Narrative-Making in the Aftermath of War

Narrative-Making in the Aftermath of War

Thursday-Friday, April 25-26, 2013
Interdisciplinary Humanities Center – UC Santa Barbara
McCune Conference Room, 6020 HSSB

“Narrative-Making in the Aftermath of War” will focus on the capacity of narrative-making to help returning service members deal with the after-effects of war and reintegrate into their communities.  This conference is sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) of the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of its 2012-2013 program “Fallout,” a year-long series of events dedicated to examining the impact of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan upon the soldiers who have fought in these wars.

Please click here for more information about the conference participants.

Thursday, April 25

9:00 AM                 Coffee and pastries

9:15 AM                 Opening remarks and introductions:

David Marshall, Michael Douglas Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts

Susan Derwin, Director, IHC

9:30 AM                 Panel #1

Chair: Wolf Kittler, German, Slavic and Semitic Studies, UCSB

Liam Corley, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona: “Wounded Narratives and Amputation”

Farzana Marie, School of Middle Eastern & North African Studies, University of Arizona: “Poetic Narratives of Conflict in Afghanistan”

Anne Shea, California College of the Arts, “’Writing Ourselves Into Being’: 9 Scripts from a Nation at War

10:45 AM              Keynote address: Judith Broder and Carol Tanenbaum, The Soldiers Project: “Who are you now, where did we meet before? Reconnection in Family Life Through Shared Narratives”

12:00 PM              Lunch

1:00 PM                 Panel #2

Chair: John Talbott, History, UCSB

Jacqueline Genovese, Institute for the Medical Humanities, University of Texas: “Post-Traumatic Story Disorder: Using the Power of Narrative to Heal the Invisible Wounds of War”

Dale Flynn, University Writing Program, UC Davis: “A Literature & Medicine Program at a VA Hospital”

2:15 PM                 Coffee break

2:30 PM                 Keynote address: Helene Moglen, UC Santa Cruz, and Sheila Namir, Psychoanalyst and Clinical Psychologist, Santa Cruz: “’Fighting for Words’: A Creative Writing Workshop for Veterans”

4:00 PM                 Readings by UCSB student veterans:

Steve Gunderman, U.S. Marine Corps veteran

Ben Hatcher, U.S. Coast Guard veteran

Paul Malone, U.S Army veteran

Lola Mondragὀn, U.S. Navy veteran

Raymond Morua, U.S. Army veteran

Victor Orta, U.S. Army veteran

Jose D. Perez, U.S. Navy veteran

5:00 PM                 Reception

 Friday, April 26

9:00 AM                 Coffee and pastries

9:15 AM                 Panel #3

Chair: John W.I. Lee, History, UCSB

Tim Wood, SUNY Nassau Community College: “How to Hear a True War Story: Using Literature to Bridge the Experiential Divide between Veterans and Civilians”

Allen Redmon, Texas A&M University: “Reading War with Soldiers and their Spouses”

Susan Derwin, UC Santa Barbara: “Learning from Veterans’ Writing”

10:45 AM              Reading: “Ghosts”: Shannon Camlin Ward, Methodist University

11:00 AM              Readings by UCSB military loved ones:

Erin Anding, military dependent

Lyanne Garcia, military spouse

Lola Mondragὀn, military spouse

Brent Snyder, military dependent

12:00 PM              Lunch

1:00 PM                 Panel #4

Chair: Brian Donnelly, English, UCSB

Frank Usbeck, University of Dresden: “Storytelling from the Front: American Milblogging as non-Native Warrior Ceremonies”

Lawrence Acker, Lindenwood University: “Not Technically a Veteran: The Impact of Working in a Combat Theatre for an Army Civilian”

John Becknell, Pacifica Graduate Institute: “When Civilians Listen to Veterans’ Narratives of War”

2:30 PM                 Plenary discussion and closing remarks

The conference is free and open to the public. To register to attend, please complete the following form: