Fiction & Fact: A Dialogue with Veterans

FAIN: AV-248333-16

Central Arkansas Library System (Little Rock, AR 72201-1624)
Alex Vernon (Project Director: September 2015 to December 2019)
Brad Mooy (Co Project Director: July 2016 to December 2019)

Four discussion programs for Arkansas veterans and others on the themes of battlefield and homefront, World War I, Vietnam, and war and witness.
 

Fiction & Fact: A War Dialogue with Veterans provides opportunities for veterans to reflect on the war and the homecoming experiences through facilitated discussions based on different Humanities sources: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, film, art, museum exhibits, and oral histories. These sources draw chiefly from the First World War, the war in Vietnam, and the second war in Iraq. Preparatory retreats for the facilitators familiarize them with the source material, foster their shared inquiry techniques, and sensitize them to this particular audience. Over two years, veterans may participate in any of four distinct units focusing on these themes: (1) Battlefield and Homefront; (2) World War I; (3) Vietnam; and (4) War and Witness. Each unit involves two weekend discussion retreats for that set of veterans; a group blog supplements the retreat discussions. Veteran-civilian interactions occur through a film series and through special panels at the Arkansas Literary Festival.