Meet our latest writer of the week and Man Crush Monday, Harry Zahn! Learn more about his work with Odyssey, favorite articles and even his plans for the future in his interview below.
1. Why did you want to start writing for Odyssey?
I was already writing a blog and saw Odyssey as a wonderful opportunity to share my writing on a more public platform. Odyssey also provides the freedom of content, so it was also a place where I could develop as a writer, but in a flexible environment.
2. How do you feel it has helped you gain experience in your major?
The more you practice writing, the better you get at it. Political science students have to read and write an obscene amount of papers, so Odyssey exercises these skills and hones them. Also, the content I write about is often directly related to my major, thus the research for many of my articles further colors my knowledge in the field.
3. What are some of your favorite topics to cover?
Campaigns, public policy, foreign affairs and politics, in general, are my favorite topics. Even if we had no Cirque du Soleil of a nominating process with 10,000 Republican candidates on a debate stage, Hillary Clinton awkwardly dancing around her email scandal and Donald Trump ignorantly bloviating, I would still write about politics. Now it's just harder to do without putting my head through the drywall. Still fun, though.
4. Which article has been your favorite so far? Why?
I may have to cheat here and choose two: Why it's Time to Stop Laughing at the Republican Primaries and A War on Two Fronts: Heroes of the Unacknowledged Fight. I really enjoyed writing the former because I got to have fun and crack jokes while making a serious point--slamming both Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson for their unfitness to hold office. I am proud of the latter article because I don't think many Americans or media outlets have given much thought or attention to the battle of ideas we must win against ISIS and Islamic extremism. People I have talked to about the article haven't heard of the warriors on the front lines of this struggle like Maajid Nawaz and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The military conflict gets all of the attention, but in my opinion, the ideological battle is just as, if not more important.
5. How do you hope to use your writing skills in your future career?
I hope to use my writing skills directly in my future career as a political journalist. One of the major differences is that Odyssey's platform is centered on opinion, whereas the journalistic world values objectivity. But Odyssey has been a fantastic place for me to hone my craft on most weeks, yet sometimes switch it up and write about finals or New Year's resolutions on other weeks. Again, the more you practice writing, the better you get at it. The practice here has been invaluable.
Harry has used his time writing for Odyssey to capture snapshots of hard-hitting political issues. He has impressively used his talents to tell weekly stories and to capture and report the news in exciting ways. As a staff, we will be sad to see him graduate in the spring, but remained excited for all of his future success. As he might say himself, Mazel Tov!
