Voices of Service: A Celebration of Veterans Writing and Weekend Workshop
November 7-9, 2025
Sponsored by the Humanities Center, SU Press, the IVMF and Hendricks Chapel
The creative arts, especially writing, can give military veterans the opportunity to reflect on military experiences, gain insight and solace, process complex emotions, and build public voices and community with other servicemembers and veterans while sharing stories with varied audiences. The weekend workshop will be an opportunity for veterans to explore their stories and hone and practice the craft of writing guided by published authors who are skilled storytellers/writers.
The writing sessions were led by:
Brian O’Hare is a graduate of the US Naval Academy, former Marine officer and Gulf War veteran. He’s an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Most recently, National Book Award winner Phil Klay selected his short story collection Surrender as the winner of Syracuse University Press’ 2021 Veterans Writing Award. His film Rizoo, about an young girl deciding whether to wear the hijab for a class picture, was released in January by The New Yorker. His feature documentary Cannon Shot about the world’s largest croquet match between the US Naval Academy and across the street neighbors St. John’s College, will premiere in 2025. He’s at work on his debut novel, A Gathering of Vultures.
Dewaine Farria served in Jordan and Ukraine as a Marine. In addition to his stint in the military, Farria served in the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS). He presently supervises field security for the Asian Development Bank from the organization’s headquarters in Manila. He holds an MA in international relations from the University of Oklahoma and an MFA in creative writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Farria’s writing has appeared in Literary Hub, The New York Times, The Rumpus, Southern Humanities Review, CRAFT, The Daily Beast, Consequence, and War on the Rocks. Tobias Wolff selected his novel Revolutions of All Colors as the winner of the inaugural Veterans Writing Prize.
Jenny Pacanowski is a poet, playwright, military combat veteran, and public speaker. While deployed to Iraq with the Army, Jenny was a medic and provided medical support for convoys with the Marines, Air Force and the Army. Jenny is the Founder and Artistic Director of Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving (WVE&T) which has expanded its programming to include men, civlian support members and LGBTIA+. Her writing has appeared in The War Horse, Spring St, Aquila Theater, The Journal of Military Behavioral Health, and multiple poetry anthologies. She wrote the original drama “Dionysus in America,” which premiered in October 2019 at Canopy Theater and The Vortex. In June 2025, Jenny earned her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Performance Creation.