Contest Solicits 'Lessons-Encountered' Essays

Editors at Small Wars Journal have teamed up with Military Writers Guild to conduct an essay-writing contest focused on lessons-encountered at the tactical and operational levels of war.

Word count is 3,000 to 5,000. Deadline is Jan. 15, 2017. Winners will be announced in March 2017.

According to the announcement, the project takes inspiration from the publication of "Lessons Encountered: Learning from the Long War," a National Defense University project that explored similar theme at the strategic level.

That book, available for FREE in e-book reader formats here, was "intended for future senior officers, their advisors, and other national security decision-makers. By derivation, it is also a book for students in joint professional military education courses, which will qualify them to work in the field of strategy."

In the announced contest, Small Wars Journal editors are soliciting takes on what worked and what did not work in modern wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. They suggest two lists of maxims as a potential launching points, the first from former commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. Anthony Zinni, and the second from civilian strategist David Kilcullen. Both lists appear here.

Writers are encouraged to use incorporate one or many of these maxims into their submitted works, and also to base their writing in first-hand experiences, told in the first person.

Functional areas and applicable topics suggested by the editors include, but are not limited to:

Insurgency/Counterinsurgency

Terrorism/Counterterrorism

Stabilization, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations

Unconventional Warfare

Foreign Internal Defense

Civil-Military Operations

Information Operations

Military Intelligence and Counterintelligence Activities

Transnational Criminal Activities that Support or Sustain Small Wars / Irregular Warfare

Law Enforcement Activities Focused on Countering Irregular Adversaries

Writers may enter in three categories, including: U.S. Military, Non-U.S. Military, and Non-Military (U.S. and Other). First ($1,000), Second ($500), and Third Prizes ($300) may be awarded in each category, in addition to up to 20 honorable mentions ($200).

Full details, including submissions formats and process, are to be found here.

Lit Journal to Focus on Military Stories Beyond Service

Faculty editors at the University of Washington—Tacoma have announced "Collateral," a twice-annual on-line journal, published in summer and winter issues. The journal will feature creative writing and art that "explores the impact of the military and military service on the lives of people beyond the active service person." The editors seek fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and art that illuminate these "collateral" narratives.

Submissions are via the publication's website here. Microsoft Word or PDF files are preferred. The journal requests first serial Internet rights. All other rights remain with the author. Simultaneous and multiple submissions are acceptable. Notifications within an anticipated average of 8 weeks, depending on time of year.

The publication's mission statement reads:

Collateral explores the perspectives of those whose lives are touched indirectly by the realities of military service. Numerous journals already showcase war literature, but we provide a creative platform that highlights the experiences of those who exist in the space around military personnel and the combat experience. 

We feel these voices sometimes go unheard, and this journal captures the "collateral" impact of military service, whether it is from the perspective of the partner or child; the parent or sibling; the friend or co-worker; or the elderly veteran, the refugee, or the protester. In any issue, you might find the haiku of a seven-year old girl whose father is in Afghanistan alongside the short story of an award-winning fiction writer. Or the first-person essay of a military spouse alongside the critical essay of an academic.

Editors suggest submission of 3-5 poems or 1-3 pieces of prose, with no length requirements.

In addition to creative writing, editors plan to include feature articles and interviews in future issues. Query the editors via e-mail: submissions AT collateraljournal.com.

Get Published! Veteran-friendly Literary, Art Markets

Here is an alphabetical list of anthologies, contests, and literary journals that are soliciting visual or written work on themes related to military service, or have specifically called for work by military service members, veterans, and/or family members.

This list will also appear as a static page on the Red Bull Rising blog.

Please direct corrections, additions, and updates via e-mail to: sherpa AT redbullrising.com

List updated as of Feb. 27, 2015.

THE ART OF FUTURE WAR PROJECT (THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL)

Deadlines: By announcement
Frequency: Every other month
Accepts: Short fiction, flash fiction, and some visual art
Simultaneous submissions? NA
Previously published materials: NA
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No
Submissions link: http://artoffuturewarfare.org/tag/writing/

Website: http://artoffuturewarfare.org/

As part of an ongoing 2015 project working toward an anthology of near-future military-themed science fiction, The Atlantic Council regularly solicits new stories illustrating the military/political world as we're about to know it.

