys football and table tennis, and is fond of playmaking champs such as Thresh; however, he firmly labels Tahm Kench as “anti-fun.” Still, Wendelbo appears to be good enough to make plays as any champion in the support role. When asked if support Teemo was viable, he simply responds, “Teemo is Gucci.” Fingers crossed that we see some doom ‘shroom action in the near future!
Coach - Titus "LeDuck" Hafner
If you have been following the European LoL scene for the past few years, the name Titus “LeDuck” Hafner is probably familiar to you. LeDuck has coached for Copenhagen Wolves, ROCCAT, and most recently Origen, and now brings his experience and guidance to the promising players of Inspire eSports. Among his notable achievements in professional gaming is bringing Origen to the 2015 EU LCS Summer Split Finals, where they broke Fnatic’s record-breaking “perfect” win streak in the playoffs. In short, Inspire could not have asked for a more seasoned and knowledgeable mind to help pilot them to the EU LCS.
Aside from coaching, LeDuck enjoys dining on sushi and Chinese food, playing poker and billiards, and defending Teemo as a misunderstood champion. He’s also no slouch at the game himself, having trolled the solo queue ladders with his favorite champion Blitzcrank for the past few years. In fact, LeDuck claims he can beat Inspire team owner Michael “Michai” Schnorr in a 1v1 with one arm (Rocket Arm, in this case) tied behind his back. If that’s not a testament to LeDuck’s skill as a coach, we don’t know what is.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Inspire eSports - 1/28/16 - EUCS Week 1 - RECAP
This is the first "piece" I wrote for Inspire eSports, recounting Week 1 of our team's performance in the League of Legends EU Challenger Series. This is the first taste of what's to come from my interim with Inspire. It's definitely more on the journalism/informative side, rather than the creative side. Enjoy! And for you Reddit aficionados, please comment and upvote!
Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/leagueoflegends/comments/4311f6/spoilers_eucs_week_1_ie_vs_mou_article_by_inspire/
EUCS Week 1: “Jeepers Sweepers”
What a way to kick off Week 1 of the EU Challenger Series! So far, it has been a Split of no splits as today’s winners rack up the 2-0 match win over their opponents. This year’s Challenger Spring Split is a mix of old dogs and fresh blood, with LCS veterans Copenhagen Wolves, SK Gaming, and Inspire eSports (rebranded from Denial eSports) looking to reclaim their spots at the top, while upstart teams Mousesports, Millenium, and Huma aim to make their first mark on the EU scene after besting the Challenger qualifiers to rise up.
Inspire eSports and Mousesports kicked off Week 1 with the first match of the day. Former top laner Wickd’s departure from Denial to CW was the latest spark of skepticism for Inspire, due to the roster’s history of numerous team swaps. Mousesports, on the other hand, was projected as a strong contender for top 3, due to star players such as Dan and Beansu. This was the time to put up or shut up for both teams, with Inspire looking put on a strong show in the face of doubt, and Mouz seeking to live up the hype as they coast in on their waves of success following their Summer Split performance.
Analysis:
Inspire eSports vs. Mousesports
GAME 1
Early triple ADC picks from Inspire (mid Corki, jungle Graves, Ezreal) inspired doubt from the casters, especially in the face of Mouz’s solid engage comp (Malphite plus Kalista-Alistar). Satorius’ off-meta pick of top lane Gragas in the draft raised a few eyebrows as well. All doubt was silenced immediately as fast pushing from Inspire along with Gragas-fueled siege resulted in a 15-minute inhibitor and a 4k gold lead at 18 minutes. Several sloppy team fights nearly evened the odds for Mouz, but a catch from Inspire into a base chase followed by Baron sealed the game for Inspire.
