Tag Archives: veterans

NEWS “Bites” (+ Open House!)

Voices From War  –  NEWS “Bites”
from our email Newsletter on Friday, February 5, 2016

Happy weekend!

A few quick updates from Voices From War for your weekend! Whether or not you’re getting ready for Sunday’s Super Bowl… we look forward to seeing a crowd of you at our OPEN HOUSE! That’s THIS SUNDAY!   Voices - Logo

Voices From War – OPEN HOUSE
SUNDAY, February 7th, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
HOST:  14th Street Y, 344 East 14th Street, NY, NY  10003

Giving you time to stop by, stay a while, and make it home for the big game!

RSVPs appreciatedinfo@voicesfromwar.org

  LOGO-Pantone-200px

Voices From War’s Writing Workshops for Veterans
NEW SEASON –
Starts Soon!

*Flyer attached

WINTER-SPRING WORKSHOPS* start in Manhattan on FEBRUARY 23rd – with 10 Tuesday evening sessions between Feb. 23rd and MAY 24th.
REGISTRATION:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OgAh0CfROPg9jl24Q48Ybk5HH-OR4L45enGKPUnZRl4/viewform?c=0&w=1

photo 1(1)

DETAILS:  https://voicesfromwar.org/workshop

Questions?   Come by Sunday’s Open House!  Can’t make it to the open house?  Email us at info@voicesfromwar.org

QUICK NEWS & UPDATES

A READING!
  • TWO Voices From War veteran-writers recently read new work at The On and Off Series at Over the Eight in Brooklyn! It was wonderful to hear exciting fiction and non-fiction from Mario Bonifacio and Jeremy Warneke! Thanks to hosts Daniel Zee Husson and Mx Bean for their wonderful reading series – and check back on their FB page for more upcoming readings! (And if our pictures aren’t too blurry, we’ll post some of those soon too!)

https://www.facebook.com/events/557940791025306/

PUBLICATION!
  • Jeremy Warneke, a prior Voices From War participant (and valued member of the veteran-writing community, plus upcoming instructor) recently had an important essay published by Task & Purpose. Jeremy shares some of his own experiences along with research about the under-discussed topic of accidental deaths in the military.

http://taskandpurpose.com/the-tragic-truth-of-accidental-deaths-in-combat-zones/  Jeremy_Warneke_in_Task&Purpose_1-28-16

THE NEW YORK TIMES!
  • If you missed VOICES FROM WAR leader and co-instructor NATE BETHEA‘s recent Op-Ed in the New York Times, be sure to check it out now. Well reasoned, thoughtful, emotionally powerful, and fantastically written, “The Truth About PTSD” is a Don’t Miss for veterans and civilians, whether familiar with experiences of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) or new to its effects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/opinion/sarah-palin-this-is-what-ptsd-is-really-like.html   IMG_4598(1)

If you missed all of our exciting DECEMBER NEWS, be sure to stop by the website!

(We’re working to get our fall Newsletters posted on the blog page!)

https://voicesfromwar.org/blog/  Voices from War_Pen-Paper

DECEMBER:  https://voicesfromwar.org/2015/12/29/december-newsletter/

HOPE to see you for the VOICES FROM WAR OPEN HOUSE on SUNDAY!

Best wishes,
Kara & the Voices From War Team

Please keep in touch through our Facebook page and Twitter (and Instagram now too) and don’t forget to check back on our blog and website:

http://voicesfromwar.org
@voicesfromwar

Kara Krauze
Founder, Director
Voices From War
Writing Workshops for Veterans
VoicesFromWar.org
Email: kara@voicesfromwar.org

         WRITING with Voices From War

December Newsletter

Voices From War – December NEWSLETTER – News & Updates

Tuesday, December 29, 2015   IMG_4320   

Seasons Greetings!

We are excited to share our late fall UPDATES!   FullSizeRender(3)

Scroll down for our EVENT NEWS  ~  PUBLICATION NEWS  ~  PARTNER NEWS  ~  and YOUR HELP (our end-of-year APPEAL)!

