VOLT, the title of Alan Heathcock’s acclaimed collection of linked short stories, is as electric as the name implies. Set in the fictional town of Krafton, a lonely and windswept hamlet that could be located just about anywhere, the eight stories in VOLT feature an unforgettable cast of characters who confront floods, violence, family strife, longing and loss.
Since its release by Graywolf Press, VOLT has garnered a raft of critical acclaim and attention. It was named a New York Times Editor’s Choice, and was a “Best Book 2011” from numerous newspapers and magazines, including GQ, Publishers Weekly, Salon, the Chicago Tribune, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. One of the stories in VOLT, titled “Peacekeeper,” won a National Magazine Award in 2006.
Alan Heathcock is a 2004 graduate of Boise State’s MFA program in creative writing, and now teaches fiction writing at Boise State as an adjunct professor. His fiction has been published in many of America’s top literary journals and magazines. Heathcock has been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
In 2012, Heathcock was also honored with a national Whiting Award.