Examples: One past flash-fiction contest asked writers to imagine a "Day of Infamy" speech given after an 2041 attack on the United States. A past short-story contest called for stories of 1,500- to 2,500 words, in the form of journalistic accounts akin to a front-page story describing the outbreak of a future great power conflict.

*****

AS YOU WERE: A MILITARY REVIEW

Deadline: On-going
Frequency: Quarterly
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry; also visual art and photography
Simultaneous submissions? No
Previously published materials: No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes
Submissions link: http://militaryexperience.org/submissions/

Website: http://militaryexperience.org/as-you-were-vol-1/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/militaryexperienceandthearts?ref=br_tf

Having published four separate on-line annual titles for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and PTSD narratives in 2013, the Kentucky-based Military Experience & the Arts non-profit in 2014 recombined those publications into a quarterly literary journal titled "As You Were." The title replaces "The Blue Falcon" (fiction); "Blue Nostalgia" (PTSD narratives); "The Blue Streak" (poetry); and the flagship "Journal of Military Experience" (non-fiction and academic writing).

Submissions go through a unique peer-editing process prior to publication. Acquires first North American and anthology rights.

*****

ASH & BONES

Deadline: On-going
Frequency: Twice-annual
Accepts: Fiction, letters, essays, poetry; also visual art and photography
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials: Yes, with notice.
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No
Submissions link: http://ashandbones.com/submissions/

Website: http://ashandbones.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ash-Bones/1470754909873935

"For those brave and creative souls who have dedicated their lives to the armed forces, for those witnesses to the impacts of war and military life, and for those who crave understanding of the experiences incited by war and aftermaths, Ash & Bones presents a myriad of insightful readings."

Submit poems, letters, essays, or short stories in response to the following themes: Letters from War; War Stories; Human Waste; Military Life; Military Afterlife.

*****

BELLEVUE LITERARY REVIEW (NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE)

Deadline: On-going
Frequency: Twice-annual; one-shot special Spring 2015 issue titled "Embattled: The Ramifications of War" [special issue closed Feb. 1, 2015]
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials? Only with prior permission of editors
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No
Submissions link: http://blr.med.nyu.edu/news/2014/call-submissions-theme-issue-war

*****

BLUE NOSTALGIA: A JOURNAL OF POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH

Deadline: On-going
Frequency: Annual
Accepts: Trauma narratives
Simultaneous submissions? No
Previously published materials? No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes
Submissions link: https://mea.submittable.com/submit/37537

Website: http://militaryexperience.org/blue-nostalgia-a-journal-of-post-traumatic-growth-vol-1/

Published by the Veterans PTSD Project of the non-profit Military Experience & the Arts: "Blue Nostalgia gives us a medium to connect to our brothers and sisters, while allowing the civilian community a glimpse into our world. There are many of us who have experienced the trauma that comes with armed conflict, but there are many more who have not, and never will. We veterans hold in our minds and bodies the history of our wars, and if the non-veteran community is to grasp who we are, what we have experienced, and what we are capable of as productive citizens, we must tell our stories.

In addition to experiencing war trauma, some of us have experienced military sexual trauma or trauma outside of a deployment. The stories of such trauma and the growth that follows need to be told."

*****

CONSEQUENCE

Deadline: June 1, 2015

Frequency: Annual

Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Simultaneous submissions? Yes

Previously published materials? No

Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No

Submissions link: http://www.consequencemagazine.org/submit/

Website: http://www.consequencemagazine.org/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ConsequenceMagazine

"Consequence is an international literary magazine published annually, focusing on the culture and consequences of war. "

*****

DEADLY WRITERS PATROL

Deadline: On-going

Frequency: Annual

Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Simultaneous submissions? Yes

Previously published materials? Yes

Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes

Submissions via e-mail to 2015 editor Craig Werner: cwerner52 AT yahoo.com

Website: http://deadlywriterspatrol.org/

Madison, Wis.-based Deadly Writers Patrol was started by a cadre of Vietnam War-era veterans, but issues since 2013 have included work from veterans of all eras. The magazine's editors welcome veterans' contributions of poetry, fiction, and more. Submissions by non-veterans should regard in some manner a theme of war or its effects. In addition to short stories and poems, past submissions have included excerpts from novels and memoirs, as well as personal essays.