Scores:
IE Satorius 4/0/5 - MOU Beansu 1/4/4
IE Maxlore 1/2/7 - MOU Dan 1/3/4
IE CozQ 4/2/4 - MOU Sebecks 1/1/4
IE Woolite 5/1/5 - MOU Tarik 3/2/1
IE Wendelbo 0/1/8 - MOU Rhuckz 0/4/5 Game 1 VOD GAME 2 The strats appeared to have flipped in the second draft. Inspire picks up a similar engage comp to Mouz’s in Game 1 with Kalista-Alistar and Malphite, while Mouz opt for a more defensive disengage comp of Shen, Rek’Sai, Janna. Champion and tower kills stayed fairly even early on, until several Malphite/Alistar knock-up engages etched out the lead for Inspire. A couple botched Baron attempts by Inspire swing control back to Mouz with an inhibitor kill and several tower sieges. However, a messy teamfight following Baron attempt #3 ends with two members of Inspire surviving with the Baron buff to push in mid after team respawns to secure the 2-0. Scores:
IE Satorius 4/3/12 - MOU Beansu 1/6/7
IE Maxlore 6/2/12 - MOU Dan 2/5/4
IE CozQ 3/2/12 - MOU Sebecks 7/3/3
IE Woolite 6/3/12 - MOU Tarik 3/3/5
IE Wendelbo 0/3/16 - MOU Rhuckz 0/2/10 Game 2 VOD RESULTS: Inspire 2-0, Mouz 0-2 It has been a great first week in the EUCS for us and we look forward to the competition next week as we take on Copenhagen Wolves! To stay up to date with all news Inspire follow us on Twitter!
IE Satorius 4/0/5 - MOU Beansu 1/4/4
IE Maxlore 1/2/7 - MOU Dan 1/3/4
IE CozQ 4/2/4 - MOU Sebecks 1/1/4
IE Woolite 5/1/5 - MOU Tarik 3/2/1
IE Wendelbo 0/1/8 - MOU Rhuckz 0/4/5 Game 1 VOD GAME 2 The strats appeared to have flipped in the second draft. Inspire picks up a similar engage comp to Mouz’s in Game 1 with Kalista-Alistar and Malphite, while Mouz opt for a more defensive disengage comp of Shen, Rek’Sai, Janna. Champion and tower kills stayed fairly even early on, until several Malphite/Alistar knock-up engages etched out the lead for Inspire. A couple botched Baron attempts by Inspire swing control back to Mouz with an inhibitor kill and several tower sieges. However, a messy teamfight following Baron attempt #3 ends with two members of Inspire surviving with the Baron buff to push in mid after team respawns to secure the 2-0. Scores:
IE Satorius 4/3/12 - MOU Beansu 1/6/7
IE Maxlore 6/2/12 - MOU Dan 2/5/4
IE CozQ 3/2/12 - MOU Sebecks 7/3/3
IE Woolite 6/3/12 - MOU Tarik 3/3/5
IE Wendelbo 0/3/16 - MOU Rhuckz 0/2/10 Game 2 VOD RESULTS: Inspire 2-0, Mouz 0-2 It has been a great first week in the EUCS for us and we look forward to the competition next week as we take on Copenhagen Wolves! To stay up to date with all news Inspire follow us on Twitter!
Monday, June 15, 2015
ARTICLE - CSUN Writers Make Their Voices Heard at Lit Crawl LA: NoHo
During my time at CSUN, I had the opportunity to meet a plethora of talented and vivacious writers, all of whom had a profound effect on my development as a writer. I was fortunate enough to able to celebrate our wonderful literary family's achievements last year at Lit Crawl LA: North Hollywood, where I played host to CSUN's showcase event "Voices from the Valley." In addition to emcee-ing the event, the CSUN College of Humanities also asked me to write an article on the event, a publication that I only managed to discover now. Well, better late than never! Here is the article.
You can view the original article here http://www.csun.edu/humanities/humanities-newsletter-volume-9-issue-1/lit-crawl-la-noho.