EVENT NEWS

Last month, Voices From War celebrated “An Evening of Creative Writing by Veterans,” a fabulous first READING by our participants! On November 21st, we filled the studio as our wonderful host the 14th Street Y welcomed recent Voices From War students in sharing their original writing with a vibrant audience of friends, colleagues, family, and supporters of Voices From War’s participants and our workshops. Twelve readers, spanning decades of military service – from Korea up through Iraq and Afghanistan – shared memoir, poetry, and fiction.

Voices_From_War__NOV_21st__EVENT     Event_Group_Photo_VOICES_FROM_WAR__11-21-15_(pic_Yana Kusayeva)     Front_Program__11-21-15_VfW_EVENT    

One reader, a military family member, presented a dialogue, partnered with talented writer, and Army veteran, Nate Bethea, a Voices From War leader and 14th Street Y co-instructor. Thank you, Nate!  We’re lucky to have Nate’s skill and dedication.

It’s hard to describe and convey the effect of these narratives shared in a crowded room, with subjects as divergent and engaging, as serious and humorous, as the lives we all live, veteran or civilian: running through decades of history, a multitude of deeply personal stories. Precise prose and lyrical prose juxtaposed with musical poetry, sharp dialogue, laughter and deep thought. All shared in the community of strangers and friends. All of us a little less strange to each other, closer in our shared humanity — while more aware of the vast array of divergent experience and common experience, sometimes both at once.

A huge thank you to our magnificent readers — for the polished words they shared and for the work they are still doing: the sentences, experiences, emotions, and phrases still finding their home on paper. We know we are not alone in looking forward to future opportunities to bring Voices From War veterans and writers to more audiences, whether in the same room, or miles apart and brought closer through their stories conveyed on the page.      Flip-side_Program__11-21-15_VfW_EVENT           Interior_Program__11-21-15_VfW_EVENT    

PUBLICATION NEWS

And NEXT, we are proud to share a magazine piece in the new issue of the VASSAR QUARTERLY about Voices From War, and featuring insights from participating veterans along with  writing by two of our participants!
You can read about some of Voices From War’s origins, including the personal history that brought Kara Krauze into not just any classroom, but specifically one that focuses on veterans and experiences of war. And, you can read the original writing of veterans Teresa Fazio and Matt DuPre. Matt was one of the first veterans to walk into our classroom, new for all of us, in the Fall of 2013. (And where did he learn about the workshop? From a postcard Kara pinned up at Shakespeare Books on Broadway. Sadly, the bookstore has closed; but our workshops are thriving!)

You can read the FEATURE about Voices From War, by Larry Hertz, online here:

Writing Their Way Back”     IMG_4593

     http://vq.vassar.edu/issues/2015/03/features/writing-their-way-back.html

And don’t miss Teresa and Matt’s original writing!

No One Left Behind  –  by Teresa Fazio      IMG_4592

     –>  http://vq.vassar.edu/issues/2015/03/web-extras/no-one-left-behind.html

Where Do We Go From Here?  –   by Matt DuPre     IMG_4588

     –>    http://vq.vassar.edu/issues/2015/03/web-extras/where-do-we-go.html     IMG_4335      IMG_4320
Another prior Voices From War participant, Gino Ruiz, interviewed for the article, is now a student at Vassar, part of a wonderful initiative,  The Posse Veterans Program, bringing more veterans to Vassar College and several other liberal arts campuses.

PARTNER NEWS – Video

IN ADDITION, you may recall news about TANGO ON THE BALCONY earlier this year, who Voices From War has been pleased to partner with. Well, the film is almost finished! Tango on the Balcony is a short narrative film featuring recent Iraq-war veteran, Johnny, grappling with post-traumatic stress. While the film makes its way to festivals, the production team is working on final edits and original music. A short video featuring Voices From War’s work will be available soon too. In the meantime, don’t miss the Tango on the Balcony trailer! You can view it now on Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/148653612

ALSO, while we’re on the subject of video, we’re excited to mention that we have video footage of several Voices From War writers reading their stories at our November 21st event. We expect to share portions of the event in the new year.

YOUR HELP!

