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Outer Banks Veterans Writing Workshop registration now open

Posted at 4:30 PM, Jul 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-17 16:30:35-04

OUTER BANKS, N.C. – The Dare County Arts Council will be hosting its 6th annual Outer Banks Veterans Writing Workshop on November 10 and 11. Registration is now open and applications are being accepted.

The workshop will be held at the UNC Coastal Studies Institute in Wanchese and is free for veterans as well as active duty and family members.

The goal of the workshop is to teach combat veterans to express their military experiences through the art of writing and literature. This was modeled after the  D.C.-based non-profit Veterans Writing Project.

Writers of all levels are invited to participate. The workshop will be led by founder and director of the National Veterans Writing Project, Ron Capps.

Capps has served 25 years in both the Army and Army Reserves and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He is also an award-winning writer appearing in Time Magazine and in The New York Times. His published works include “Writing War: A Guide to Telling Your Own Story” and “Seriously Not All Right: Five Wars in Ten Years.”

“I am really thrilled to extend our partnership with the Dare County Arts Council for another year,” Capps said.

“I love working on the Outer Banks and with the veterans and their family members there. The community is rich in stories and it’s a privilege for me to get these stories down on paper in front of an audience. This year’s workshop is designed to help participants develop new skills and unlock new areas of creativity using targeted writing prompts. Participants can write fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenplay or play formats,” he said.

Former and current service men and women along with families in the surrounding area are encouraged to sign up online. The workshop will only accept up to 25 participants.

The Veterans Writing Workshop is one of five free workshop events that the Dare County Arts Council has organized for veterans, active duty service members and families for this year.

The workshop has been funded by a grant from the Military and Veteran Arts Programs at the North Carolina Arts Council. The DCAC hosted workshops involving painting, pottery, metalsmithing and photography this past spring.

“The dynamic that these workshops bring to our community has been so exciting,” said Kelli Harmon, Army veteran and Dare County Arts Council Board member.

“We have veterans and family members that haven’t previously been involved coming out to participate. The hands-on experience creates a very open environment to discuss the unique situations the participants face. More than helping tell their stories through art, these workshops are also helping to build a network with others who are having similar experiences,” Harmon said.

The Outer Banks Veterans Writing Project is a part of the veteran-friendly events that are sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau during November’s Outer Banks Veterans Week, which hosts veteran celebrations from Corolla to Cape Hatteras.

Any groups interested listing in their events in the Veterans Week Calendar of event should email DareArtsInfo@gmail.com.

For any other information about the Veterans Writing Workshop, click here or call (252) 473-5558

By Anna Marie Lopez