Special 'O-Dark-Thirty' Spotlights Summer Workshop

The Veterans Writing Program, Washington, D.C. has released a special edition of its print and on-line literary journal, "O-Dark-Thirty." The issue's content was created in a summer writing and film-making seminar on the Mount Vernon campus of George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

The 2013 event was part of a veterans writing initiative sponsored by the university's writing program.

More than 40 military service members, veterans, and family members from around the nation participated in the week-long residential seminar. There, they crafted films, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and plays.

The resulting special issue is available on-line as a free PDF download here. The issue features seven works of non-fiction, six poems, and two plays. This is the second time plays or scripts have been presented on the pages of "O-Dark-Thirty," which has been published since spring 2013.

Instructors at the seminar included:

• Joseph Bathanti, poetry

• Mark Farrington, fiction

• Kelly Kennedy, non-fiction

• KJ Sanchez, playwriting

The allied non-profit Patton Veterans Project, New York, N.Y. also supported the event via its I Was There Film Workshops.

The non-profit organization was founded by Benjamin Patton, the youngest grandson of World War II Gen. George S. Patton, and author of 2012's "Growing Up Patton." The organization's work focuses addressing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) and Traumatic Brain Injury (T.B.I.) through film and narrative. At the June 2013 seminar, film-making instructors also included Christina Raia, Minos Papas, Sean Mannion, and Alex Arbogast.

Seven short films created by seminar participants can be viewed on-line here.

A website for the Patton Veterans Project is here. A Facebook page is here.

A website for the Veterans Writing Project is here. A Facebook page is here. The organization's "O-Dark-Thirty" literary journal website is here. Single issues or 4-issue subscriptions are available here.

The cover of the special "O-Dark-Thirty" issue was designed by veteran Janis Albuquerque.