Writing Our Way Home: Sunday Readings
Time: Nov. 9, 2025, 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: National Veterans Resource Center
Part of the Syracuse Symposium series.
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 service members and veterans while sharing stories with varied audiences.
Hosted by the Syracuse University Press and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families, this Veteran's Day weekend gathering concludes with an open mic session with public readings by veteran writers and featured guests.
Full Weekend Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 7, 5:00-6:30 p.m. - "Voices of Service" - awards presentation / reception
Saturday, Nov. 8, 7:00-8:00 p.m. - "Writing Our Way Home" - public readings by award-winning veteran authors Dewaine Ferria, Brian O'Hare, and Jenny Pacanowski
Sunday, Nov. 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m. - Public readings by Veterans workshop participants
Link to the event site for complete schedules and details.
About the Guest Presenters:
Robin Michel Caudell is an award-winning Press-Republican staff writer. A Native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Caudell served in the U.S. Air Force and was a John L. Levitow Honor Graduate. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Goddard College. Her poetry has been anthologized in national and international publications. She is the director/screenwriter for “Witness Tree at Union Road,” a documentary in collaboration with Skidmore College. Veteran, activist and author Anuradha Bhagwati selected Caudell’s memoir Black Heel Strings: A Choptank Memoir as the 2023 winner of the Veterans Writing Award.
Dewaine Farria served in Jordan and Ukraine as a U.S. Marine. In addition to his military service, Farria served in the United Nations’ Department of Safety and Security. He supervises field security for the Asian Development. He holds an MA in international relations from the University of Oklahoma and an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Farria’s writing has appeared in Literary Hub, The New York Times, Southern Humanities Review, The Daily Beast and War on the Rocks. Tobias Wolff selected his novel Revolutions of All Colors as the winner of the inaugural Veterans Writing Award.
Brian O’Hare is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, former Marine officer and Gulf War veteran. He is an award-winning writer and filmmaker living in Los Angeles. National Book Award winner Phil Klay selected his short story collection Surrender as the winner of the 2021 Veterans Writing Award. His film “Rizoo,” about a young girl deciding whether to wear the hijab for a class picture, was released in 2025 by The New Yorker. His feature documentary “Cannon Shot” about the world’s largest croquet match between the U.S. Naval Academy and St. John’s College, will premiere later this year.
Jenny Pacanowski is a poet, playwright, military combat veteran and public speaker. She is the founder and artistic director of Women Veterans Empowered and Thriving (WVE&T), which has expanded its programming to include men, civilian support members and LGBTIA+ community members. 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 an MFA degree in performance creation.