Veterans Write will launch its weekly workshop series on Monday, October 2, with a meet-and-greet reception from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Village Hall 118 at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. The reception will be an opportunity for people who may be hesitant about writing to gather with the instructors and program co-directors in a casual atmosphere. Food and drink will be provided.
The Veterans Write workshops—a new initiative at Pitt-Greensburg—are free and open to veterans and their loved ones, regardless of experience, prior education, gender, or age. Because some participants may be new to writing, the goal of this meet-and-greet event will be to help them feel comfortable, as well as to clarify what they may expect in future workshops.
Serving as co-directors of the Veterans Write are Jason Eichner, a Pitt-Greensburg double major in English literature and creative writing; Gretchen Uhrinek, a 2017 graduate in Creative Writing from Pitt-Greensburg; Lori Jakiela, professor of English and Creative Writing at Pitt-Greensburg; and Jeff Martin, visiting assistant professor of English at Duquesne University.
Veterans Write Workshops will officially begin Monday, October 9, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Village Hall 118. The workshops will continue every subsequent Monday, same place and time. Books, notebooks, lessons, and workshops will be free to participants, courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Office of the Provost, as part of the University Research Council’s Research in Diversity initiative, as well as the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership.
About Veterans Write
Veterans Write (veteranswrite.com), is driven by a single goal: to make its corner of the world a better place. By providing free writing workshops to veterans and their loved ones, Veterans Write hopes to create a community. This is an outlet to for people to share their stories through craft and expression, to grow and to learn, and to communicate the experience of life before, during, and after military service.
“Whether you're a veteran, spouse, family member, or friend of someone who has gone to war, we believe you have a story worth sharing,” said Uhrenik. “Each week, we will work together on stories, poems, non-fiction essays, and everything in between to help members of the veteran community learn the craft of writing. Participants will learn and practice the basics of writing through a combination of workshops, informal lessons, and readings, all of which will be free of charge.”
Participants will have the opportunity to share their work with others in a supportive community of writers and veterans alike. Through craft and expression, they will grow, learn, heal, and communicate just what it means to be a member of the veteran community.