Operation Homecoming

This programme combines two initiatives. In the first, some of America's most distinguished writers are conducting workshops at military installations and are contributing educational resources to help the troops and their families share their stories. The writings from these workshops will result in the creation of an anthology of wartime writing by the troops and the creation of a unique historical archive. The second is a theatrical production which will bring the personal accounts of American servicemen who have been honoured for their heroic deeds to the stage in service communities around the world.

The programme works in coordination with all four branches of the Armed Forces and the Department of Defense, by sponsoring writing workshops for returning troops and their families at military installations across the United States. The workshops also will be held at overseas bases. These seminars are taught by an array of novelists, poets, historians, and journalists who provide service men and women with the opportunity to write about their wartime experiences in a variety of forms - from fiction, verse, and letters, to essay, memoir, and personal journal. Many of the session leaders are themselves war veterans.

In addition, the Arts Endowment has also produced an accompanying audio CD for this programme which includes a letter from the Civil War, to poems and memoirs about World War II, to Vietnam War fiction. The CD explores the variety of literary responses by those who have come through similar experiences.

Conflict.