We dig and we dig
Then we dig some more
Keep digging
Keep searching
Keep scraping for more
So we can continue
To give and to give
Give away ourselves
Give time
Give love
Give to all else
Until we outgive
And can dig no more
Lani Hankins is a former Army female engagement team member and a veteran of Afghanistan. Follow herĀ here. Listen to the Savage Wonder episode with herĀ here.
She blogs and podcasts atĀ Kruse Corner.
Bunny: Poems About Surviving Military Life by Lani Hankins
Bottled Away: Confessions of a Struggling VeteranĀ by Lani Hankins
The Gaslit Heart: A Story of Service and SurvivalĀ by Lani Hankins
Eased Pain: Poems About Surviving Domestic ViolenceĀ by Lani Hankins
This week on the Savage Wonder Podcastā¦
Jason Pizzarello is a Connecticut-based playwright and co-founder of Stage Partners, a digital licensing house for new plays (yourstagepartners.com). He is currently developing his plays Lost Near Daytona, Found (Semi-finalist, Arts in the Armed Forces Bridge Award) with The Tank /dir. Meghan Finn, and his outdoor immersive childrenās play Off the Trail (grant recipient, Frances R. Dewing Foundation) with CTās Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Other plays include: Bethel Park Falls (Everyday Inferno Theatre Company/NYC Central Park, published with Playscripts); After People Like You (Blue Riders at Classic Stage; Finalist, AITAF). He has also developed his writing with Soho Rep Writer/ Director Lab, Irondale Ensemble, Fordham Alumni Theatre Company, HERE Arts Center, The Flea Theater's Pataphysics, New Group's Playwriting Workshop, and the Veterans Writing Workshop. Over thirty of his plays for young actors are published and have been performed over 3,000 times in all 50 states and in over 25 countries, including a Norwegian and Bengali translation. When heās not writing, he proudly serves as a logistics officer with the New York Army National Guard, and is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan/ Operation Enduring Freedom.
Jason's military-themed drama BRAT won VetRep's inaugural full-length playwriting competition. BRAT is the story of a mother and son - both veterans of the forever war in Afghanistan - as they struggle to reintegrate into the civilian world and mend their broken relationship. Jake signed up to follow in his motherās footsteps, but doesnāt get what he expected when he returns home to confront everything, and everyone, thatās been waiting for him.
Our judges said the following about BRAT: "Mysterious, emotionally sound, haunting ā itās also clearly a very personal piece. The language is lean and spare, the opening is terrific, and the last scene is gripping."
Follow Jason here.