Writing Assignments 2012

Sarah Palin’s X-neighbor Chronicles American Icon in New Book 

Joe McGinniss, long-time Journalist and author of such books as The Selling of the President and The Miracle of Castel di Sango, was at UMASS on Monday promoting his new book, The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin. The promotional event provided a snapshot of the current national political atmosphere, in which there is a wide divide in the public’s perception of certain political figures.  

Popular and promising enough to gain John McCain’s confidence as his running-mate in the 2008 Presidential election, Sarah Palin has since become an icon of much popularity for some, and derisive ridicule to others. Joe McGinniss was far from equivocal in sharing his own views of Palin. "Nixon was a relatively acceptable representative of right-wing Americans...Sarah Palin is just an idiot." 

In order to chronicle the reality behind the icon, the author spent the better part of a year in and about Wasila, home to x-mayor of Alaska and her family. According to McGinniss, it was partly just good luck that provided him the opportunity of renting the little house neighboring Palin's much larger estate. Although this never culminated in the author meeting the subject of his chronicle, he did meet her husband, who accused McGinniss of being "that son-of-a-bitch who wrote that story full of lies about my wife and the pipe-line." McGinniss found a more cordial reception in his visit to the current major of Wasila, Saugus-native Verne E. Rupright. Rupright was among others in Alaska, who McGinniss said offered to lend him a gun. "Up there" McGinniss recalled, "everybody's got a gun."

Macy Wang

Twenty-five year old visiting scholar Macy Wang, politely declined to comment on the article relating to Tibet that one of her classmates had chosen to present in class.


Her visit to America has exposed Macy to political criticism that is much different than what she is used to back home.


"Not everything America accuses China of is accurate or even true," she said.


"There is a lot of hypocrisy in the idea that Americans criticize China on humanitarian grounds. Are some nationalities more human than others? I think it's kind of obnoxious actually," she said.


Macy has had little trouble in adjusting to her new life here. "I was really lucky to have the opportunity to come here. One of my professors once told me that the best way to see China was to leave the country. I think they were right." 


Another one of her teachers suggested she use a common American name, as so many visiting East Asian students now do. This has become a common practice in recent years, to overcome the difficulty most Americans have in pronouncing Chinese names. Macy's English is surprisingly fluent for a native of China who has been here for less than two months.


Journalism 300 is one of the classes that Macy is taking on her one-semester visit to Amherst and the United States.


English being her second language, a subject like Journalism can be quite difficult. Macy says that she was lucky "I have a really nice and helpful teacher. Journalism 300 is a class I was really nervous about, but Professor Mary Carey has a calm approach. With somebody different, I would have been a lot more nervous I think."

                                              




  Ana Reyes CLASS VISIT  18.04.12

This Wednesday, we had the pleasure of hearing another guest speaker address the class. Unlike previous speakers this semester, Ana Reyes was not attending in sponsorship of a particular commercial or academic theme. This resulted in the lesson having a more laid-back and intimate atmosphere. Reyes, 29, was dressed casually for the warm weather and displaying a tattoo on her upper left arm. Throughout, she sat with a softly beaming smile. Back from Los Angeles, she will soon be on her way to Louisiana, "because it's a lot cheaper than L.A.COMMA" among other reasons, including further academic study. It had all started here, where she was addressing us today, at UMass. 

Reyes, in a way that was not in any way discouraging, related to the class as a former UMass student who, had initially chosen journalism as her major before switching to one that was more relevant to her desire to write in a non-journalistic medium. She is currently working on writing a novel, as well as on a television series "pilot" with her boyfriend. This seemed a fittingly expressive venture that one might be inclined to attempt, especially considering the pay that Reyes earned for a brief period in her script-reading days following graduation. Forty dollars a day to read screenplays would inspire any writer to no less was the sense it seemed among the audience, who collectively seemed momentarily horrified at the amounts they were hearing. 

Reyes included Aimee Bender among her favorite contemporary authors, and gave students in the class a unique glimpse into life, post-UMass. 

Ana's experience upon graduation was varied, as she shared the details of her adult-life so far. The diversity in her initial jobs, contacts and experience suggested that she was likely to be in for various opportunities in the near future. Whether that be a novel, a television show, or something in between, is something we'll be looking out for.

Without Bias is a documentary about basketball player Len Bias, who some consider the greatest American basketball player to never play on the NBA. It is directed by Kirk Fraser and premiered on ESPN as part of their 30 for 30 documentary series, commemorating the sports channel’s 30th anniversary.

The documentary focuses on the exceptional talents of a young black college basketball player, whose career ends before it even officially starts. Len Bias, or “Frosty” as friends and family called him, was 22 years old when he was the second overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, signing with the defending NBA champions the Boston Celtics. Two days later he was dead as a result of a cocaine-induced seizure and coma.

Bias played forward at the University of Maryland, where by his senior year various scouts viewed his as the most complete forward in the Class of 1986. Sports broadcaster James Brown compares Bias to basketball legend Michael Jordan, saying that both players displayed a “controlled rage” that set them apart and above most other players. Michael Wilbon, another of the sports journalists who contribute to the documentary with first-hand accounts of Len’s playing ability, says “Len was a different kind of player, beyond good: he was raw.”

The documentary, beyond just the normal sports background and focus one would normally expect in an ESPN player-profile, also shows the impact that Bias's death had on his family and on the country. Len’s mother Dr. Lonise Bias, is especially interesting to watch. She comes off as a very strong individual, and her thoughts and comments on her son’s death give the film a sort of depth that goes beyond just basketball.

Hearing and seeing her son in the hospital, she recounts how she “asked God to save my son. But it was already done. [There was] no need to pray, it is done, he is gone.” Bias’s seizure was later found to be a result of exceptionally pure and potent cocaine he and friend Brian Tribble were using, celebrating Len’s transfer to the Celtics. Less than 48 hours ago, Len had been on national airwaves saying “I wanted Boston, and my dream came true.” Tribble would later go on to be found guilty of other non-related charges, with indictments against two other of Bias’s friends later being dropped.

The cocaine-overdose of Len Bias, an event that attracted much national attention at the time that it occurred, also led to changes in U.S. drug laws. The Anti-Drug Act of 1988, also known as the “Len Bias Law,” legislated much stricter penalties than before. According to some in the documentary, those laws were a manifestation of the “War on Drugs” which ended up targeting small-time pushers, and not resolving the problem of drug abuse and overpopulated prison overrun by many, seemingly not too different than Len Bias himself.

Part of what makes the loss so palpable, and what the movie is able to convey, is the simple “likability” of Len Bias. It’s one thing to be exceptionally gifted, hardworking, and a great player. It’s another to be a genuinely nice guy. His friends and his family seem really nice too, and that makes a difference, especially to any who are less interested in sports. One should watch Without Bias not simply for the basketball, but for the various elements that make it an insightful look into a slice of recent American history in the making.