The second volume of “Do You Love a Veteran?” is in the works!

For the second volume, I am compiling a set of essays, poems, drawings, etc. about people’s experiences, joys, and struggles with supporting veterans and how these struggles have transformed them.

Submissions can be anonymous or credited depending on the author’s preference. We will distribute the zines amongst our communities and also leave these zines in places like VFWs or American Legions where other vets might pick them up and share them with their loved ones. They will also be distributed at VA Facilities. Submissions may also be published on this site, as the author wishes.

Submission Guidelines:
1. story, article, essay, poem, song, art work (children’s or adults’) by, for, and about loving a veteran or a GI and all the complexities that come with that.
2. Maximum length- 2 typed pages single spaced
3. Please include whatever identification information you would like included in the zine ( First Name, Last Name, Town, City, State, relationship to veteran…any or none of the above. This can be as credited or anonymous as you choose)
3. Deadline September 30th, 2011
4. E-mail all written submissions to  nbaltrushes@gmail.com . Art can be scanned and e-mailed or you may send it to:
Nicole Baltrushes
3324 W Palmer #1E
Chicago IL 60647

Getting Started:

If you’re having trouble getting started, here are some prompts that might help. You can just try free-writing and see what comes out. Often that can be the most honest and meaningful work.

When you (he/she) came home….

Since you’ve (she’s/he’s) been back…

How has war, and your loved one’s service, changed you?

I’m angry that…

I’m thankful that …

Art is a way to break through communication barriers, to express things we couldn’t otherwise.  It can be a way to heal, or a way to protest. “Art” can be anything, any way you want to express what 10 years of war has meant to you, how it has affected your family, or how it has changed the world we live in – poetry, music, photography, writing, visual art, or videos.

General submissions will be featured on our website (credited to the artist, of course), and can be emailed to samantha@mfso.org.  You can also submit art or writing for a few specific projects, listed below.

We also encourage you to organize an education or arts-based event during the month leading up to the anniversary, September 7 through October 7th. Click here to learn more.

Do You Love a Veteran? Call for Submissions

Do You Love a Veteran is a zine made up of contributions from families, friends, and partners of veterans.

For more info on the zine, how to submit, and some inspiration, click here.

He Sapa: Heart of the People – Call for Submissions

Over Memorial Day Weekend 2011, a group of military families and veterans gathered in the Black Hills of South Dakota for a healing retreat. The presenters included spiritual elders, veterans, medical doctors, social workers, and healers from different Native traditions.  The participants created art and writing which will provide the basis for this zine.  We invite veterans, military families, and Gold Star families to submit art and writing about their own experiences with healing.  Questions and submissions can be sent to samantha@mfso.org

On September 11th, 2001, a tragedy changed our nation forever.  10 years later, we are living with the consequences of our nation’s response to that tragedy.  In the last decade, thousands of military families have dealt with their own tragedies of losing a loved one in combat or by suicide. Thousands more continue to suffer from the wounds of war. Many of these wounds are visible. Some are not.  And still thousands more will lose sleep, cry, and worry, as their loved ones will be deployed over the next three years.  As military families, we know the true costs of war.

From September 7th to October 7th, MFSO is partnering with Iraq Veterans Against the War, War Resisters League, United for Peace & Justice, and 10 Years and Counting for a month of arts and education to commemorate 10 years of war and begin building bridges of understanding between communities directly affected by the war and the war economy.  We aim to link the challenges faced by Afghans, Iraqis, active duty service members, veterans and military families as those who most directly feel the horrors of war with teachers, students, the homeless, former homeowners, labor and others who feel the domestic crisis brought on by the waste of military spending and greed.

What you can do:

Send us your poetry, music, photographs, and visual art.  We invite you to create something marking the 10 year anniversary of our nation at war. We can use this unfortunate, yet historic moment as inspiration and maximize the power of creativity to illustrate the costs of war, or how 10 years of warfare have affected you personally.  Throughout the month we will be showcasing art from military families, veterans, and service members on our website, as well as on the 10 Years and Counting website.  Email your submission(s) to samantha@mfso.org.  Click here for more information.

We also encourage you to organize an arts or education event between September 7th and October 7th.  We will be sending out popular education curriculum on the war economy, voices from Afghanistan, and the costs of war to veterans and military families for you to use, as well as resources to connect with artists in your community and advice on organizing a cultural event. For help organizing an event, contact samantha@mfso.org.  We’ll be sending out more information soon.