SouthWest Writers and New Mexico Arts are set to launch their latest military anthology, “Unbreaking the Circle,” at the Corrales Community Library on Saturday, June 28, from 11 am to 12:30 pm. This follows their previous successful anthology, “Holes in Our Hearts,” published two years ago.
“Unbreaking the Circle” features writings from three members of the Rio Rancho Coffee Group, a weekly gathering where veterans share stories and fellowship. Contributors include veterans and their family members, with a focus on Corrales and Sandoval County residents.
The book stems from the work done at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Albuquerque, where a writing therapy group led by Corrales resident Jim Tritten helps veterans process traumatic experiences through storytelling.
According toTritten, a retired Navy Commander, writing about trauma repeatedly can transform it into a memory that no longer causes distress. Tritten, a decorated author with 44 years of service, supports veterans’ creative writing and will continue to assist with future anthology projects.
“The theory is, and it works, that if you take a trauma and you talk about it enough, or you write about it enough, and you do it over and over and over again, eventually it just becomes another memory, and it doesn’t cause angst,” Tritten said. “Angst being daytime, intrusive thoughts, nighttime, bad dreams. Those are all typical symptoms that can be helped with writing. The VA believes in it thoroughly, I believe in it because I can see it working.”