In the final part of my epic conversation with the American soldier-poet Brian Turner, our attention turned to the question: does writing help confront trauma and the violence he has witnessed and indeed participated in.
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Brian Turner reads his poem Ferris Wheel, from the collection Here, Bullet.
In part three of my epic conversation with Brian Turner, we begin by discussing how the Soldier Poet bears witness,
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Brian Turner reads and discusses a passage from his memoir, My Life as a Foreign Country.
In the second part of my lengthy conversation with the poet Brian Turner we begin by discussing language - in particular pejorative terms like 'Haji'. Turner moves from this, through coining 'otherise', to recall his own experiences in Iraq.
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Brian Turner has become world famous for his war poetry, which was largely inspired by a year-long tour of Iraq with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The ostensible reason for our meeting, however, was first sustained work of prose, a memoir entitled My Life as a Foreign Country, which Keep reading →
Brian Turner, the next guest on This Writing Life, reads the title poem from his first collection, Here Bullet. As a soldier in the US army, Turner served in Bosnia and Iraq, before turning to writing. He is the author of three books: in addition to Here, Bullet, he has published one other volume of verse, Phantom Noise, and the memoir My Life as a Foreign Country.
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