Cuesta College's Book of the Year events focus on military veterans

Military veterans will share their stories in coming weeks as part of Cuesta College’s 2015 Book of the Year program.

Author, poet and U.S. Army veteran Kevin Powers will speak about his debut novel “The Yellow Birds” on March 26 at Cuesta College’s Cultural and Performing Arts Center as part of the Book of the Year program, which is co-sponsored by the San Luis Obispo City-County Library. The bestselling book, which follows two American soldiers in Iraq, is based on Powers’ own experiences overseas.

Also on March 26 is a panel discussion titled “Welcome Home: Veterans on Campus PTSD Training and Panel,” which is aimed at providing Cuesta faculty, staff and community members with the knowledge needed to respond to issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder. That event will be held at Cuesta’s San Luis Obispo campus.

Other Book of the Year events include book discussions, film screenings, literary readings and community events featuring veterans sharing photographs and first-hand accounts of their wartime experiences.

Two workshops — “Healing Trauma Through Art Workshop,” March 18 at Cuesta’s San Luis Obispo campus, and “A Writers Workshop for Veterans,” March 21 at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden — will focus on the healing power of art and creative writing.

For more information, call 546-3190 or visit http://library.cuesta.edu/book.

This story was originally published February 2, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Cuesta College's Book of the Year events focus on military veterans."