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"'Awesome' was a word we used a lot in Iraq. How to use 'Awesome': If someone says, 'Dude, it's your turn again to do shit-burning detail,' you say: 'Awesome.' 'Holy shit, those idiots in Delta company shot at second platoon,' 'Awesome!'"
That's a grim vocabulary lesson from soldier and writer Jason Christopher Hartley, our special guest this week and author of Just Another Soldier.
Ever since I read about the deaths of Andrew Olmsted (a soldier and blogger) and Scott Lange Kirkpatrick (a poet and soldier), the stories of soldiers have haunted me.
All week Hartley has reminded us how writings by soldiers in Iraq get misunderstood or buried under political rhetoric. Spend some time reading the writers who are caught up in this war.
If you want to even go farther, tonight, Kirkpatrick's family is holding a fundraising event to support wounded soldiers. As we end this week's writing interview, take a few minutes to remember the soldiers writing about this war: the active soldiers, the veterans, the wounded and the fallen.
Jason Boog:
How has the military blog community evolved since 2005? What do we need to be reading about?
Jason Christopher Hartley:
War is f**king weird as hell and if you don't feel conflicted and confused after reading about it, it's bad writing. Continue reading...
“I refuse to call this a war. World War II was a war. This is a fight. And a dirty one at that. The way I see it, our enemy simply wants to kill as many Americans as possible, thereby convincing the CNN-watching public that the price is just too great … It’s cheap and has a good chance of working. I pray it doesn’t.”
That’s an excerpt from Jason Christopher Hartley's Iraq War memoir, Just Another Soldier.
No matter what you think about this conflict, you need to understand it. Too many Americans are dying out there, and writers cannot ignore this story.
Today, Hartley's reading list can help you think and write about this war, sharing his literary influences in the process.
Welcome my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson's mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.
Jason Boog:
You wrote a memoir about your experiences as a soldier. How long did it take you to turn that overwhelming experience into a memoir? Who are your influences? In your opinion, what are the best books for people to read to understand the conflict in Iraq better?
Jason Christopher Hartley:
Just Another Soldier is composed of about 50% of stuff I wrote in Iraq and 50% of stuff I wrote when I got back. Continue reading...
"If I were cool, I’d join the friggin’ Ranger Battallion and start talking shit about how I’m gonna try out for Delta or SEAL team six. In real life I’m a geek. I’ve never read Black Hawk Down. I miss the city and I just want to get back and finish school. This 'war on terror' crap has totally ruined my semester."
That's a blazing post from Jason Christopher Hartley's old blog he kept as an active duty soldier. As Hartley details in his memoir, Just Another Soldier, that blog got him in lots of trouble with the National Guard.
So how does one of the first so-called "military bloggers" feel about the current state of digital writing from soldiers? Well...
Welcome my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.
Jason Boog:
In 2005, you told NPR: "Coincidentally, the [military] blogs that remain up are the ones, in my humble opinion, that are very insipid." Do you still feel like that? How has the military blog community evolved since 2005? Who are your favorite military bloggers right now?
Jason Christopher Hartley:
I don't read military blogs. It's literally the last thing I want to do. I have enough to think about with regard to the military; I don't want to clutter my already militarily-overdosed mind with more military slog. Continue reading...
"Alpha team takes the first room, then Bravo team—the team I led—takes the second. Once the first room is clear, my team enters the building and lines up against the wall next to the door of the room we are about to enter. This is called a ‘stack.’ Once the door is kicked in, the stack flows into the room.”
Do you know what that is? That’s the simple mechanics of what patrol troopers do in Iraq every day—entering hundreds of rooms, never knowing what lies on the other side. I didn’t know how a stack worked—or how unbelievably dangerous it is to go through that broken door—until I spent an afternoon with Jason Christopher Hartley.
He’s a Iraq veteran, a memoirist and blogger, and he’s currently working on a brand new performance art piece called Surrender. The play will dress the audience up in battle fatigues and run them through real training exercises—letting civilians feel what a combat situation is really like.
Today, Hartley gives us a sneak peak of what Surrender will look like when it premieres in July--part of my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions.
In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.
Jason Boog:
The Surrender workshop was one of the most overwhelming theater experiences I've ever had. Could you describe your project for my readers? How did your workshop audiences respond to the project? What can we expect in July?
Jason Christopher Hartley:
If you liked the workshop, you'll be in for a treat this summer. Surrender is a theater project that allows you to experience a little of what it feels like to be an American soldier serving in Iraq. Continue reading...
"But hey, who cares! We have fun in my blog! If you want news about Iraq, congratulations, you've come to the wrong fucking place! If you are distrustful of the media and want to know exactly what's going on in Iraq, you'll have to pray for divine enlightenment, because only god knows what the hell is going on over here!"
That’s Jason Christopher Hartley writing from Iraq in 2004, trying to describe the inexplicable, chaotic situation our soldiers face in the Middle East.