CSUN Writers Make Their Voices Heard at Lit Crawl LA: NoHo
Submitted by Justin La Torre “All you voices of the valley, let’s hear you roar!” With those words, English professor Martin Pousson kicked off one of the opening events of Lit Crawl LA: NoHo to the clamorous chorus congregated in Gallery 800 at the historic Lankershim Arts Center. Though the Los Angeles–based word-centric extravaganza was only in its second year of celebration, support and attendance for Lit Crawl LA was already proving to be formidable, as a crowded house filled up to standing room only to lend an ear to a selection of California State University, Northridge’s elite writers in a reading session titled “Voices from the Valley.” Focusing exclusively on established and emerging creative writers from CSUN’s undergraduate and graduate programs, Voices from the Valley boasted an impressive cast of wordsmiths. As a graduate of CSUN and emcee for the night, I was certainly no slouch myself, having been recently published in Westwind at UCLA and the last two issues of The Northridge Review. That being said, the presenters have had their work featured in publications such as Cargoes literary journal, Glimmer Train, and Los Angeles Review, and their crafts spanned the gamut from poetry to short story and even semi-biographical long fiction. In short, Voices from the Valley wasn’t just going to commence the night; it was going to rock- et right out of the gate Presenters from the night included: Brandon Krause, CSUN graduate whose poem “Seven Grand” was a winning piece in Hollins University’s 2014 National Undergraduate Poetry Competition and has been featured in the Spring 2014 issue of Cargoes literary journal. His short story “Coldline” was published in the Fall 2014 issue of The Northridge Review. Karlee Johnson, CSUN alumna and co-author of the ’zine series Doggone Sentiment, and whose work has been featured in The Northridge Review and Uno Kudo magazine. Johnson and Krause each received honorable mentions from Glimmer Train Press, and they are both currently pursuing MAs in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. Cody Dietz, master’s candidate at CSUN who has been published in Ellipsis, Chaparral, and The Northridge Review. His chapbook placed in the finals of Split Lip’s Uppercut Chapbook Awards, and he is currently working on a full-length collection of poetry. Gina Srmabekian, graduate student and teaching associate at CSUN who was a recent finalist of the Glimmer Train New Voices Awards. She has work published in several literary journals including Chaparral, and is described by her students as “young and pretty…and kind of mean.” Kim Young, creative writing professor at CSUN, author of the 2011 Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize–winning piece “Night Radio,” and founding editor of the Southern California–based online poetry journal Chaparral. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, No Tell Motel, and POOL poetry journal. Joseph Mattson, author of story collection Eat Hell and SCIBA Fiction Award finalist novel Empty the Sun, and editor of The Speed Chronicles and Two Letters: Collection of Art and Writing Vol. 2. His work has appeared in Slake: Los Angeles-A City and Its Stories, The Rattling Wall, Ambit, Pearl, and The Fix. From the moment the first presenter took the mic, it was clear that a vibrant spark had ignited the air. The colors and rich- ness that mark the writing culture of Los Angeles seemed to congeal and condense within the small swanky mecca of Gallery 800 as the eyes and ears of nearly a hundred captivated audience members drank in the words of CSUN’s literary best. From the quiet yet cutting honesty of Krause’s “Seven Grand” to Mattson’s sardonic and scorning sketch of his story’s antihero “Lenny Kablinski,” there was no slowing down the rhythm or the poignancy of the night’s tone, which rang with a satisfying mixture of profoundness and profanity. My personal favorites were Dietz’s beautifully tragic family- inspired pieces “Treehouses” and “Ritual,” as well as Johnson’s rendition of “Truth Ingest,” which had me silently mouthing “whoa” to myself every few lines. When all was said and done, Voices from the Valley proved to be a re- sounding victory not just for CSUN and its writers, but for the whole of the L.A. writing scene. With such a warm and receptive response to fresh and upcoming literary talent, there is no question that the future of stories as art burns as bright and as hot as the spirits and sparks of these young voices. “Voices from the Valley was a true testament to the potency and variety of the work coming out of CSUN’s creative writing program,” Dietz proudly proclaims. “I am honored to have read with such a talented bunch of writers and poets, and we really couldn’t ask for a more supportive community.” “It was an honor to be a part of Lit Crawl. I loved seeing the city open up to words, and hope that it continues to grow each year,” Johnson adds. Professor Martin Pousson, former instructor of and adviser to many of these talented individuals, says he couldn’t be more proud. “The CSUN Voices from the Valley team generated loud buzz by flashing bold colors,” Pousson says. “Their range, their poise, and the infinite variety in their creative writing form the hallmark of our students’ success. They dare to defy convention, to cross boundaries, to blur borders. We should all expect to hear a great deal more from these writers.” Justin La Torre ’13 (Creative Writing) has been published in CSUN’s Northridge Review and UCLA’s Westwind. He has received an Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train Press and was a finalist in Cargoes’ Fiction Competition for New Writers. He regularly contributes to HalfAChicken.com and The Wordsmith’s Foundry.