FINALLY, as we approach the end of 2015, we ask you to
please consider contributing to Voices From War’s work
.

(And if you’ve already contributed this fall, THANK YOU!)

We are proud to be sustaining and strengthening our workshops — including not just our flagship workshop at the 14th Street Y in Manhattan and our “Evening of Creative Writing by Veterans” this November, but also completion of the first Voices From War collaboration at the Bronx Vet Center, with more new programming and collaborations in the works. Thank you to instructor Jeff Loeb, and everyone at the Bronx Vet Center, for a great season in the Bronx!

To sustain and grow, Voices From War needs not only the dedication, grit, and passion of its leaders, instructors, and students. We need your support too. We need your passion and compassion, whether on display in what you do everyday, or activated more quietly in what you believe in, what you read and discuss, consider and share; what you know matters.

We hope you share our belief that these voices matter.
Veteran stories matter to those who tell them; they matter to fellow veterans; and veteran stories matter to civilians who need or want to understand more.

At Voices From War, we can always use more hands and expertise, more voices speaking of and sharing about what we do. And we also ask that you consider making a contribution, whether your budget allows $20, as this year closes; or, if your circumstances permit, please consider making a larger contribution, whether $50, $100 or more.

EACH DONATION – YOUR DONATION – MAKES A DIFFERENCE, WHATEVER SIZE.

TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS can be made through our Fiscal Sponsor, FRACTURED ATLAS:

       https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=10933

May good tidings and shared joys of the season be with you; and know that you are with us, a crowd of individuals who make a mass, engaging with stories and those who need to tell them, and should be heard.

THANK  YOU for all of the ways each of you support veterans, stories and writing, and Voices From War!

Warm wishes,
Kara & the Voices From War Team

Please keep in touch through our Facebook page and Twitter (and Instagram now too) and don’t forget to check back on our blog and website:

http://voicesfromwar.org
@voicesfromwar

Kara Krauze
Founder, Director
Voices From War
Writing Workshops for Veterans
VoicesFromWar.org
Email: kara@voicesfromwar.org

  • Our December Newsletter was emailed to subscribers on Dec. 29, 2015. Want to join our mailing list?  Click HERE to sign up via MailChimp.
  • Image (near top & mid-page): Vassar Quarterly, Fall 2015, cover image (featuring veteran, Vassar student, David Carrell ’17).

IMG_3616

Voices From War – Season 5 at the 14th Street Y – Starts Tonight!Voices_VfW_blue_

Excited for more great discussions as we begin our THIRD YEAR of workshops:

 

http://goo.gl/forms/QdOLknkzHz

 

To take the unknown and discover what we know

imageTuesday, January 20th, 2015

Friends and Colleagues,

Today is the FINAL DAY of our Voices From War INDIEGOGO FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN and the last chance to make a difference on this campaign. Now is the time—for any last minute sharing with friends and to contribute if you can.

A donation of any size is appreciated—each show of support makes a difference.

And there are still some great perks remaining!

THANK YOU to all of you who have contributed, through your online donations, by sharing our Appeal with others, by valuing Voices From War’s programming—valuing veterans and their stories—and letting us know in so many ways.

We will continue to update you on upcoming events, publication of our first collection of participant work in Voices from War, Volume 1, and other interesting news, writing tips, and thoughts on veterans’ stories and writing.

At Voices From War, we understand…

Through writing we are offered a means to create something bigger than the parts from which it is made. To take what we think we know, and find the unknown. Or the inverse: to take the unknown and discover what we know.

Each voice matters.

_________________________

“Recently, I have come to see that while we will change whether or not we want to, our history – what we’ve inherited from others, and from ourselves – doesn’t change. Our task is not to wipe a difficult history away and start fresh, but to get right with it.”
–  Peter Mountford, from “A Table Set for the Past and the Future”

Don’t forget to sign up for our blog—plus keep an eye on our Facebook page (and “Like” it if you haven’t already).

Our Indiegogo Appeal ends tonight at midnight!

You can view again on Indiegogo what Voices From War has accomplished in our first year-and-a-half of workshopsand what we’re planning next with the help of our supporters and participants, our VOICES From War.

