PAGE 16 // WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21. 2011
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‘Colonnades’ named
Pacemaker finalist
Stephanie Butzer
Senior Reporter
“Colonnades,” Elon's literary
magazine, is different from a typical
drugstore rag. As a journalistic
magazine, its pages are filled with
Elon students’ creative work, including
poetry, prose and art. The calibre of
submissions and editorial staff resulted
in “Colonnades” being named, for the
second time, a National Pacemaker
Award finalist.
The Magazine Pacemaker Award is
presented by the Associated Collegiate
Press to college and high school
publications for journalistic excellence.
“I’ve heard the Pacemaker is
compared to the Pulitzer of student
works,” said Cody Greene, staff
member and senior.
The 2009-10 edition, titled “Public
Spaces,” was the first one named a
Pacemaker finalist and ultimately
given a Pacemaker award.
“This is a beautiful magazine,"
Greene said. “The art is fantastic. The
design is truly top-notch. We want this
magazine. You want to pick this up.
You want to read it. 1 think every year
we are very conscious of that.”
The upcoming year looks to be just
as strong. With high hopes for “The
Physics of Want,” “Colonnades” staff
will march forward with even more
speed this year.
“This year 1 think we would like
to continue being innovative and put
together a very aesthetically appealing
book,” said Alexa Johnson, staff
member and senior.
As the staff and advisers Drew Perry
and Tita Ramirez prepare for another
year, they remain hopeful for The
Physics of Want” as it climbs tow'ard
the Pacemaker.
“We’re really happy, two years m a
row, we're right on top. Its really great,
Greene said.
Before thoughts can drift to the
Pacemaker, “Colonnades must gather
its art and literary pieces.
“The submission process is huge, it
is kind of a monster,” Greene said.
A major part of the submission
process falls in the hands of the
readers.
“Weeding it down is a task,” Greene
said. “That’s where our readers come
in, our kind of extended family at
the 'Colonnades’ office. We love our
readers. They're the ones that really
keep our heads on straight as editors.
After all editors agree on the pieces,
they must be organized.
“You have to put together a
magazine with a theme and a layout
that is aesthetically pleasing in a
sense,” Johnson said.
While the core of the magazine is
the literary content, there are features
outside the actual pieces.
“Last year (former editor) Jonathan
Bolding started using little tags so
that you could scan your iPhone and
see video,” Johnson said. “Some of our
artists created wonderful videos, but
obviously you can't put it in a book.
I would like to make sure our Web
presence picks up a lot more so that it's
not just a book, it will be a website you
can continue to go to."
Although many submissions come
from creative writing, English or art
majors, “Colonnades” accepts pieces
from all students.
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Editors Cody Greene and Alexa Johnson led “Colonnades” literary magazine to be named a Pacemaker finalist
“We are always pushing everyone
outside to submit. It's definitely a
community kind of thing,” Greene
said.
Submissions are due mid-January
and the magazine is published in the
spring.
Even as they work at this year's
magazine, The “Colonnades” staff is
eager for Oct. 29, when the results will
be revealed for this year's Pacemaker
award.
“We’re interested in the best Elon
has to offer," Greene said.
Buffett uses passion for music to spread message of balance
m.
Audrey Horwitz
Reporter
The son of a billionaire may never
need to work, but that hasn’t stopped
Peter Buffett, son of investor Warren
Buffett, from dabbling in causes and
missions across the board.
Buffett is a professional musician,
author and philanthropist. His
performance at Elon at 4:30 p.m. Sept.
23 in McCrary Theater, accompanied
by musician Michael Kott, will include
a musical component, as well as a
discussion of his New York Times best
selling book, “Life is What You Make It:
Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment."
Buffett said the most important
lesson he learned from his father was
to stay true to one's self.
“Authenticity. Having integrity. Not
faking it to get ahead. That's what my
dad taught me,” Buffett said.
He said his upbringing instilled in
him a drive to follow his passions.
“My mom and dad always told me
to do what I love and that's what I saw
my dad doing,” he said. “I didn't see
him making a lot of money. 1 saw him
loving his work so that's what I tried
to do."
