Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Tuesday 21 May
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM
Studying a book or film can be a short-cut to consigning it to boredom. But our Texts in the City series – a gift to students, their teachers and lifelong learners – brings the VCE English and Literature lists to life.
Each week, our hosts – authors Lili Wilkinson and Tony Birch – will interview experts intimately familiar with the texts, unearthing those hidden gems that could help your essay shine.
This time around, we look at Bernard Edelman’s Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam.
Presented in association with The Victorian Association for the Teaching of English.
Featuring
Barry Heard
Barry Heard is a Vietnam vet and author of the prize-winning books Well Done Those Men, Tag, and View from Connors Hill.
Like many returned soldiers, Barry suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome that eventuated in a breakdown 30 years after the war ended. Writing about his experiences has given hope to thousands of men and women who have endured the atrocities of war and the crippling side effects that linger long in its wake.
Well Done Those Men is used in over 150 high schools throughout Australia in both History and English. In Feb 2012, Barry signed a film contract for the book. A director, producer, script writer and other relevant people have been appointed.
In 2009, Barry Heard was appointed Australian Ambassador for Libraries Victoria. He has been involved with fund-raising for Hope Foundation, Fred Hollows Foundation, Oak Tree, Books for Bhutan and two orphanages in Vietnam.