On this Giving Tuesday, we want to take a moment to thank all of those who give back through Voices From War year round, as well as those of you who are able to make a donation.
We rely upon passion and dedication from volunteers, our supporters, our participants, and our leadership and instructors, all of us giving to Voices From War because we see the power of veteran stories and community. Writing helps us to better understand, grapple with, and accept our experiences – each of us, as individuals – and writing brings us together. Writing bonds veterans with each other, and brings together veterans and civilians through the power of shared experience, narrative, and the conversations writing and reading generate.
We see this every week in the classroom, a dozen people around a table, and we see it in conversations online and offline. We see it in the interest of civilians in hearing from veterans; and we see the import of veteran stories shared, with not only those who already understand, but also those who might not yet. In the process, we find unexpected commonalities, alongside differences.
Voices From War (14th St Y) co-instructor Nate Bethea (back row, 3rd from left), next to Craft of War Writing instructor Jeremy Warneke (back, 2nd from left), along with participants at our Nov. 2015 public reading. (photo: Yana Kusayeva)
Thank you to all of our supporters and volunteers. Thank you to our fantastic instructors, Nate Bethea, with whom I’ve had the pleasure and good fortune of teaching alongside these past two years at the 14th Street Y, and Jeremy Warneke, who has become a powerful force teaching our Bronx collaboration, The Craft of War Writing.
We cannot do any of this without you – our participants and our supporters and our volunteers, our dedicated instructors, and our contributors.
Thank you to our audience for giving your time and attention, and thank you for those who can make a donation to help support Voices From War’s ongoing programming!
#GivingTuesday
#morevoices
Your voices matter.
You can make a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas.
Thank you to Poets & Writers for helping to support our workshops, and for the chance to share part of my story and why I strive to give back through Voices From War.
Wishing everyone a Happy Veterans Day, and a special thank you to our veterans for their service and all the ways they continue to serve and enrich our communities. Veterans Day represents a day of gratitude and community, and offers a time to reflect and appreciate the privileges, freedoms, and responsibilities of American democracy — along with the complexities of preserving and honoring it, whether serving in uniform or sharing your voice as a civilian, veterans and non-veterans alike.
On Veterans Day, we specifically honor and thank those who have served in uniform, and we can use the occasion to be reminded of the complex experiences of war, not just on a single day or week in November, but throughout the year.
It is sunny here in New York City this morning, a beautiful autumn day. Thank you to all of our veterans, whether gathering for parades or spending the day more quietly with family and friends. Today, or other days, if you feel alone, we at Voices From War — and numerous other veteran service organizations across the country — remind you that you are not alone. Veteran community is strong, and growing stronger, and we continue to stress the importance of engaging civilians, bridging the gap between experiences.
The arts, including stories shared through writing, offer powerful opportunities for building understanding and for creating empathy. Experiences that seem vastly different can so often hold strong and powerful commonalities, and possibilities for mutual growth.
Please continue to check for updates and information shared on our Facebook page and via Twitter, and the occasional Instagram post.
Coming up (NYC):
Join Voices From War on Monday, NOV 14th, for a writing workshop on the historic Intrepid – “Intrepid After Hours.” Flyer below. Registration via the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum:
The next Voices From War READING of work-in-progress from veterans participating in our fall NYC workshop is coming up on December 10th! *Stay tuned for details.*
OTHER NEWS
A huge THANK YOU to The Rona Jaffe Foundation for their recent grant support for Voices From War’s programming!
CONGRATULATIONS, to The CRAFT of WAR WRITING, a Voices From War collaboration in the Bronx, on the completion (Nov. 12th) of SEASON 2! THANK YOU to Jeremy Warneke for his fantastic teaching and thank you to all of the participants, both veteran and civilian, for your dedication each week in reading about and discussing war literature and veteran experiences.
More news and updates coming soon! In the meantime, Happy Veterans Day to all!
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 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 appreciated: info@voicesfromwar.org
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:
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!)
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.
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.
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 veterans 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—
Voices From War 