QUEENS — Words can heal.
Beginning next week, veterans and their families will get a chance to participate in a free reading and discussion series that seeks to help them overcome numerous challenges that they face while making a transition to civilian life, the organizers said.
The program — “Serving: Standing Down” — will be held at the St. John’s University Writing Center thanks to a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
Sheeba Varkey, a Doctoral Fellow in the English Department at St. John’s, who will lead the program, said a large number of veterans study at the university, but vets who are not affiliated with St. John's are also welcome to participate.
"We would like to give them a comfortable place where they can feel that they are part of our community," Varkey said.
Over the course of six sessions participants will come together to discuss a variety of texts exploring military veterans and their service.
They will read and analyze selections anthologized in Don Whitfield’s "Standing Down: From Warrior to Civilian," which includes both classical texts like excerpts from Homer’s "Iliad," as well as non-fiction pieces written by Army veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It’s a venue for them to have conversations about literature and about themes that pertain to their life,” Varkey said, adding that "some of the themes might involve coming home, assimilating into civilian society and the warfare experience itself."
Tom Philipose, associate director of the St. John’s Writing Center, said that the center is “always looking for ways to partner with the community, and veterans are a group we can't thank enough.”
“We've long known that writing and expression are a gateway to knowledge, healing, and progress, so we look forward to learning with and from these men and women who have served our country,” Philipose added.
The program will run from Feb. 17 to April 14. It’s is free and open to the public, although pre-registration is required. For more information and to register contact Sheeba Varkey at vetsassemble@gmail.com or go here.
