Incoming: Veteran Writers On Coming Home

by Justin Hudnall (Editor), Julia Dixon Evans (Editor), Sierra Crane (Contributor)

"The series provides veterans a much-needed platform to express themselves personally, and what incredible stories they tell; they're tragic, poignant, funny and always thoughtful." - Aaron Schachter, PRI's The World.
"What they have to say is often unbearable, sometimes hilarious, always compelling, and cinematic." - Robin Young, host of NPR/WBUR's Here and Now.

Incoming features true stories from American veterans and service members, in their own words, about their experience returning home from deployment and transitioning back to civilian life. Honest, hilarious, and harrowing, these are beautifully crafted and necessary narratives to help readers of any background begin to understand why the most difficult battle often begins once war ends. Featuring stories from Benjamin Busch, Matt Young, Brandon Lingle, G. Michael Smith, Kurt Kalbfleisch, Robert Shaw, Kelli Hewlett, Sierra Crane, Brooke King, C.S. Griffin, Casondra Brewster, Alex Flynn, Samuel Abel, Brent Wingfield, Gill Sotu, Doug D'Elia, Tenley Lozano, Jim Ruland, Zack Dryer, Andrew Szala, Vance Voyles, Natalie Lovejoy, Gail Chatfield, Andrew Miller, Nathan Webster, Derrick Woodford, Anthony Moll, Lisbeth Prifogle, Adam Stone, Eric Strand, Mariah Smith, Samuel Chamberlain, Benjamin Rothman, William Corley, Allysa Kropp, and Rolf Yngve.

Genres: Contemporary

180 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 2016

Reviews

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories is a heart-breaking and candid look at veterans' experiences around military service and homecoming. While a lot of lip service is given to honoring veterans and thanking them for their service, this book offers the opportunity to dip a toe into their world and experience a piece of it.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know three of the authors in this collection, and worked with them on their pieces. So, I am not a neutral or unbiased reader. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed and learned from this read. It has so much to say that I took a long time with it, to be sure I gave each story some breathing room. I was rewarded for the effort.

Next, I will teach this book in a veterans' learning community. I hope it speaks to them. I feel certain it will start important and productive conversations.

[Benjamin Rothman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost as therapeutic to read as it was to write.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting stories of soldiers coming home to find life has changed, from being replaced to being too shaken to resume life. Makes me want to investigate that guitars for vets program.

[Vance Voyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good selection of stories from men and women coming home from war. Some more action packed than others, but in the end, everything is a war.

[Charlie Sherpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exploring themes of home, homecoming, and finding one's place in the world, the anthology "Incoming" hits a sweet spot on the terrain of contemporary veteran-voiced literature, and is certain to expand and enrich future conversations between civilian and military populations. The 190-page trade paperback delivers 36 short narratives—mostly essays, with a few poems and possible short fictions thrown in—and features authors from a diverse range of eras, genders, and military branches.

The book is a product of "So Say We All," a San Diego, Calif.-based non-profit publishing, performance, and education effort focused on telling the stories of marginalized populations, including military veterans. A companion podcast for the "Incoming" project is here.

In his introduction to the book, editor Justin Hudnall writes:

What was it like to return? We gave one line of guidance in our prompt, that the writers could speak to any subject matter they wanted, but were not obligated to anything. The result, this book, contains responses from activity duty and veterans alike, men and women, gay and straight, across the multitude of ethnicity. In total: our military as it serves, free of politics, free of censure, a citizen army.

Some of the authors are previously published in books and literary magazines, while others are entirely new to print. Most of the pieces are short—only a few pages in length. Nearly every work, however, contains something—an image, a metaphor, a turn of phrase—that invites re-reading or considered contemplation. [...]

[For a full review, visit: http://www.redbullrising.com/2016/03/...]

[Sheri Fresonke Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories from Veterans on their experience of coming home after serving in the military. The stories range from encountering Veterans suffering PTSD, to divorce, to working with a therapist, to a Veterans writing group, to a military burial, to a father being healed if his memories of Vietnam with his daughters homecoming reception, to experience as Gay, or looking for a job. Goid characterization throughout.