Music has been a part of Buffett's
life for as long as he can remember, or
a least as long as his mom can.
“My mother claims that I sang
before I talked. I'm not sure that's true,
but it's a great story,” said Buffett.
Music has always been something
that came naturally to him, he said,
but he never thought of it as something
he could make a career out of.
“Sometimes the thing right in front
of your nose is the thing you miss,”
Buffett said.
It took him some time to realize
taking his father's advice meant
following his passion for music.
Another value Buffett attributes
to his upbringing is a sense of social
responsibility. Growing up in the '60s,
he was exposed to a generation of
cultural transition. He said his parents
guided him through it.
“My parents were egalitarian," he
said. “They were involved in the Civil
Rights Movement and they instilled in
me a sense that everyone was created
equal. Those concepts were in my head
and I felt them deeply.”
After the first month of the school
year, Elon students may already be
wondering how to manage it all.
Buffett seems to have figured out his
own balancing act. He is juggling his
music career, philanthropy, book tour
and personal life.
“But don't be fooled,” Buffett said.
“Everybody has a harder time than
they lead on.”
WSOE CD REVIEW
He said that balancing it all means
tuning out the distractions.
“In recording, there's something
called signal to noise ratio,” he said.
“In the recording studio, you want to
have the greatest amount of signal,
and least amount of noise.”
Buffett likened this to everyday
living, defining noise as the media
bombarding us with messages about
how to look and feel.
“That's all noise as far as I'm
concerned,” Buffett said. “And the
signal, of course, is what you feel in
your gut."
Buffett concluded with some advice
for Elon students.
“it takes time to get to know
yourself. That's sort of why you re
there,” he said. “You have to go down
wrong paths to figure out theyre
wrong and there's nothing wrong with
that.”
OKKERVIL RIVER RELEASES
STANDOUT SUMMER ALBUM
Hunter Ertel
Reviewer
In a summer exploding with new releases including new albums from the
likes of Fleet Foxes, Fruit Bats, Beirut, Bon her and Vetiver, it's hard to pick
one album from the lot. Yet what makes Okkervil River's “I Am Very Far”
unique is its blending of styles the band has been toying with for the past 10
years, and with what amazing success it has had.
Okkervil River is not a band known for shying away from danger and
catastrophe, but this album in particular seems to have an aura of immanent
destruction about it. “I Am Very Far” feels hke a venture into an unstable
western land where danger can come from gun-toting riders and a saucy
piratess not afraid to cut a throat, or simply from ev'er-looming disaster
which will inevitably find us all.
The frantically paced opening song “The Valley” features a gunshot, a
slit throat, a hanging and an exploding city in each verse. The album also
mcludes quite a few debonair waltzes. Because of this the album feels steeped
in history, much like the band’s previous album “Black Sheep Boy." Yet unlike
Black Sheep Boy, 'I Am Very Far" feels less like some uncovered fable
perhaps because it rarely features acoustic and orchestral instruments
Stylistically, the songs are more like the rock ballads of its last two
releases, “The Stage Names” and “The Stand Ins." yet are hardly as self-
COURTESTYOFAUSTINIST.COM
Oikervil River performs in its hometown of Austin, TX. It visited Cat’s Cradle on tour ttiis past June.
aware as these albums which dealt more with personal themes like trying to
make it big and human relationships. Even elements of some of the band s
earliest albums like “Don't Fall in Love" With Everyone You See" and “Down
the River of Golden Dreams" are present, particularly in bringing back a
pseudo-western theme, perhaps influenced by the band’s Austin home.
Okkervil River even keeps the nautical vein that runs deep throughout mucti
of their music with songs like “Piratess and Mermaid," without breaking out
Uncle Salty’s vault of sea shanties.
Overall this album feels like a culmination of a successful artistic career
by blending so many different styles and themes the band has been known
tor - and now, like whiskey aged in an oak barrel, Okkervil River has reactie
a sort of maturity. Drink it up, friends.