Home » Archives » "Ex-Fort Lewis soldier captures Iraq’s horror stanza by stanza"

Ex-Fort Lewis soldier captures Iraq’s horror stanza by stanza

Jan-13-2006 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

Link to Full Article
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

Amid a rush of Iraq war soldier memoirs making their way into print, Brian Turner’s new book stands out.

His “Here, Bullet” is a collection of poems he wrote while deployed with the Army’s first Stryker brigade, from Fort Lewis, in 2003-04. His publisher believes it is the first book of poetry about the war.

The 38-year-old former infantryman will read tonight in Tacoma and Sunday afternoon in Seattle.

“I’ve read a lot of novels about war and seen a lot of movies about war, and they all work on this larger narrative,” Turner said Thursday during a break from the drive north from his home in Fresno.

“In Iraq, I didn’t find that at all. When I was there, it was like a never-ending series of disconnected events, and it was hard to see what they all meant,” he said.

“Poetry seemed like the perfect vehicle to capture those moments.”

“Here, Bullet” published in November, has received favorable reviews from The New York Times Review of Books – it’s an “Editor’s Choice” selection – and other literary publications. It recently was featured on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.”

“I’m really happy that people seem to enjoy it,” Turner said. “I didn’t want to write something that would be a waste of people’s time.”


Advertisements