*****

DRESS RIGHT DRESS: THE UNIFORM AND ITS STORIES

Deadline: March 30, 2016
Frequency: One-shot print anthology
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials? Yes
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No
Submissions link: https://vickihudsonwriting.submittable.com/submit/19812

From the call for submissions: "The military uniform is a symbol of the service and a tool for the wearer. The accoutraments have meaning, some tell of the wearer's valor, of sacrafice, of loss, of conquest, accomplishment or rite of passage. Some parts are hard won, like the tab on the right shoulder. Some mark a history, like the overseas ribbon on the sleeve. The combat shirt, the bloused pants, belt exact upon the gig line...each part of the uniform has meaning. Each who has worn the uniform has a story. What is your story, with what aspect of your uniform as symbol or character that calls back to your service?

Submissions of nonfiction (750 - 5000 words) or poetry (any form,  up to 5 poems) wanted. Please include an author's bio under 200 words."

*****

IOWA REVIEW: JEFF SHARLET MEMORIAL AWARD FOR VETERANS

Deadline: Currently closed
Frequency: Annual?
Accepts: poetry, non-fiction/essay, visual arts
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Limited to military service members and veterans? Yes

Website: http://iowareview.uiowa.edu/veteranswritingcontest
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/iowareview

The Jeff Sharlet Memorial Award for Veterans contest is hosted by The Iowa Review and made possible by the family of Jeff Sharlet (1942–1969), a Vietnam veteran and anti-war writer and activist. The contest has been conducted in 2012 and 2013. The contest is open to any service member or veteran writing in any genre, about any subject matter. Entry fee is $15. Prize is $1,000 and publication in The Iowa Review. Entrants should submit a double-spaced manuscript in any genre (poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction) of up to 20 pages.

*****

LINE OF ADVANCE

Deadline: On-going
Frequency: Quarterly
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, essay, poetry, serials; some visual art and photography, other
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials? Yes
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Copy of DD-214 or military identification card may be required after acceptance.

Website: http://www.lineofadvance.org/Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Line-of-Advance/105192563012452

First published in March 2013, the Line of Advance is a quarterly e-journal of writing by military veterans and service members. Future issues may be organized around themes. "We're looking for creative work that is authentic to the individual veteran's experience," co-editor Matt Marcus says. "We ask that people not write or express what they think other people want to read, but write what they want. Something amazing happens when creative writing really conveys personal narrative."

*****

O-DARK THIRTY (VETERANS WRITING PROJECT)

Deadline: On-going
Accepts: fiction, poetry, visual arts
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials? No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes

Website: http://o-dark-thirty.org/ and http://veteranswriting.org/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/VeteransWritingProject

The Veterans Writing Project is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit that pursues a double mission: Provide writing-as-therapy resources to injured military veterans and the medical community, and, more generally, encourage and publish the literary work of military service members, veterans, and family members.

In Summer 2012, the organization announced a literary journal titled "O-Dark-Thirty." Works published by an online journal are considered for print publication in a quarterly review and/or annual anthology. Payment: Complimentary author's copy. Accepts fiction and non-fiction up to 5,000 words, and poetry up to 3 per submission. Acquires first North American and anthology rights; requests subsequent publication cite the journal as original.

*****

THE PASS IN REVIEW JOURNAL

Deadline: See submissions page for deadlines; four times annually
Frequency: ***Currently on hiatus***
Accepts: Fiction, poetry, visual arts, music
Simultaneous submissions? Yes
Previously published materials? No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes

Website: http://www.thepassinreview.com/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/thepassinreview

First published in February 2013, The Pass in Review is an on-line journal dedicated to presenting veterans' artistic work and perspective. "We believe that veterans from all conflicts, past and present, are misrepresented and are underrepresented in the artistic community. Our goal is to cast veterans in a new light by allowing the public to see their work and gain an understanding of the veteran's perspective." The Pass In Review retains exclusive publishing rights for six months after the first publication, and non-exclusive anthology rights after that. After six months has elapsed, the artist resumes full ownership of his/her work.

