The Veterans Write workshops—an initiative that started in October 2017 at Pitt-Greensburg—is expanding its workshops to the White Oak Vet Center (2001 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131). The Veterans Write workshops will be held at the Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the last Monday of the month.
The program will continue to hold workshops at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Campus (Village Hall 118) from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first, second, and third Mondays of the month. The workshops are free and open to veterans and their loved ones, regardless of experience, prior education, gender, or age.
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.
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.
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.