October 23, 2012

Postponed Until Winter Quarter

Dexter Filkins, Author and Staff Writer for The New Yorker, to Speak at UCSB

For seven years, Dexter Filkins covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, becoming intimately acquainted with many of the key players –– American, Iraqi, and Afghan. Through his knowledge and experience, he has gained a unique perspective on two of the most polarizing military conflicts in U.S. history. He will share that perspective with audience members at UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, October 30.

Filkins will give a talk titled "Tales From the Front Lines: Reporting from Iraq and Afghanistan." It is presented by the campus's Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC), and is part of the center's 2012-13 lecture series "Fallout: In the Aftermath of War." The talk, which will begin at 8 p.m. in Campbell Hall at UCSB, is free and open to the public.

"As a foreign correspondent, Dexter Filkins has covered the war on terror since 9/11, and his extensive experience is reflected in the depth and range of his writing," said IHC Director Susan Derwin. "Whether it's reporting on American soldiers in combat, or on the daily lives of the Iraqi and Afghan citizens, Filkins captures what it feels like to live in a world saturated by violence."

Currently a staff writer for The New Yorker, Filkins is also the author of the 2008 best seller, "The Forever War," which received the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Nonfiction Book, and was named a best book by The New York Times, the Washington Post, Time magazine, and the Boston Globe.

Before joining The New Yorker, Filkins spent 10 years reporting from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq for The New York Times. He was part of a team of journalists from The New York Times who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for their dispatches from Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2010, his reporting from Afghanistan and Iraq, along with that of photographer Tyler Hicks and reporter C.J. Chivers, was selected by New York University as one of the Top Ten Works of Journalism of the Decade.

Among Filkins' numerous honors and awards are two National Magazine Awards and two George Polk Awards. Presented annually by Long Island University, the George Polk Awards recognize contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. Filkins was cited for his reports from the November 2004 assault on Fallujah, Iraq, when the Marine Company with which he was traveling lost a quarter of its men over the course of eight days.

Through the lecture series, "Fallout: In the Aftermath of War," the IHC is considering the impact of war upon individuals, cultures, institutions, and societies. Throughout the current academic year, scholars, public intellectuals, journalists, and social workers will explore topics such as psychological and social challenges confronting veterans and their communities, the diverse narratives and commentaries that circulate about war, the place of war in the social imaginary, and the various forms of human aggression.

In addition, art installations, film screenings, creative performances, and literary readings will give voice to the experiences of those whose lives have been affected by war.

More information about the series, including a complete schedule of events and locations, can be found at http://www.ihc.ucsb.edu/series/fallout.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.