AMERICAN LEFT HISTORY

This space is dedicated to the proposition that we need to know the history of the struggles on the left and of earlier progressive movements here and world-wide. If we can learn from the mistakes made in the past (as well as what went right) we can move forward in the future to create a more just and equitable society. We will be reviewing books, CDs, and movies we believe everyone needs to read, hear and look at as well as making commentary from time to time. Greg Green, site manager

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Warrior Writers_From The Gals And Guys Who Have Been Through The Wars-And Live To Write

11:47 AM

Warrior Writers

Our Spring 2017 newsletter is out! Join Warrior Writers for upcoming Spring events...

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Spring 2017 Newsletter

Warrior Writers 10-year-birthday party/performance at Flashpoint, Washington DC.
(Photo by Jennifer Leigh-Oprihory)

With spring around the corner, we look forward to writing in the park, outdoor poetry readings and camping retreats. As we fill our calendar for 2017—our tenth year of offering free writing workshops for veterans—we’re happy to announce that we’ve got several outdoor events on our schedule. Read on for details, and stay tuned for many more events to be added.

Recently, we hosted two ten-year-birthday celebrations. Both featured spoken word poetry, music and theatrical presentations. The first, in Washington DC, was held at Flashpoint, a blackbox theater (pictured above). We held our event in conjunction with the AWP Writers Conference, where we sold books and talked about our work.

Our second happened in Colorado Springs. In addition to a performance, we hosted two “Working With Veterans 101” trainings with Pikes Peak Community College faculty. We were also excited to help facilitate the inaugural workshop of our new Colorado writing group.

If you’re in Colorado, stay tuned for more events.

Our next ten-year-birthday party will be in Durham, NC (details below). If you’re nearby, we hope you can attend. Come celebrate with us!

(Photo: Garett Reppenhagen and his son Ocean at our recent Colorado performance)

Philly Events in April

April 11 at Villanova University - Join us at 6:00PM for a performance of poetry/spoken word. Veterans will be sharing their military experiences with students and the public, followed by a short Q&A.

April 12 at Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) - We'll be participating in a panel discussion on diversity in the military.

April 18 at National Museum of American Jewish History - Warrior Writers will read poems from World War I along with their own contemporary poems. The event is geared toward high school students but open to the public (w/ museum admission).

Coming soon: We’re also excited to be starting another series of female-veteran writing workshops. Our first was held in Old City Philadelphia on March 28. If you’re a female-veteran, we invite you to participate and share your stories. The next one is likely April 17, check website for details.

Event details here.

Durham, NC, April 13 to 15

The Voices of War, a poetry and spoken word performance, will happen Thursday, April 13 at 6:00 PM, at Mercury Studio (401 W Geer St). Light beverages and refreshments will be provided.Please RSVP through our events page, where additional Durham events will be announced.

Warrior Writers and Combat Paper NJ at USO-Metro

We’re excited to continue programming with USO-Metro for our fifth year. Four papermaking and writing workshops are scheduled for 2017, each culminating with a public performance and art exhibition. Come see how a week of art-making can help our service members, as they creatively narrate their military experiences and share their Combat Paper art with friends, family and the community. Our first performance will be Friday, April 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA.

Annual Writing Retreat in Boston: June 26 to 30

Join us at our 4rd annual retreat at the Old Oak Dojo, in conjunction with the Writers' Workshop at The William Joiner Institute for the Study of War and Social Consequences (another birthday: they’re celebrating their 30th anniversary this year!). Warrior Writers will offer our own programming alongside the Joiner Center’s series of master classes (note: the two-week-long intensive workshops will not happen this year, as they have in the past). Some travel scholarships for veterans will be available; a short application will accompany the registration form. Check our events page for registration info and a schedule, available soon.

...AND MORE!

Be sure to visit our websit e for more information about additional ongoing workshops, for example our workshops in Amherst, MA and Morristown, NJ.

And please follow us on Facebook, where you'll find more opportunities for veteran writers and artists, along with up-to-date info about our events. Don't forget to "like" us!

Warrior Writers at Dodge Poetry Festival, 2016

Fundraising

The current presidential administration has proposed major cuts to public arts funding, including the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. All three agencies have provided funds and/or opportunities for Warrior Writers over the past 10 years. Cutting funding (or, worse, eliminating these agencies) will directly affect our ability to offer programming to veterans and service members.

Now, more than ever, we need your help to provide more writing workshops and creative opportunities to veterans, service members and their families. In May, we’ll be launching a crowd-sourced fundraiser. Originally, this fundraiser was envisioned as a way to raise money for a 10-year-anniversary book, while also connecting with as many veterans, service members and allies as possible, to celebrate with our hundreds of friends across the United States. Now, we realize we need to more actively raise funds to ensure our survival as an organization. Please look for our fundraiser this May.

Beyond our crowd-sourced fundraiser, if you believe in the work we do, please consider becoming a sustaining donor today. Your contribution will help veterans attend our retreats, in addition to feeding and housing them, as we never charge veterans to participate. It’s easy: just click here and you can choose how much to charge your card automatically on a monthly basis. Your gift of just $20 per month will sponsor a veteran’s housing, local travel, meals and materials for a whole weekend of camaraderie, creativity and wellness.

Please, donate now.

In creativity,