There is a wealth of poetry by Viet Nam veterans. Through Viet Nam
Generation, Inc., I've published a number of volumes:
Horace Coleman, _In the Grass_
David Connolly, _Lost in America_
W.D. Ehrhart, _Just for Laughs_
Leroy Quintana, Interrogations_
Dale Ritterbusch, _Lessons Learned_
David Vancil, _The Homesick Patrol_
Gerald McCarthy, _Throwing the Headlines_ (forthcoming)
The list of our poetry titles is available at the following URL:
http://jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU/sixties/HTML_docs/Cat_poetry_entry.html
You will also find scores of poems by Viet Nam veterans in back issues of
the journal _Viet Nam Generation_, including the work of Victor H. Bausch,
Robert Borden, Peter Desy, Jabiya Dragonsun, Alan Farrell, Rod Farmer,
Dennis Fritzinger, Jon Forrest Glade, Bill Jones, Norman Lanquist, Rod
McQueary, James Scofield, Bill Shields, t. kilgore splake, B.D. Trail, David
A. Willson, Ken Wolfe, and Don Yost.
Much of this poetry is available on the Web, at the Sixties Project Web site
in the section "Journal Issues On-Line" at the following URL:
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Journal_online_entry
.html
In addition to Weigl and Bowen (mentioned already by Alex of Curbstone
Press), I'd suggest taking a look at the poetry of John Balaban, Walter
McDonald, and Yusef Komunyakaa.
Michael Bibby and Vince Gotera have both written books which discuss poetry
by Viet Nam veterans. A lengthy section of my own recent book, _Worlds of
Hurt: Reading the Literatures of Trauma_, focuses on the poetry of W.D.
Ehrhart.
David Willson's wonderful "REMF Bibliography" has a lengthy section (now out
of date, but still useful) on the poetry of the Viet Nam War. You can find
that at the Sixties Project Web site also, at this URL:
http://jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU/sixties/HTML_docs/Bibliographies/REMF_
bib/REMF_bib_poetry_A_B.html
Poetry by women veterans is more difficult to find. Lynda Van Devanter
edited a collection, and the work of Marilyn McMahon has been published in
several anthologies. I think she may also have a chapbook.
John Baky (hi, John!), who is the Director of Libraries at LaSalle
University and undoubtedly the man with the most Viet Nam war book titles at
his fingertips, could doubtless direct you to more poetry by veterans.
Kali Tal
Sixties Project & Viet Nam Generation, Inc.
Kali Tal
Sixties Project & Viet Nam Generation, Inc.
PO Box 13746, Tucson, AZ 85732-3746
kali.tal@yale.edu
Sixties Project: http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/sixties/