*****

PROUD TO BE: WRITING BY AMERICAN WARRIORS

Deadline: June 1, 2015
Frequency: Annual anthology
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction essay, interview, poetry, photography
Simultaneous submissions? No
Previously published materials? No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? Yes

Website: http://www6.semo.edu/universitypress/Contests/PTB_Contest.htm
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SEuniversitypress

Published by the Southeast Missouri State University Press since 2012, working in conjunction with the non-profit organizations Missouri Humanities Council and Warriors Arts Alliance, the "Proud to Be" anthology series comprises both a contest and a publication. Prize in each category is $250. "[T]his series of anthologies preserves and shares military service perspectives of our soldiers and veterans of all conflicts and of their families. It is not only an outlet for artistic expression but also a document of the unique aspects of wartime in our nation's history."

*****

REPEAL DAY: WHEN DADT BECAME HISTORY

Deadline: Oct. 1, 2015
Frequency: One-shot anthology
Accepts: Personal non-fiction narratives
Simultanious submissions? Yes.
Previously published materials? Yes
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No

Submissions page: https://vickihudsonwriting.submittable.com/submit/18532

From the call for submissions: "Seeking personal accounts of actions or experiences of serving LGBT military members and their families on 20 September 2011, effective date of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) repeal and their experiences throughout the first year until the Anniversary date of 20 September 2012."

*****

SO IT GOES: THE LITERARY JOURNAL OF THE KURT VONNEGUT MEMORIAL LIBRARY

Deadline: Annual
Accepts: Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and artwork
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Previously published materials? Yes
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No

Website: http://www.vonnegutlibrary.org/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/VonnegutLibrary

First published in November 2012 by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library, Indianapolis, Ind., So It Goes accepts new and previously published fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and artwork. Submissions are limited to one work of prose (maximum 1,500 words) or up to five poems, photographs, and/or works of art. Past themes include "War and Peace" (2012); "Humor" (2013); "Creative Process" (2014). While not specifically linked to topics of war or remembrance, the journal's annual publication coincides with Kurt Vonnegut's Nov. 11 birthday, and is part of the library's "Veterans Reclaiming Armistice Day" activities. As a U.S. Army soldier during World War II, Vonnegut was taken as a prisoner-of-war, and witnessed the destruction of Dresden, Germany.

*****

STONE CANOE JOURNAL'S INSTITUTE FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES AWARD

Deadline: TBD; between April and August?
Frequency: Annual
Accepts: Drama, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and artwork
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Previously published materials? No
Limited to veterans? Yes

Website: http://www.stonecanoejournal.org/submit.html
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/StoneCanoeJournal

Starting with the 2013 issue of Stone Canoe, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (I.V.M.F.) at Syracuse University presents an annual $500 prize for previously unpublished short story, essay, creative non-fiction (up to 10,000 words), or poem (or series of up to three) written by a U.S. military veteran. The subject matter of the submitted work may be about veteran or military family issues, but it is not a requirement. Also, unlike other Stone Canoe categories, there is no requirement that the writer or artist demonstrate a geographic tie to upper New York state.

*****

STORIES OF COMING HOME, THE PERSONAL AFTERMATH OF WAR (HUDSON WHITMAN/EXCELSIOR COLLEGE)

Deadline: May 1, 2015
Frequency: One-shot anthology
Accepts: Non-fiction
Simultaneous submissions? Unspecified
Previously published materials? Unspecified
Limited to military service members and veterans? No

Website: http://hudsonwhitman.com/about/submissions-policy/

Hudson Whitman/Excelsior College is looking for non-fiction stories from military service members, veterans, and family members and friends that capture the experience of coming home from war. Prize is $200 plus publication in anthology titled "Stories of Coming Home, the Personal Aftermath of War." Project manager Dario DiBattista is the non-fiction editor for O-Dark-Thirty, the literary journal for the Veterans Writing Project. Word count is between 1,500 and 6,000.

