Modern Conflict from the Inside Out – $20

[gdlr_button href="https://shop.artscommons.ca/single/selectSeating.aspx?p=10957&id=3472ED8A-495A-4CFE-97F3-46352AEA7C8F" target="_self" size="medium" background="#358CCB" color="#ffffff" border_color="#999999"]Buy Tickets[/gdlr_button] [gdlr_space height="20px"] Whether they are writing about soldiers fighting on the front lines, journalists reporting from the inside or civilians caught in the cross-fire, the fiction and non-fiction authors on this panel each bring a unique perspective on the changing landscape of modern conflict. After a charismatic female leader in Iraq is captured by the secret police, award-winning reporter Deborah Campbell goes undercover to find her. In One Soldier, Russell Hillier chronicles his brother's three months of fighting ISIS in Iraq. In News from the Red Desert, Kevin Patterson delves into the mindset of a journalist embedded with the Canadian Infantry who cannot ignore the harrowing situation on the ground in Afghanistan. Hosted by Stephen Hunt. Includes presentation of Brenda Strathern Late Bloomers Writing Prize. [gdlr_divider type="solid" size="100%" ]

Featured Books

Into the Sun by Deni Ellis Béchard

Kabul — 10 years after 9/11: When a car bomb explodes in a crowded part of the city, a Japanese-American journalist is shocked to discover that the vehicle’s passengers were acquaintances — three fellow ex-pats who had formed an unlikely love triangle. Alexandra was a Canadian human rights lawyer for imprisoned Afghan women. Justin was a born-again Christian from Louisiana who taught at a local school. Clay was an ex-soldier who worked as a private contractor. The car’s driver, Idris, one of Justin’s most promising pupils, is missing.

A Disappearance in Damascus by Deborah Campbell

Deborah Campbell travels undercover to Damascus, reporting on the exodus of Iraqis into Syria in the aftermath of the Iraq War. When her “fixer,” a charismatic Iraqi woman who has emerged as a community leader, is seized from her side by secret police, Campbell must spend the months that follow desperately trying to find her — all the while fearing she could be next. A riveting account of two women caught up in the shadowy politics behind today’s conflict, and a testimony to the courage of those who risk their lives to bring us the world’s news.

One Soldier by Russell Hillier

When ISIS insurgents began their attack in Iraq, Dillon Hillier, a long-time soldier, felt the need to help and so became the first Canadian to volunteer to fight ISIS in Iraq. For three months, Dillon accompanied the Kurdish army as they fought a series of battles against the Islamic State. During his mission, Dillon saw combat, experienced life in the trenches and learned an important truth: that in the chaos of war, the difference between life and death is measured in inches, and some things can never be forgotten.

News from the Red Desert by Kevin Patterson

News from the Red Desert is the definitive novel of the Afghanistan war. The story follows Deirdre O'Malley, an American journalist who had been covering municipal politics when the airplanes went into the towers. Now a war correspondent, she has come to love the soldiers she covers and to grieve so hard over their wounds and their deaths she considers herself a member of the mission too. Embedded with Canadian infantry, she can't ignore the situation on the ground. Her loyalty toward her ex-lover, the American general who has taken command of the theatre, wavers as the war wavers, and the use of torture and the slaughter of civilians is brought to light. In a powerful climax that tests everyone's loyalty and faith, the essential chaos of violence asserts itself. Love and desire endure, but no-one escapes unscathed.

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