New 'O-Dark Thirty' Issue is an All-Fiction Special

The Veterans Writing Project's quarterly literary journal "O-Dark-Thirty" celebrated its second year with the recent Veterans Day publication of an all-fiction issue. The issue has been posted free on-line as a PDF file, along with the organization's previous four issues.

A print edition of the all-fiction issue is still pending, according to editors. Meanwhile, poetry, non-fiction, and other military writing continue to be regularly featured on the project's website, under the section labelled "The Report."

The works of six military writers are included in the 80-page all-fiction issue of "O-Dark-Thirty," which is available free here. Story themes include hard looks at race, sex, and injury.

“We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are.”

—Tobias Wolff, "In Pharaoh's Army"

After quoting the 1994 memoir of Vietnam War veteran Tobias Wolff in the issue's introduction, fiction editor James Mathews argues that

[...] constant persistence in the pursuit of conflict [is] the surest method to revealing the truth behind character, story and ultimately, the human condition. [T]he men and women veterans who have shared their fiction with us understand this pursuit. Their persistence reveals poignant and often harsh realities for their characters, but also truth about who we are.

The issue's cover design, by Iraq and Afghan War veteran Janis Albuquerque, features a detail of the Korean War Veterans Memorial. This year marks the 60th anniversary of that conflict.

The "O-Dark Thirty" publications continue to accept submissions year-round. Click here for guidelines.

Single-issues and four-issue subscriptions are available for on-line purchase here.