Alan Heathcock (born March 8, 1971) is an American fiction writer. He is the author of the acclaimed short story collection VOLT (2011) and the dystopian novel 40 (2022).
Early life, education, and career
editHeathcock grew up in the Chicago suburb of Hazel Crest, Illinois and attended the University of Iowa, where he graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. He earned Master of Fine Arts degrees from both Bowling Green State University (1996), and Boise State University (2003). Heathcock teaches in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at the University of Nevada, Reno.[1] He lives in Boise, Idaho.
Notable works
editHeathcock's first collection of short fiction, VOLT,[2] was published with Graywolf Press in 2011.[3] VOLT was selected as an Editor's Pick for both The New York Times Book Review[4] and The Oxford American;[5] a finalist for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award,[6] as well as hailed by many critics as one of the best books of 2011, including Publishers Weekly,[7] the Chicago Tribune,[8] Salon.com,[9] and GQ.[10] VOLT also includes the story "Peacekeeper,"[11] which first appeared in the Fall 2005 issue of the Virginia Quarterly Review, and won Heathcock a National Magazine Award in 2006.[12] A 2013 short film adaptation of "Smoke," one of the stories in VOLT, was directed by Cody Gittings and Stephen Heleker.[13]
Heathcock's debut novel, 40, was published in 2022 by MacMillan[14] to mostly favorable but some mixed reviews.[15] The book follows the adventures of Mazzy Goodwin, a soldier in an apocalyptic near-future who miraculously grows angel wings from her back and becomes a pawn in a charismatic religious leader's attempts to rule America. Comparing the book to The Hunger Games, Kirkus Reviews notes that "[t]he dystopian ingredients are familiar, but Heathcock combines them in a potent metaphorical stew."[16] The book was also featured in a New York Times article about climate change fiction.[17]
Bibliography
editBooks
edit- VOLT. Graywolf Press. 2011. ISBN 978-1-55597-577-7.
- 40. MCD. 2022. ISBN 978-0374100230.
Articles and Essays
editAwards
edit- Whiting Award (2012)[18]
- Boise Weekly Best Living Idaho Writer (2012)[19]
- Spinetinglers Magazine, Best Short Story Collection (2012)[20]
- GLCA New Writers Award (2012)[21]
- Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Shane Stevens Fellowship in Fiction (2011)[22]
- Tin House Writers' Conference, Scholar (2010)
- Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Carol Houck Fellowship in Fiction (2009)[23]
- National Magazine Award, Fiction (2006)
References
edit- ^ "Alan Heathcock | Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "volt alan heathcock". Amazon.com. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ Seshadri, Vijay. "Home". Graywolf Press. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ Pollock, Donald Ray (March 25, 2011). "Stories of Small-Town Strife". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "BOOK REVIEW: Alan Heathcock :: Oxford American – The Southern Magazine of Good Writing". Oxford American. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ Hales, Dianne R. (February 1, 2012). "Announcing the 2011 Discover Great New Writers Awa... – The Barnes & Noble Review". Bnreview.barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "Best Books 2011". Publishers Weekly. September 11, 2001. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "Best books 2011". chicagotribune.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ Mustich, Emma (December 9, 2011). "Writers choose their favorite books of 2011". Salon.com. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "GQ's Punch List: The Year in Reading 2011". Listal.com. December 30, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "VQR » Peacekeeper". Vqronline.org. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "Winners & Finalists | ASME". Magazine.org. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ Gittings, Cody; Heleker, Stephen, Smoke (Short, Drama, Western), Jodi Dominick, Nick Garcia, Joel Nagle, retrieved March 14, 2024
- ^ Macmillan Publishers. "40". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "All Book Marks reviews for 40 by Alan Heathcock". Book Marks. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
- ^ 40 | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Dimock, Wai Chee (September 7, 2022). "New Climate Fiction Offers Visions for Environmental Justice". New York Times.
- ^ "Alan Heathcock".
- ^ "Best Living Idaho Writer 2012". Boiseweekly.com. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "2012 Spinetingler Awards – WINNERS « Spinetingler". Spinetinglermag.com. May 1, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "Boise's Alan Heathcock chosen as the Great Lakes Colleges Association's new fiction writer of 2012". Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. December 31, 1969. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "Bread Loaf Writers' Conference 2011" (PDF). Middlebury.edu. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
- ^ "bread loaf – UPDATE". News.boisestate.edu. August 13, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2013.