******

QUIET DESERT, LONELY WAR: SHORT STORIES OF THE CONFLICT IN AFGHANISTAN

Deadline: Until filled; publication in late 2015
Frequency: One-shot anthology
Accepts: literary and genre (science fiction, mystery, fantasy, etc.) short fiction between 1,000 and 6,000 words
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Previously published materials? Yes
Limited to veterans? "Authors should have some relationship and connection to the war. Military veterans are especially encouraged to submit."

Website: http://muzzlelandpress.com/submissions-and-guidelines/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/muzzlelandpress

*****

WAR, LITERATURE & THE ARTS

Deadline: Rolling
Frequency: Annual
Accepts: Essays, criticism, fiction, interviews, memoir, non-fiction, poetry, and artwork
Simultaneous submissions: Yes
Previously published materials? No
Limited to military service members, veterans, and/or families? No

Website: http://wlajournal.com
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/War-Literature-and-the-Arts-An-International-Journal-of-the-Humanities/345655239137

'As You Were': Veteran Group Re-launches Lit Journal

Military Experience & the Arts (M.E.A.), a veterans- and arts-advocacy non-profit based in Richmond, Ky., has announced that it will re-launch its family of four annual journal titles under a single quarterly banner. The new on-line publication will be titled "As You Were."

Military service members and veterans will recognize the phrase as one frequently heard in drill and ceremony, in which it is used to revoke a preparatory command. (See FM 22-5, Section 2-1, paragraph D.) A nautical equivalent might be "belay that."

"Our title also connotes a hearkening back, an exploration of the self and the past," the editors write. "We're interested in those words and works of art that are brave enough to cut through rank and time, presenting military experience honestly, free of the white-washing that is so common in today's war literature and art."

The group will continue to foster a collaborative culture and methods. "We've published six volumes since 2011, providing each contributor—regardless of whether that contributor has published 25 words or 25 books—with some form of one-on-one consultation."

The re-launch comes soon after the announcement of a May 2015 symposium to be held in Lawton, Okla., which will welcome artists, advocates, and veterans to military experience through the expressive arts. Registration for the event is open here.

Previously, literary titles published annually by Military Experience & the Arts included:

• The Blue Falcon Review: A Journal of Military Fiction

• The Blue Streak: A Journal of Military Poetry

• Blue Nostalgia: A Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth

• The Journal of Military Experience

Submission instructions for "As You Were" have been consolidated here. The organization now uses the on-line service Submittable to manage submissions. Editors seek artwork, fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Scholarly articles will no longer be considered.

Lawton, Okla. is Site of 2015 Military and Arts Event

The Richmond, Ky.-based non-profit Military Experience & the Arts (M.E.A.) recently announced plans for a May 14-17, 2015 symposium of military veterans, advocates, arts practitioners, and others interested in exploring healing, history, and communication through the expressive arts. The event will take place on the campus of Cameron University, Lawton, Okla.

The organization's inaugural 3-day event, conducted July 2012 in Kentucky, comprised workshops, demonstrations, and performances by an engaged and diverse group of veterans, advocates, and artists.

Past "Red Bull Rising" blog coverage of the MEA organization and its related literary journals is collected here. A blog post reflecting on the 2012 event is here.

The MEA is currently seeking corporate and organizational sponsors for the 2015 event, as well as potential workshop presenters and facilitators. The group is also seeking volunteers to assist with activities at the event.

Starting Aug. 15, military veterans and spouses can register for a non-refundable $20 fee. Information about meals, lodging, and other accommodations is still pending.

In related news, the MEA has recently reopened submissions to its family of literary journals. Writers are encouraged to submit original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and visual art through the organization's new Submittable portal. Simultaneous and previously published submissions are not accepted.

One caveat: Writers considering submission are strongly encouraged to review the organization's copyright and privacy statements. Because of previous licensing relationship, for example, submissions published in The Journal of Military Experience remain the intellectual property of Eastern Kentucky University following publication.

Notes from the 2014 Great Plains Writers' Conference

The 2014 Great Plains Writers' Conference featured a discussion among

civil-military stakeholders on the campus of South Dakota State University. Photo: GPWC.

For three days, last week's 38th Annual Great Plains Writers' Conference in Brookings, S.D. delivered inspiring conversations around the theme of "Coming Home: War, Healing, and American Culture." The event took place on the campus of South Dakota State University.

