Benjamin Busch, Philip Caputo, Doug Stanton to present "Writing War: Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- April 13, 2010
CONTACT: Scott Hirko, Public Relations Officer,
shirko [at] mihumanities.org, 517-372-0029 ext. 25
7 pm, May 20, 2010. Upfront & Company, 103 E. Main St., Marquette. Tickets on sale at Snowbound Books (906-228-4448) and at the door up to capacity. Seating is limited.
$500 transportation grant application for schools to attend homecoming.
Michigan Author Homecoming in East Lansing and Marquette to conclude Great Michigan Read
(LANSING)-----The Michigan Humanities Council will present the 2010 Michigan Author Homecoming, “Writing War: Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam,” with noted writers Benjamin Busch, Philip Caputo, and Doug Stanton on May 18 in East Lansing and on May 20 in Marquette. The events will celebrate the conclusion of the Council’s 2009-2010 Great Michigan Read. Each event will be a moderated, panel-style discussion focusing on the impact of war on culture, particularly in relation to recent United States conflicts (Afghanistan, Iraq, and Vietnam). There will be a book signing at both locations.
The Michigan Author Homecoming will occur at 8 pm on May 18 at the Hannah Community Center (819 Abbott Rd.) in East Lansing, and on May 20 at 7 pm at the Upfront & Company Banquet Hall (103 E. Main St.) in Marquette. Seating is limited. Tickets are $5 each for adults; student tickets are free. Tickets are required for entry for all attendees. In East Lansing, a reception at the Hannah Center from 6 – 7:30 pm is open to the public for $50/person, with proceeds benefitting the Michigan Humanities Council.
“The Michigan Humanities Council is pleased to conclude the Great Michigan Read by bringing three noted writers together to discuss their experiences about the cultural impact of war,” said Janice Fedewa, executive director of the Michigan Humanities Council.
“We are pleased that Marquette area residents and people throughout the Upper Peninsula will have an opportunity to participate in this author homecoming event,” said Pamela R. Christensen, Director of the Peter White Public Library. “For the public to attend an event with three authors of this stature is exciting.”
2010 MICHIGAN AUTHOR HOMECOMING SCHEDULE:
EAST LANSING: get tickets here.
8:00 PM, Tuesday, May 18, 2010
East Lansing Hannah Community Center
Albert A. White Performing Arts Theater
819 Abbott Rd.
East Lansing, MI 48823
MARQUETTE: get tickets here.
7:00 PM, Thursday, May 20, 2010
Upfront & Company
Banquet Hall
102 E. Main St.
Marquette, MI 49855
Presented in partnership with the Peter White Public Library and Snowbound Books.
TICKETS (required):
Tickets are $5 per adult and FREE for students (with ID). Tickets to the event in East Lansing (link here) and Marquette (link here) are available online, or call 517-372-7770. In Marquette, tickets are also available at Snowbound Books, 906-228-4448.
Photographs, audio recording, and video recording are prohibited.
SPECIAL RECEPTION
(6 - 7:30 pm at the Hannah Ccommunity Center)
Meet and mingle with Benjamin Busch, Phlip Caputo, and Doug Stanton. Learn about how your investment supports critical public humanities programs statewide. Enjoy ample wine and delectable catering. Reception price includes entrance to the public presentation at 8 pm in the Hannah Community Center theater.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Benjamin Busch is an actor, writer, and photographer who served two combat tours as a marine in Iraq. He has appeared in The Wire and Generation Kill and his writing has been featured in Harper’s and Michigan Quarterly Review.
Philip Caputo wrote A Rumor of War, a classic memoir that chronicles his service as a marine lieutenant in the Vietnam War. It has sold more than two million copies. He is the author of 13 other books.
Doug Stanton has penned two New York Times bestsellers, In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers, the latter chronicling a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan after 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. He is a founder of the National Writer Series, a year-round book festival in Traverse City. Horse Soldiers will be published in paperback May 11, with a new chapter updating events.
Each of these authors has ties to Michigan: Doug Stanton lives in Traverse City; Benjamin Busch lives in Reed City; Philip Caputo's novel, Indian Country, focuses on a troubled Vietnam veteran who comes to terms with civilian life in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The 2010 Michigan Author Homecoming is the finale of the Great Michigan Read, a statewide reading club featuring a single book that encourages Michiganians to learn more about their history and their society. For 2009-2010, the selected title is Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen. Stealing Buddha's Dinner is a memoir that chronicles the author's migration from Vietnam in 1975 (during the Fall of Saigon) and her coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1980s. More than 280 organizations and thousands of citizens across Michigan have read the book and participated in related public humanities programs over the past year.
One of the goals of the current Great Michigan Read is to help readers understand the personal impact of war. The writers and theme for this year's Michigan Author Homecoming were selected as a fitting way to end this program.
The event will be narrated by Bill Castanier, a freelance writer and literary reviewer for the Lansing City Pulse. He moderated the 2008 Michigan Author Homecoming.
In East Lansing, the event is made possible by the Michigan Humanities Council, with support from:
- Lynne Brown & Ann Hill, Perspective2
- National Endowment for the Humanities
- Meijer Citizens Bank-Saginaw.
- Eva Evans
- Jan & Ron Fedewa
- i2Integration
- Maner Costerisan
- Public Policy Associates, Inc.
- Sharp Designs
- Wendi Tilden & James Clift
In Marquette, the event is made possible by the Michigan Humanities Council, with support from:
- the National Endowment for the Humanities
- Meijer
- Citizens Bank-Saginaw
- Peter White Public Library
- Snowbound Books.
TRANSPORTATION GRANTS TO SCHOOLS:
The Michigan Humanities Council will also award a limited number of grants of up to $500 to help support student transportation to either Homecoming event. An Author Homecoming transportation grant application is available for schools here.
ABOUT THE MICHIGAN HUMANITIES COUNCIL:
The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is an independent, non-profit organization funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information on the Michigan Humanities Council, please visit: www.michiganhumanities.org or call 517-372-7770.
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Benjamin Busch
Philip Caputo
Doug Stanton
Transportation grant application
The Council will also award up to $500 to help support student transportation to either Homecoming event. An Author Homecoming grant application is available for schools.