Literary Programs

Literary Programs

The Joiner Center has long recognized the importance of the literature which emerged from the war in Vietnam produced. From its beginnings it has been host to writers such as Tim O'Brien, Bruce Weigl, Larry Heinemann, Yusef Komunyakaa, Bill Ehrhart, Linda Vandervanter, Lamont Steptoe, Carolyn Forche, Grace Paley, and many others. Since 1987 it has hosted an annual Writers Workshop, an event that has expanded to include writers from other areas of conflict. In 1987, the center hosted the first visit of a writer from Vietnam, Le Luu the author of the award-winning novel Thoi Xa Vang and in 1990 co-hosted the first conference of veteran writers from the U.S. and Vietnam. Writers from Vietnam and other countries are regular guests at the center as part of its Reading Series and two-week Writers Workshop. These visits have resulted in a number of translation initiatives.

Exploring the cultural and social dynamics of the recent wars in Vietnam and Latin America the center has developed several initiatives in the Boston Schools, most recently working closely with bilingual programs, and Spanish bilingual programs in particular, to bring writers into classrooms to work with students in elementary, middle, and high school classes.