"There are Things Which You Have to Have Empathy to Discuss." A Chat with David Ervin, Editor of Military Experience and the Arts

Editor of veteran-focused journal takes us behind the scenes

Another interview has wrapped, friends. This was the longest interview yet and, certainly for me, the most emotional.

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with David Ervin, Editor of Military Experience and the Arts. This magazine is “a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose primary mission is to work with veterans and their families to publish short stories, essays, poems, and artwork in our bi-annual publication, As You Were: The Military Review, periodic editions of Blue Nostalgia: The Journal of Post-Traumatic Growth and others.”

This magazine is unique in many ways. For one, there is the particular focus on veterans and their families. Additionally, submitters have the option to work with an editor if they wish. As the site says, “It’s our mission at MEA to help veterans and family members enrich their writing, regardless of their skill level.” In our conversation today, David took us through the editorial process, citing one writer he took through about nine rounds of revision before publishing the work.

Unlike many other lit mags, the work submitted to MEA is often harrowing. When I asked David whether he is ever shocked by what he reads, he said that he’s shocked “all the time…every time I open my inbox.”

How does he deal with confronting so much painful content? By his own admission, he “doesn’t deal with it well.” Particularly when he encounters stories that touch on experiences in the Middle East similar to his own. Of course, his own experiences also help him understand what other vets are going through.

MEA does active outreach to veteran communities, soliciting work and teaching workshops. As one might imagine, the process of writing through trauma can offer healing. I asked if David had seen any of that sort of healing first-hand.

And here, friends, is where things got heavy.

David told about a Vietnam War veteran who published a poem with MEA. The man had never talked about his war experience with anyone. After publication, he shared his poem with his family, at last opening a window into this private world he’d kept hidden.

In another instance, a Korean war veteran had never discussed the war with anyone. Yet he was growing old and realized he could not take his experiences with him “to the other side.” The piece he published with MEA was a glimpse of his life in combat that he was finally able to share with his son.

Our conversation drifted to larger concerns, as I was curious how veterans are faring generally these days. The answer, as I might have expected, was complicated. I was also curious how this magazine approaches rejection letters, given the intense psychological stress many of the writers may already feel. Another thing I wondered about was whether the journal ever took a public stance on geopolitical issues, and why or why not.

To hear David’s thoughtful answers, and to see the full range of topics discussed, you’ll have to give this one a watch.

The interview is in two parts because we had a great question from an attendee at the end, and I couldn’t resist hitting Record one more time. In the second part, David shares a list of additional war-related magazines, and there’s a brief conversation about the importance of hearing from female and LGBTQ veterans, as well as the broad range of voices that are part of this magazine overall.

As always, thank you all for tuning in. Your faces and your support are my very sunshine on this cold April day!

And, of course, thank you to David for taking us behind the scenes of another vital little magazine.

Happy viewing!