The event was scheduled from Sunday evening, March 23 to Tuesday evening, March 25. Daytime sessions allowed students and faculty to take full advantage of visiting regional and national experts, and to present their own research and writing to the public. Session formats included panel discussions, authorial readings and how-tos, historical overviews, and more. Evenings featured longer-form readings by visiting authors. Via a blog, Facebook and Twitter, organizers posted insights and updates on-line.

My own notebook is full of takeaway tips and memorable moments:

Francis Whitebird, a Vietnam Veteran and 

son of Code Talker Noah Whitebird,

shows off pins that represent the wars

in which his family has fought. The top one

represents the Indian Wars, the last 

one Afghanistan and Iraq. Caption and photo 

by U.S. House of Representatives.

Vietnam War veteran Francis Whitebird and his sons Colin and Brandon, both veterans of the Iraq War, talked about the warrior tradition in their immediate family, and in the Rosebud Sioux tribe. The elder Whitebird talked of how his community would gather and celebrate departing soldiers. "They would sing them off, and then, they would feed everybody," he said. (The practice reminded me of National Guard send-off and homecoming ceremonies.)

Upon their return from war, veterans would be honored by seating them in groups, according to the conflicts in which they served. "In Lakota Country, we have songs about every war, and we had war songs about individuals. My aunt had one of them made up for me." Returning warriors could also take part in "centering" ceremonies, which would bring peace to themselves.

His sons now participate in tribal events as warriors themselves, connecting them to a larger history and culture. Said Connor, "Dad used to wake us up by singing Army Infantry cadences. How you grow up makes a difference. We had chores before school. We made our beds with hospital corners."

"After I got shot in the chest, I decided to go back [to Iraq.]," he continued. "It was a little bit of pride, but I was also thinking about the people who went before me."

*****

It was through a reading by Katey Schultz, author of "Flashes of War," that I came to understand the potential poetic connections of flash fiction and prose-poetry. Flash fiction is described as single-perspective stories that range in approximate length from 250 to 750 words. In her short fiction, Schultz, who has no direct connection to military service, has distilled words and observations into rounds that ring true and on target. The result is part poetry, part story-telling.

Schultz, by the way, also described her technique of generating story prompts from photos and other media. Check out a YouTube video here, which features some of the images she used as cues for short fiction.

*****

GPWC Twitter feed during Charlie Sherpa's presentation on
"Finding and Creating Opportunities in Writing about Military Life."

Founder of the non-profit Veterans Writing Project, Washington, D.C., Ron Capps noted that his organization welcomes participation by military family members, as well as current and past military service members. "Working with Special Forces, we had a saying: 'One is none,'" he said. "There always has to be a back-up. There always has to be a wingman. When you get out, particularly if you're in the National Guard or reserves, your family becomes your wingman."

*****

Rosalie Owens, an on-line course designer and creative-writing instructor for American Military University, noted that her class participants—many of whom currently serve in uniform overseas—recently asked that military ranks be dropped from class discussions. The implied hierarchies were getting in the way of good discussions and communications.

*****

One particularly notable panel brought together campus veterans coordinators, university officials and faculty, and military-science instructors. In that session, presenters considered questions such as:

• How could faculty incorporate military professional development reading lists (here's an example) into their curricula?

• How could military cadet and/or student-veterans use their skills and experiences to document South Dakota veterans' experiences, through writing or other media?

• Could departments or campus groups help establish reading circles or writing workshops to help breach the civil-military divide?

*****

In one evening's event, David Abrams ("Fobbit") and Patrick Hicks ("The Commandant of Lubizec") explored the surprisingly rich common ground between their respective works. Abrams' "Fobbit" (2012) is an Iraq War satire in the spirit and tone of Joseph Heller's novel "Catch 22" (1961).

Hicks' just-released historical novel is a dark and lyrical story of World War II extermination camps.

In short, one would have a hard time imagining two war-themed works more dissimilar than the Fobbit and the Commandant. The connection and comparison suggested by moderator Steven Wingate, however, was in each author's wrestling with the "euphemisms and engines of war." It was one of those magic moments that could only take place at a conference such as this, with creative and thoughtful people sitting face to face, exchanging ideas and insights.

