Journaling Military Experience through The Arts with Travis Martin

Veterans can learn to express the most unspeakable tragic experiences of war -- that is Travis Martin's heart-work.  

Travis served two tours of duty in Iraq with the Army. He's now the President and Editor-in-Chief of the all volunteer non-profit organization "Military Experience and the Arts." Travis' scholarly works have appeared in The New York Times, The Forum for Modern Language Studies and Veterans of Foreign Wars Magazine, and others. While earning his Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky, he's also teaching courses. His dissertation focuses on the proliferation of therapeutic writing and arts communities created by veterans. His newest project, a memoir entitled Turley Boys, details his life including the experiences of war and military service, and subsequent battle with PTSD. 

After producing two volumes of The Journal of Military Experience, he won a grant from the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs to host a “Military Experience and the Arts” (MEA) symposium. As symposium director, Travis interacted with leaders of national grassroots communities. The event sprung up a community dedicated to providing veterans and their families access to expressive workshops and platforms.  

MEA publications now include: The Journal of Military Experience, Blue Streak: A Journal of Military Poetry, The Blue Falcon Review, and The Veterans’ PTSD Project’s Blue Nostalgia: A Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth. Core volunteers are based nationwide and include professors, authors, advocates, and clinicians. The JME earned the prestigious “Program of the Year” award from Student Veterans of America in 2011. 

Join us as we embrace listeners in the healing journey of a Veteran Purple Heart recipient and his passion that's led to new and unexplored academic territory for countless others to walk in the same boots .