Arizona Humanities has launched two free writing workshop programs hosted at the Burton Barr Central Library for veterans to help reintegrate them into the community and relate to other veterans.
The nonprofit organization strives to “create opportunities to explore shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection,” said executive director Brenda Thomson.
“Not everyone is striving to be professional, but all are welcome because everyone wants to learn something,” she said.
Thomson said the group has worked on ideas for the workshop for the last four to five months.
The writing workshops do more than just teach people the mechanics of writing, Thomson said. Workshops can help people relieve stress.
The programs will be a safe place to have a conversation, and it gives the veterans an opportunity to express themselves whether the expression is war-related or not, Thomson said.
“If you interact with other people, it actually can make you a healthier person instead of bottling it up inside,” Thomson said.
Making Peace: Exploring Personal Experience Through Writing is a writing workshop suited for female veterans to discuss and learn how to write and share stories. The first session was on Oct. 7 and will continue every Tuesday until Oct. 28.
Debra Schwartz, a Ph.D. writing instructor at Arizona State University, said she’s seen people gain a great deal of confidence while teaching other workshops in various places.
“Research shows females in service often depress their voices when around male counterparts,” Schwartz said. “This workshop fills the gap in current offering by providing a safe place for female vets to express their materials and ideas without censoring themselves.”
As of Tuesday, there were 10 women who signed up for the program, but more veterans can join at any time. Schwartz, the program facilitator, designed the workshop with Thomson.
The second workshop, a facilitated reading seminar which will discuss contemporary pieces and classics, is called At Home: Veterans Read and Share Stories. This workshop designed for male veterans will meet Oct. 15 and 29, Nov. 12 and 26 and Dec. 10.
Dan Shilling, the male veterans’ program facilitator, is an ex-executive director of Arizona Humanities and a Vietnam veteran. He said he wanted to facilitate the program because literature helped him cope while in service.
He remembered how helicopters would drop grocery bags filled with donated paperback books from libraries, and he loved reading and discovering Alistair MacLean’s work.
“When you’re in a situation like I was, you start to ask yourself really big, philosophical questions,” Shilling said. “Literature was a reflection and can help you through different times.”
Thomson said some people benefit from the program by just listening to others because that’s all people, especially veterans, want. She said writing can change one person’s life forever, and if that’s the impact the program makes, so be it.
“In a way, I owe it… Lit saved my life,” Shilling said.
Contact the reporter at Samantha.Incorvaia@asu.edu