REGISTRATION and Class Details for the Winter-Spring 2015 Voices From War (NYC, Season 4) workshop available on the website.

The Voices From War OPEN HOUSE & SOCIAL is Tuesday, FEBRUARY 3rd – RSVP to info@voicesfromwar.org

Indiegogo:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/voices-from-war/x/8978084

Voices From War workshop details (Winter-Spring 2015):  https://voicesfromwar.org/workshop/

Thank you!

All the best,
Kara

Kara Krauze
Founder, Director
Voices From War

Writing Workshops for Veterans
VoicesFromWar.org

Voices_logo_+web__smaller

Weekends & News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17th, 2015

Weekends are the ideal time for lazy readings of the Voices++_about_VfW_blue__12-2014newspaper, a new book or a favorite old one. And weekend days offer time to catch up. We have news about our Winter-Spring 2015 NYC workshop… and our Voices From War fundraiser, with only 3 days to go!

You may have missed some of the exciting perks available through the Voices From War fundraiser – and they’re only available until January 20th!

news-bit_perks_1-17-15*FICTION from Vietnam veteran (& publisher of Blue Heron Books) Bathsheba Monk * MEMOIR with HISTORY on the Cold War by writer Mary Lawlor * A year’s worth of fantastic WRITING from TIN HOUSE Magazine (only one subscription left!) * And more GREAT PERKS! *

There’s not much time left!

We send citizens to war, we welcome them home—and now we ask not for silence but for complicated experiences put into words. Now we listen.

If you want to show your support for Voices From War’s free writing workshops for text-block-B_blog_1-17-15veterans and help make possible our first publication, Voices from War, Volume 1, showcasing the stories of participants from the first year of Voices From War, please consider making a modest donation.

And please share our appeal with others who care about veterans and about writing.
(THANK YOU if you have already given! And if you have shared news about Voices From War!)

You can read about our progress and success stories—

and what Voices from War strives to do—here:

http://igg.me/at/VoicesfromWar

We have only 3 DAYS left to reach our Indiegogo goal!

Don’t forget to refer your friends and colleagues through the Indiegogo site, via social media, or by sharing this email!

Any questions, suggestions, introductions, or collaborations—please reach out to  info@voicesfromwar.org.

With thanks,

Kara
Kara Krauze
Founder, Director
Voices From War
news-block-2B_1-17-15
Writing Workshops for Veterans
VoicesFromWar.org

 


NYC Veterans Alliance

Stand Beside Them

Women Veterans Empowerment Day

Voices from War_Pen-Paper

 

 

 

 

 

Stories, Respect, and the News

photo 1(1)With so much sad news and divisiveness in our city and the world, I’ve been trying to remind myself of the small actions people can take to bridge divides in experience and perspective and to make sense of their own experiences. I started Voices from War and our writing workshops for veterans in 2013 with this in mind: the gaps between people’s experiences, the silence, the voids of comprehension, the need on the individual level for this to be different, and what it does for broader communities to be able to speak of or explain what seems unspeakable or inexplicable.

Readers of this blog know that experiences of war are complex, often difficult to explain; and veterans have too few places to share them, or simply make sense of them for oneself. Narrative helps bring disparate and contradictory actions, emotions, relationships, together. Writing helps in creating a sense of order from disorder. Without hostility; with respect.

I keep thinking of the mutual respect we share within the Voices from War workshops – among different generations and backgrounds, different political groundings, while engaging with harsh realities – and the community that arises alongside the discussions and stories, both fiction and non-fiction. Divides within ourselves and between ourselves and others are bridged in the workshops – in the room and with writing – and through related outreach, publication, and public events.

In this difficult period of strife and too-frequent bad news… in this period of generosity of spirit, family, and festive lights… may there be more support for civil discussion, mutual respect, telling and hearing, with empathy, each others’ stories.

Please consider supporting Voices from War and our work during this season of giving. Our first fundraising appeal is going on now through Indiegogo.

We need your support to sustain and grow what we do.

