An interview with Don Blackburn, Viet Nam veteran-peace activist-poet,who will talk about "All You Have Given: Meditations on War, Peace & Reconciliation" his book of poems. He will also read from his book.
Don Blackburn was born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1947 and raised in Southern California. Boyhood interests included sports, surfing, music and reading. He graduated from Hawthorne High School in Hawthorne, California in 1965. He served in the U.S. Army 1966-68, in Viet Nam 1967-68, attached to the 116th transportation company for most of the time, in and around Cam Ranh Bay; he was also at Long Binh and Bear Cat for a short time. He graduated from Humboldt State University in 1973 with a B.A. in English and went on to earn an M.A. at Humboldt in English/Teaching of Writing. Don taught at high school and university level for 27 years. He is a published poet and short story writer. Don maintains a home on forest land in Bandon, Oregon, and lives part of each year in Viet Nam where he volunteers with several humanitarian projects. He is a practicing Buddhist and a member of Veterans For Peace. Don Blackburn also belongs to a veterans group that does presentations in schools, works with veterans' issues, etc.
- KBOO