Everybody's got an opinion about the Iraq War, but most of us have absolutely no idea what that war is really like. That's why I brought on Hartley--he was one of the first bloggers to write from the front and published a memoir (Just Another Soldier) about his experience.
It's not pretty (and lots of language this week), but I think all writers should be thinking, grappling, and writing about this war. For the rest of the week, Hartley will turn all your pre-conceived ideas upside down and then dance on top of your wrecked stereotypes.
Welcome to my deceptively simple feature, Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality conversations with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web writing.
Jason Boog:
When you were in Iraq, how did you find time to write? More generally, how hard is it to actively write or blog about your experiences while still working as a military officer? Any advice for aspiring writers in the military?
Jason Christopher Hartley:
I did most my writing during the wee hours of the night when most my platoon was asleep. Continue reading...
Today marks the beginning of National Library Week, a time to “celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries, librarians and library workers and to promote library use and support.” What a perfect time to seek out poetry about the library, librarians, books, and reading. I published an article last year in Children and Libraries that featured poetry for children about the library. [Vardell, S.M. (2006). A place for poetry: Celebrating the library in poetry. Children and Libraries. 4, (2), 35-41.] Here is a brief tidbit:
“Poetry can be the vehicle for highlighting the unique resource that is the library while providing a reminder of the special power of the genre of poetry for children, too. Since poems are generally short, they lend themselves to quick sharing as openings or closings for story times or special events. Since they are spoken word art, they lend themselves to oral or choral reading and can involve children in active participation in the poem performance. And since poems are intense containers of images and experiences, they can make a powerful point (about libraries, books, reading) in very few words. Finally, by choosing poems showcasing libraries, we can celebrate both the library and poetry itself, during National Poetry Month, National Library Week, School Library Media Month, all in April, or any other time of the year.
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. “Necessary Gardens” from Please Bury Me in the Library. San Diego, Harcourt.
Necessary Gardens
By J. Patrick Lewis
Libraries
Are
Necessary
Gardens,
Unsurpassed
At
Growing
Excitement.
This eight-line poem is an acrostic with each letter of the word “language” used to begin a line of the poem. After reading the poem aloud once, find eight volunteers, one for each word/line, to “pop up” and read/say each line wherever they are seated. In fact, with each word/line on a large card or mini-poster, this poem can be performed “popcorn” style with the words shouted out in nearly any order, for a spontaneous, creative alternative. This is one poem among many gems about books, reading, and the library—the theme of the anthology. And if children enjoy this acrostic form, challenge them to try writing their own acrostic poems with book-related words of their choosing. If you have a button maker, this poem can even fit on a button to promote the library, books, reading, AND poetry.”
In this previous article, I noted 13 poems about the library. Since then, I have found another 14 poems (for children and young adults). Here’s the new batch:
1. Appelt, Kathi. 1997. “Javier” from Just People and Paper/Pen/Poem: A Young Writer’s Way to Begin. Spring, TX: Absey & Co.
2. Bagert, Brod. 1999. “Library-Gold” from Rainbows, Head Lice and Pea-Green Tile; Poems in the Voice of the Classroom Teacher. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House.
3. Frost, Helen. 2003. “Do Not Leave Children Unattended” from Keesha’s House. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
4. Greenfield. Eloise. 2006. “At the Library” from The Friendly Four. New York: HarperCollins.
5. Grimes, Nikki. 1998. “42nd Street Library” from Jazmin’s Notebook. New York: Dial.
6. Gunning, Monica. 2004. “The Library” from America, My New Home. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
7. Hopkins, Ellen. 2006. “See, the Library” from burned. New York: McElderry.
8. Katz, Alan. 2001. ‘Give Me a Break” from Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs. New York: Scholastic.
9. Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. “Please Bury Me in the Library” from Please Bury Me in the Library. San Diego, Harcourt.
10. Livingston, Myra Cohn. 1994. “Quiet” in Hopkins, Lee Bennett, selector. April Bubbles Chocolate; An ABC of Poetry. New York: Simon & Schuster.
11. Lottridge, Celia Barker. 2002. “Anna Marie’s Library Book and What Happened’ in Pearson, Deborah, editor. When I Went to the Library. Toronto: Groundwood Books.
12. Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2005. “The List” from A Maze Me; Poems for Girls. New York: Greenwillow.
13. Prelutsky, Jack. 2006. “It’s Library Time” from What a Day It Was at School! New York: Greenwillow.
14. Silverstein, Shel. 1981. “Overdues” from A Light in the Attic. New York: HarperCollins.
I am now officially obsessed with this quest! If you know of any other poems for young people that focus specifically on the LIBRARY (or librarians), please let me know. Meanwhile, go to your local library, thank the hardworking library staff, wish them a “happy library week,” and check out some poetry!
Valerie Worth has a poem about the library in her book entitled All the Short Poems and 14 More.
Oops! I meant to say Valerie Worth's All the Small Poems and 14 More!!! Mary
Thanks! I've got that one ("library") in my first list published in CHILDREN AND LIBRARIES.