Submitted by Justin La Torre “All you voices of the valley, let’s hear you roar!” With those words, English professor Martin Pousson kicked off one of the opening events of Lit Crawl LA: NoHo to the clamorous chorus congregated in Gallery 800 at the historic Lankershim Arts Center. Though the Los Angeles–based word-centric extravaganza was only in its second year of celebration, support and attendance for Lit Crawl LA was already proving to be formidable, as a crowded house filled up to standing room only to lend an ear to a selection of California State University, Northridge’s elite writers in a reading session titled “Voices from the Valley.” Focusing exclusively on established and emerging creative writers from CSUN’s undergraduate and graduate programs, Voices from the Valley boasted an impressive cast of wordsmiths. As a graduate of CSUN and emcee for the night, I was certainly no slouch myself, having been recently published in Westwind at UCLA and the last two issues of The Northridge Review. That being said, the presenters have had their work featured in publications such as Cargoes literary journal, Glimmer Train, and Los Angeles Review, and their crafts spanned the gamut from poetry to short story and even semi-biographical long fiction. In short, Voices from the Valley wasn’t just going to commence the night; it was going to rock- et right out of the gate Presenters from the night included: Brandon Krause, CSUN graduate whose poem “Seven Grand” was a winning piece in Hollins University’s 2014 National Undergraduate Poetry Competition and has been featured in the Spring 2014 issue of Cargoes literary journal. His short story “Coldline” was published in the Fall 2014 issue of The Northridge Review. Karlee Johnson, CSUN alumna and co-author of the ’zine series Doggone Sentiment, and whose work has been featured in The Northridge Review and Uno Kudo magazine. Johnson and Krause each received honorable mentions from Glimmer Train Press, and they are both currently pursuing MAs in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University. Cody Dietz, master’s candidate at CSUN who has been published in Ellipsis, Chaparral, and The Northridge Review. His chapbook placed in the finals of Split Lip’s Uppercut Chapbook Awards, and he is currently working on a full-length collection of poetry. Gina Srmabekian, graduate student and teaching associate at CSUN who was a recent finalist of the Glimmer Train New Voices Awards. She has work published in several literary journals including Chaparral, and is described by her students as “young and pretty…and kind of mean.” Kim Young, creative writing professor at CSUN, author of the 2011 Agha Shahid Ali Poetry Prize–winning piece “Night Radio,” and founding editor of the Southern California–based online poetry journal Chaparral. Her work has appeared in Los Angeles Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, No Tell Motel, and POOL poetry journal. Joseph Mattson, author of story collection Eat Hell and SCIBA Fiction Award finalist novel Empty the Sun, and editor of The Speed Chronicles and Two Letters: Collection of Art and Writing Vol. 2. His work has appeared in Slake: Los Angeles-A City and Its Stories, The Rattling Wall, Ambit, Pearl, and The Fix. From the moment the first presenter took the mic, it was clear that a vibrant spark had ignited the air. The colors and rich- ness that mark the writing culture of Los Angeles seemed to congeal and condense within the small swanky mecca of Gallery 800 as the eyes and ears of nearly a hundred captivated audience members drank in the words of CSUN’s literary best. From the quiet yet cutting honesty of Krause’s “Seven Grand” to Mattson’s sardonic and scorning sketch of his story’s antihero “Lenny Kablinski,” there was no slowing down the rhythm or the poignancy of the night’s tone, which rang with a satisfying mixture of profoundness and profanity. My personal favorites were Dietz’s beautifully tragic family- inspired pieces “Treehouses” and “Ritual,” as well as Johnson’s rendition of “Truth Ingest,” which had me silently mouthing “whoa” to myself every few lines. When all was said and done, Voices from the Valley proved to be a re- sounding victory not just for CSUN and its writers, but for the whole of the L.A. writing scene. With such a warm and receptive response to fresh and upcoming literary talent, there is no question that the future of stories as art burns as bright and as hot as the spirits and sparks of these young voices. “Voices from the Valley was a true testament to the potency and variety of the work coming out of CSUN’s creative writing program,” Dietz proudly proclaims. “I am honored to have read with such a talented bunch of writers and poets, and we really couldn’t ask for a more supportive community.” “It was an honor to be a part of Lit Crawl. I loved seeing the city open up to words, and hope that it continues to grow each year,” Johnson adds. Professor Martin Pousson, former instructor of and adviser to many of these talented individuals, says he couldn’t be more proud. “The CSUN Voices from the Valley team generated loud buzz by flashing bold colors,” Pousson says. “Their range, their poise, and the infinite variety in their creative writing form the hallmark of our students’ success. They dare to defy convention, to cross boundaries, to blur borders. We should all expect to hear a great deal more from these writers.” Justin La Torre ’13 (Creative Writing) has been published in CSUN’s Northridge Review and UCLA’s Westwind. He has received an Honorable Mention from Glimmer Train Press and was a finalist in Cargoes’ Fiction Competition for New Writers. He regularly contributes to HalfAChicken.com and The Wordsmith’s Foundry.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Wordsmith Foundry
I'm happy to announce that I am now a guest contributing writer to Wordsmith Foundry, a new blog about creative writing! My first article is in the link below:
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
HalfAChicken.com - 10/7/14 - “Invisible Artwork” Hoax Successfully Trolls the Art World...But Not in the Way You Expect
Originally published on 10/7/14 at HalfAChicken.com
https://halfachicken.com/justinavalon/article/106 Oh man...the headline for this juicy bit of art news hooked me right from the beginning, but actually reading through it only made it juicier.
The above image is a doctored photo of an exhibit in Milan with the actual exhibit removed, courtesy of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). This was released as part of a hoax by New York-based “artist” Lana Newstrom and radio parodists Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring of This is That, the Canadian counterpart to America’s own satirical news network The Onion. The article that first launched this hoax went live a week ago, and can be viewed here:
http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/2014/09/23/new-york-artist-creates-art-that-is-invisible/
Now, Kelly and Oldring have an infamous penchant for passing off parody and trickery as news, but for some reason, this latest ploy, which fabricated a story of an artist’s “invisible artwork” being bought up for millions of dollars, was actually believed to be real by other news publications. That’s right, online news networks such as Wealthy Debates and Barstool Sports immediately saw through the scheme of blank walls and canvases being passed off as art, yet legitimately believed people were actually buying them up! And who can blame them? It’s such an eccentric and stupidly ridiculous move that only a pretentious self-serving art snob with an account in Aspen would actually consider doing it. How could it not be true?
What’s interesting and endlessly amusing is that while Wealthy Debates and Barstool are talking shit about these alleged rich art collectors for spending money on literally nothing, I’m over here laughing at how seriously they’re taking this hoax story within a hoax story. I mean, how the fuck can you be half-gullible that you would see through the bullshit of one part of the story but not the whole thing?
The theory held by The Guardian in their response article to this latest hilarious development is that we as a culture just hate rich fuckers who are able to throw their money at anything. This hoax story was the perfect opportunity to take jabs at the wealthy art snobs, and these sites did so with gusto and in that respect have earned my applause. (Insert golf clap here).
In the end, however, I feel that the real winners here are the brilliant blokes at This is That for not only successfully trolling the art world with their Inception-style hoax-within-a-hoax, but for educating us on a very essential aspect of human existence, and that is the endless cycle of assholes talking shit about other assholes that pervades our communal existence. For as long as we band together, we will hate on each other together, for just about any little thing.
God bless you, Pat Kelly and Peter Oldring. May your wit be always sharp, and your audiences forever oblivious.