Thank you – and Happy Holidays to all.photo 4(2)

Kara Krauze

New York City, Dec. 22, 2014

 ______________________

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/voices-from-war   photo 3(4)

You can read about our exciting perks on the Indiegogo page, including great books, subscriptions to Tin House literary journal, our own logo Notebooks and Totes – and more!

You can also help by sharing on Facebook and Twitter, or by email.
http://igg.me/at/VoicesfromWar


Thank you on #GivingTuesday

Giving_Tues_Voices_bannerTues., Dec. 2nd, 2014

To our Voices from War extended community:

Dear Friends,

First, THANK YOU to each of you for your part in making Voices from War a successful reality, whether you are a veteran participating in our weekly writing workshops or an engaged civilian, veteran, or veteran service provider receiving our updates – and listening for more veteran stories. Perhaps you were able to attend our recent event, “Journeys in Stories,” in collaboration with non-profit arts organization Veteran Artist Program. The Voices from War Literary Showcase, which was followed by another powerful ensemble performance by The Telling Project, was a fantastic success – engaging, thoughtful, thought-provoking – with an audience of over 200! We can’t wait to tell you about each of the exciting projects we are working on, with the Voices from War writing workshop always at our core; a place to write, to reflect, to engage, in a community of fellow veterans, writing.

I am writing to you today to ask for your ongoing support on this “Giving Tuesday.” Our writing workshops continue because of your support.

We are launching our first Voices from War crowdfunding campaign next week through Indiegogo – and we need your support, whether in the form of a modest contribution, help spreading the word, or both!

Voices from War, from our start in 2013, has relied on word-of-mouth support, whether through participants in our writing workshops, friends and colleagues, veterans, or others who work closely with veterans. And we take pride in building community through you – whether you are a veteran, or a civilian, or a military family member. Whether you are a reader or a writer. Whether you work actively with or for a veteran service organization or are in the military, or whether you are not even sure if you know a recent veteran, yet.

All of us count on the capable hands and minds of veterans, their strength and resilience, and their service. Their return to civilian society and the richness of their ongoing contributions matter deeply to each of us, to history, and to our literature. Whether someone served recently in Iraq or Afghanistan, or decades earlier in Vietnam, whether in Korea or Europe, or in regions and conflicts to which we have paid less heed – their stories matter, their voices matter. Without them, we know far less of the firsthand realities of war and military life – the camaraderie found in struggle, the pain of violent loss, and so much in between. Their stories are human stories; and from war stories, we understand more of ourselves.

Stories deepen our humanity. Telling stories, sometimes just for ourselves, sometimes for a wider audience, brings us closer – to ourselves, to understanding complex experience, and to others. Writers and readers. Veterans and civilians. People.

I am asking you today to take a moment, to consider all of these stories, how much our own stories matter to us; how much the stories of others – whether told through the truths of memory or the different truth of fiction – enrich our lives.

Please share in Voices from War’s work, and in our future, in these simple ways—

Your attention matters; and in this season of giving and giving thanks, your gift, however small, makes a difference.

Whether you can give $1, $10, or $100 – even if you find you cannot make a contribution at all right now – please share our campaign and please share in the work of Voices from War. We could not do it without you.

Want to know more about Voices from War and what we do?

We are concluding our third season of writing workshops for veterans at the 14th Street Y in New York City, and getting ready for our next season, Winter-Spring 2015. We just held a fantastically successful Literary Showcase, part of the 2nd Annual VAP Veterans Week Showcase, in collaboration with veteran-arts non-profit Veteran Artist Program – “Journeys in Stories: From the Front to the Home Front in Words” – and we are finishing editorial work on our first Voices from War literary journal – Volume 1 of writing from workshop participants! We can’t wait to share work from these fine writers – fiction and non-fiction from veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and even Korea.

Please visit our website, and check back on the site, the Voices from War blog, and our Facebook page for more updates!

And, again, thank you for all you give – by listening, by writing, by contributing however much or little you are able, and by sharing in the importance of our work; by sharing in valuing the importance of these voices.

