Post by kaconti38 on May 20, 2012 12:28:52 GMT -5
Born and raised in California, American war poet Brian Turner has called many places home throughout his 45 years. After receiving degrees from both Fresno State and the University of Oregon, Turner relocated to South Korea where he taught English before traveling abroad to Russia, the Arab Emirates, and Japan.
In 1999, Turner heard the call of the trigger that he writes of in his poem “A Lullaby for Bullets”. With that, he enlisted in the United States Army and found himself deep in the mountains of Bosnia Herzegovina. Four years later, he re-enlisted and became a member of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq to fight the war on terror.
Upon returning home, Turner found himself engaged in a new struggle: processing the emotional effects of the war. It is this struggle, and the experiences of both tours of duty that provide the inspiration for the touching poetry of both his published collections entitled Here, Bullet and Phantom Noise. Turner’s firsthand accounts of the violence and isolation he and his fellow soldiers witnessed grips readers and transports them six thousand miles from their homes to Baghdad. As the writers of The Franklin Journal say, “The poems on the pages of Here, Bullet blend cultural and historical insight and the reverberations of gut wrenching violence [to] make for a powerful reading experience”. The Washington Post echoes this sentiment praising Turner’s portrayal of “soldiers who are [both] invincible and wounded”.
The Franklin Journal and The Washington Post are not alone in their recognition of Turner’s impressive work. As the New York Times Book Review says, Turner “deserves our thanks” for his account of the “arguably incomprehensible” events of the Iraq war. His experience and work has also earned him the recognition of winning the Beatrice Hawley award, a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, and a prestigious place among the 50 United States Artist Fellows. In addition to this, his work has been featured in multiple anthologies, in the documentary Operation Homecoming which allowed veterans to explain the war in their own words, and his poem “The Hurt Locker” lent its name to the 2008 feature film.
Through his “sharp yet lyrical language”, acclaimed by the Library Journal, Turner has left a distinct mark on the world of poetry. Although he is young, he has experienced more now than many people will in a life twice as long. Whether it be an account of feeling invisible as a single American in Iraq, as the poem “Ashbah” depicts, or one of longing for the love of those left behind at home, as portrayed in “R&R”, Turner writes in such a way that allows even those of us not predisposed to enjoy poetry to feel struck to our cores by his profound story.
And with that, it is my immense honor to thank Mr. Brian Turner for taking the time to share his work with us tonight and to welcome him to the stage to share his story in his own words.
word count : 502
In 1999, Turner heard the call of the trigger that he writes of in his poem “A Lullaby for Bullets”. With that, he enlisted in the United States Army and found himself deep in the mountains of Bosnia Herzegovina. Four years later, he re-enlisted and became a member of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed to Iraq to fight the war on terror.
Upon returning home, Turner found himself engaged in a new struggle: processing the emotional effects of the war. It is this struggle, and the experiences of both tours of duty that provide the inspiration for the touching poetry of both his published collections entitled Here, Bullet and Phantom Noise. Turner’s firsthand accounts of the violence and isolation he and his fellow soldiers witnessed grips readers and transports them six thousand miles from their homes to Baghdad. As the writers of The Franklin Journal say, “The poems on the pages of Here, Bullet blend cultural and historical insight and the reverberations of gut wrenching violence [to] make for a powerful reading experience”. The Washington Post echoes this sentiment praising Turner’s portrayal of “soldiers who are [both] invincible and wounded”.
The Franklin Journal and The Washington Post are not alone in their recognition of Turner’s impressive work. As the New York Times Book Review says, Turner “deserves our thanks” for his account of the “arguably incomprehensible” events of the Iraq war. His experience and work has also earned him the recognition of winning the Beatrice Hawley award, a New York Times Editor’s Choice selection, and a prestigious place among the 50 United States Artist Fellows. In addition to this, his work has been featured in multiple anthologies, in the documentary Operation Homecoming which allowed veterans to explain the war in their own words, and his poem “The Hurt Locker” lent its name to the 2008 feature film.
Through his “sharp yet lyrical language”, acclaimed by the Library Journal, Turner has left a distinct mark on the world of poetry. Although he is young, he has experienced more now than many people will in a life twice as long. Whether it be an account of feeling invisible as a single American in Iraq, as the poem “Ashbah” depicts, or one of longing for the love of those left behind at home, as portrayed in “R&R”, Turner writes in such a way that allows even those of us not predisposed to enjoy poetry to feel struck to our cores by his profound story.
And with that, it is my immense honor to thank Mr. Brian Turner for taking the time to share his work with us tonight and to welcome him to the stage to share his story in his own words.
word count : 502