SOURCES
Canadian Broadcasting Corp. – http://www.cbc.ca/thisisthat/blog/2014/09/23/new-york-artist-creates-art-that-is-invisible/
The Guardian – http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/sep/30/invisible-art-hoax-lana-newstrom-cbc
https://halfachicken.com/justinavalon/article/106 Oh man...the headline for this juicy bit of art news hooked me right from the beginning, but actually reading through it only made it juicier.
Friday, October 3, 2014
HalfAChicken.com - 10/3/14 - Adventure Time show creator quits
Originally published on 10/3/14 at HalfAChicken.com
https://halfachicken.com/justinavalon/article/103
If you’ve never heard of Adventure Time before, just know that it’s the closest thing to an acid trip that the FCC will allow on a child-focused television network. It is generally described as a “surreal post-apocalyptic animated saga” as well as “the trippiest show on TV” (Strauss 2014), but really, words don’t do it justice. The bright color palettes, quirky and memorable characters, and juvenile-level antics and adventures can make you almost overlook the copious amounts of erratic and nonsensical shit that takes place. Almost.
Think of Adventure Time as a G-rated version of Ren & Stimpy…I use the term “G-rated” loosely here.
There’s really no way to properly describe Adventure Time to someone who has never seen the show. Everything from dimensional travel, parallel realities, convoluted plotlines, and the cast of characters’ deep-seated origin stories are explored the series’ 176 episodes, each of which is only 11 minutes long. It is the sort of sensory ass-kicking that needs to be experienced in order to be understood. It’s not like there’s any drugs or sex in the program, mind you. This is a show focused towards kids, after all. But with that in mind, the content can get pretty outlandish and downright disturbing at times.
…seriously, what the fuck is wrong with that bird?
In fact, the show delivers such a strong, well-written subliminal mindfuck that you would think its creator Pendleton Ward, who recently left the show, would have been forcibly checked into the nearest mental hospital due to a severe schizophrenic breakdown before he would leave (calm and collected) of his own accord.
But alas, none of that actually happened. The story is much simpler (and far less exciting) than that. Ward, who is mellow and introverted and just about the farthest thing from a psychopath as you can get, cited stress and exhaustion from trying to keep up with the growing magnitude of the show’s popularity as his cause for departure.
And who can blame him? Adventure Time is HUGE right now. “It’s a beast of a show,” Ward told Rolling Stone. “And the more popular it gets, the more the ancillary things – like the merchandise and games and everything – keeps getting bigger.” (Strauss 2014).
Sometimes merchandising can be a good thing though…=3
Tom Kenny, who voices the bubbly titular character on Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants and the misguided and narcissistic Ice King in Adventure Time, noted Ward’s weariness, which is particularly reflected in the character of the Ice King. “The way the Ice King feels [is] like he’s going mad and things are spinning out of his control,” Kenny tells Rolling Stone. “I’m sure Pen [Ward] has felt like he’s losing his grip on reality because he’s the arbiter of everything.” (Strauss 2014).
Ward himself seems to echo these sentiments. “[Like the Ice King, I have] a craving to be social and hang out with nice people and have them think I’m nice, which doesn’t make any sense to me.” (Strauss 2014).
A chest kick from Finn still doesn’t hurt as much as a chest kick from life.
However, fans of Ward’s work need not fret, for the ambitious animator still has plenty of projects up his sleeve, including writing an Adventure Time movie and creating an original video game, as well as dabbling in some cooperative projects with his friends in the form of a short called Animation Pals. Above all, though, Ward looks to do something that he will enjoy and get excited about without exceeding “the confines of what [his] brain can handle.” (Strauss 2014).
After overseeing the birth of nearly 200 episodes of kid-friendly, over-the-top mindfuckery, his brain has definitely earned a break.
This is your brain on Adventure Time. Literally.
SOURCES
Strauss, Neil. “’Adventure Time’: The Trippiest Show on Television.” 2 Oct. 2014. Rolling Stone. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
https://halfachicken.com/justinavalon/article/103
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