*****

In the conference's culminating evening event, Ron Capps warmed up the crowd gathered for poet Brian Turner (2005's "Here, Bullet" and 2010's "Phantom Noise"). With self-deprecating humor, Capps said he felt his role was similar to that of George Thorogood, who opened for The Rolling Stones in the 1980s. Capps read selections from his upcoming memoir "Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years."

When Turner took the stage, he asked for the house lights to be brought up in the black-box space, creating an opportunity for more conversation. The poetry reading that followed was less rock concert, and more "MTV Unplugged"—alternating blasts of word-music with thought-provoking commentary. "How many have we lost in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," he asked during one interlude. "Now, what happens if I change the way I say that: How many have we lost in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?" The slight change in emphasis unlocked whole new layers of meaning.

*****

Disclosure: As a presenter myself at this year's event, my lodging and some land travel was underwritten by the 2014 Great Plains Writers' Conference. The next event is scheduled for March 22-24, 2015, and will explore literary themes and intersections with agriculture, ecology, environmental design, architecture, and more.

Writers' Event to Focus on 'War, Healing, and Culture'

The schedule for the 2014 Great Plains Writers' Conference, March 23-25, Brookings, S.D., has been published. The theme of this year's event, conducted since 1976 on the campus of South Dakota State University, is "Coming Home: War, Healing and American Culture." All events are free and open to the public except as noted.

A downloadable PDF of the schedule is available here.

The website for the event is here.

A Facebook page for the event is here.

*****

SUNDAY, MARCH 23 at South Dakota Art Museum

6:00 p.m. Invitational reception for campus and community military personnel 

7:00 p.m. Opening remarks, Larry Zimmerman, South Dakota Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

7:30 p.m. Screening of documentary film, "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (2007)

*****

MONDAY, MARCH 24 at Campanile Room and Hobo Day Gallery, Student Union 169

9:00 a.m. "Reading & Writing the American Indian Military Experience," Francis, Colin, and Brendan Whitebird 

10:00 a.m. "Home Fronts Then and Now," South Dakota State University instructor Amber Jensen and student Haley Wilson 

11:00 a.m. "Beyond PTSD: Stories of Reintegration," Brian Turner and Ron Capps 

1:00 p.m. "Inside/Out and Outside/In: Distilling the Personal in the Military Experience," David Abrams 

2:00 p.m. "On the State of Teaching Military Writing Today," Ron Capps  

3:00 p.m. "A Long Shadow: The Great War at 100," Patrick Hicks 

4:00 p.m. Oakwood literary journal presents 2014 prize-winners: Marcus Bear Eagle, Great Plains Emerging Tribal Writer Award; and Christine Starr Davis, Great Plains Emerging Writer Prize

7:00 p.m. David Abrams and Patrick Hicks: A reading and conversation. Reception follows

*****

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 at Campanile Room and Hobo Day Gallery, Student Union 169

9:00 a.m. "Film and Literature of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars," Jason McEntee and South Dakota State University graduate students 

10:00 a.m. "A Field Report: Teaching Creative Writing Online to Military Personnel," Rosalie Owens, American Military University 

11:00 a.m. "Finding and Creating Opportunities in Writing about Military Life," Randy Brown, military journalist 

1:00 p.m. "A Reading and Conversation on 'Flashes of War,'" Katey Schultz 

2:00 p.m. Planning Session and Discussion: "Creating a Military Writing Presence at South Dakota State University," Brig. Gen. Keith Corbett, Dean, College of General Studies; Col. Clarke Pleasants, Air Force ROTC; Lt. Col. Aaron Schultz, Army ROTC; South Dakota State University Coordinator of Veterans Affairs Brian Mahaffy; English faculty 

3:00 p.m. Celebration reading for the Jerome R. Norgren Poetry Contest and Paul Witherington Creative Writing Contest for South Dakota youth, reception follows

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 at Pioneer Room, Student Union 265

3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. "Writing the Military Experience: A Hands-on Writing Session," conference guests and faculty

TUESDAY, MARCH 25 at Fishback Studio Theater, Performing Arts Center

7:30 p.m. Brian Turner: A reading and conversation. Reception follows

Military-Writing Event is March 23-25, Brookings, S.D.