Warmly,

Kara
Kara Krauze
Director, Voices from War

email: info@VoicesfromWar.org
VoicesfromWar.org

Giving_Tues_Voices__compactYou can make a PLEDGE to our upcoming Indiegogo Fundraising campaign (tax-deductible, see below) with this simple online form. (We will remind you later!)

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Thank You!

Voices from War is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Voices from War must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Or Donate Now – through Fractured Atlas, our fiscal sponsor.

https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/images/logo.png

THANK YOU for supporting Voices from War!

Our Workshops for Veterans – and the New VOICES from WAR Logo!

Today, we want to use this space to respond to a question in our Comments section. Our response covers topics that might interest other visitors to the Voices from War site. And don’t miss details about our upcoming collaboration “JOURNEYS IN STORIES” at the end of this post!

THANK YOU to a veteran-writer in Illinois for prompting us. Here is his QUESTION:

“I live in Illinois and cannot attend a workshop. Is there a webinar plan for future workshops? Also, do I have to attend a workshop in order to submit my work for consideration? Thanks.”

And our REPLY:

Hi, Thanks for your inquiry and your interest in Voices from War. We are aware of interest outside of our local base in New York City. Webinars are one future possibility; another is establishing other workshops in areas with interested veterans and a qualified writer, whom we would train. If you think you have a group of interested participants, please feel free to email — info@voicesfromwar.org — and we will explore possibilities when we have expanded capacity.

At the moment, we are only including writing from the Voices from War workshops in our upcoming publication Voices from War, Volume 1. We may offer other publication opportunities in the future. Please sign up to receive occasional newsletter updates and follow the blog.

Upcoming blog posts will cover some strategies and information sources for submitting work to other publications, some with a specific interest in veterans’ stories and some more generally looking for good stories (fiction and non-fiction) on a variety of topics — which we know should include stories from war and those who served.

In our Voices from War workshops, we focus attention on reading as well as writing. Reading offers inspiration and reminds writers of different ways to tell a story. We also post occasional quotations and reading selections we recommend — both here on the website and on the Voices from War Facebook page. (If you are a Facebook user, please “Like” the Voices from War Facebook page to receive those updates in your news feed.)

Please do keep writing — or just begin if you are new to it. And stay engaged here for tips, suggestions, and updates.

Good luck in telling your stories.

Kara & the Voices from War team

Voices from War_Pen-Paper

~~~~~

◊◊  THANK YOU to Designer eperez for the new Voices from War LOGO!  ◊◊

Voices from War - Logo

** A huge THANK YOU to Poets & Writers and The New York State Council on the Arts for their help in supporting another season of Voices from War, A Writing Workshop for Veterans. And an ongoing THANK YOU to the 14th Street Y, supporter and host, welcoming the workshop and its participants each week. **

__________________

SAVE THE DATE!   SUNDAY, NOV 9thJOURNEYS in STORIES – From the Front to the Home Front in Words
PRESENTED by: Veteran Artist Program (VAP) w/ Voices from War

FEATURING:  National Book Award Nominee PHIL KLAY with poet, librettist, playwright, MAURICE DECAUL, poet and educator LAREN MCCLUNG, and essayist (first-hand from Afghanistan) and fiction writer, NATHAN BRADLEY BETHEA.

Moderated by Kara Krauze (Founder, Voices from War)
Sunday, November 9th, in FIT’s Katie Murphy Amphitheatre – NYC –

Followed by THE TELLING PROJECT – Don’t miss this incredible ensemble performance by veterans sharing their experiences of war, live on stage.

 Ticketing – AVAILABLE Now

via the EVENT PAGE

~~~~~~~~~~

*  Voices from War is now a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization.  Please visit the sidebar or bottom of this page for details and to make a secure online donation.  *

 ♦♦ Check back for more information about our first Voices from War publication and NYC Reading. We look forward to introducing more readers to these talented writers!  ♦♦

Start telling your story.

______________
Voices from War’s Writing Workshop for Veterans in NYC – FALL 2014 is running now.
Come work on your story in a supportive community of fellow vets.
Space Limited.
Next Class (#4 of Season 3): Oct. 7th.
__________
Voices_from_War__Flyer__FALL_2014
Voices_V+Pen_logo-image