The 38th Annual Great Plains Writers' Conference will be held March 23-25, 2014 at South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D. This year's theme is "Coming Home: War, Healing, and American Culture."

The free, 3-day event features an impressive list of writers on military themes and topics. Speakers include:

• David Abrams: author of "Fobbit"

• Donald Anderson: editor of the War, Literature, and the Arts Journal, and professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy

• Ron Capps: founder of the Veterans Writing Project, and author of the upcoming memoir "Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years"

• Poet Jehanne Dubrow, author of "Stateside"

• Patrick Hicks, author of the upcoming "The Commandant of Lubizec: A Novel of The Holocaust and Operation Reinhard"

• Katey Schultz: author of "Flashes of War," a collection of short stories

• Poet Brian Turner: author of "Here, Bullet" and "Phantom Noise"

Somewhat lower on the playbill, the writer of the Red Bull Rising blog will also conduct a workshop titled, "Finding and Creating Opportunities in Writing about Military Life." Through that presentation, both aspiring and professional writers will learn how to target ideal markets and venues for publishing their works, on-line and in print.

"I'm going to present a list of editorial 'best-practices'—complete with concrete examples—that I hope veterans, service members, and family and friends will use to share their military experiences with others," says Randy "Sherpa" Brown. "At the same time, I want to arm those writers to protect themselves, their stories, and their copyrights."

Brown is a former editor of national trade and consumer magazines, as well as community and metro newspapers. In 2010, he was preparing for deployment to Eastern Afghanistan as a member of the Iowa Army National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry "Red Bull" Division—a division with historical roots in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska.

After he dropped off the deployment list, Brown retired with 20 years of military service and a previous peacekeeping deployment. He then went to Afghanistan anyway, embedding with Iowa's Red Bull units as a civilian journalist in May-June 2011.

Brown's military-themed poetry and non-fiction have been published in Tom Ricks' "The Best Defense" blog; The Journal of Military Experience; Doonesbury's "The Sandbox" blog; The Pass In Review journal; and two volumes of the anthology "Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors"(volume 1 and "volume 2"), published by the Southeast Missouri State University Press. He is a past winner of a Military Reporters & Editors blog-writing competition, and a past Milblogging.com "Mil-bloggies" finalist in the veteran and reporting categories.

For the website of the Great Plains Writers' Conference, click here.

For a Facebook page, click here.

For a pre-event publicity PDF poster for the event, click here.

Tom Ricks Calls for Readers' Essays on Future Wars

In parallel to a similar brainstorming effort by his employers at the New America Foundation, blogger-journalist-author Tom Ricks has solicited essays from readers of his blog, "The Best Defense," found at the Foreign Policy magazine website. The theme or topic? "What we should be thinking about the war after next."

Writes Ricks:

I am going to run some solicited essays on the subject. But I also want to open the blog up to others, so I am now announcing the Best Defense future of war blog post contest. This is open to all readers. 

Please keep your submissions relatively short—I want posts, not War College essays. It might be best to write about a topic with which you are personally familiar, or have studied. But if you want, you can write under this title: "What we should be thinking about the war after next."

Ricks is part of a mental task force that also includes the foundation's Peter Bergen, Rosa Brooks, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Sascha Meinrath. Bergen, the organization's director of national security studies, established in an earlier Foreign Policy blog post the intellectual engine that is driving its exercise in military futurism:

"Some argue that when U.S. combat troops finally withdraw from Afghanistan in December 2014, the nation will no longer be at war, and the 2001 AUMF [Authorization for Use of Military Force] should be repealed—or be deemed to have effectively expired." Bergen wrote. "Others argue that the end of the conflict in Afghanistan will not mark the end of U.S. efforts to use military force against terrorists in other parts of the globe, and that we need some sort of new AUMF to structure (and constrain) such future uses of force."

Click here for Ricks' original call for submissions. A No. 1 winner will be the guest of New America Foundation during an upcoming confab among experts. Runners-up will receive an autographed copy of a book by Ricks or Bergen.

Send submissions to: ricksblogcomment AT gmail.com