Reflections on War and Service at the Capitol Mall

In observance of Veterans Voices Month, the Minnesota Humanities Center (MHC) hosted a special program on Saturday, October 26 at the Minnesota State Capitol Mall in Saint Paul. This program, “Reflections on War and Service at the Capitol Mall,” was part of MHC’s Many Fronts: Veterans and Community Voices initiative. Many Fronts supports Humanities programming that explores the human impact of war and conflict, its historical, social, and political underpinnings, and the voices and narratives that help us to increase our understanding about one another and war.

“Reflections on War and Service at the Capitol Mall” began on the steps of the State Capitol building. There, civilian and Veteran participants were welcomed by program facilitators Jessi M. Atherton and Paul Van Dyke, both of whom are authors and Iraq War Veterans. Jessi’s first collection of poetry, “The Time War Takes,” was published in April 2023 and received accolades from the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses and the Veterans Studies Association. Paul is the founder and lead instructor of Veterans Telling Stories, an arts nonprofit that teaches free creative writing courses to Veterans and their family members.

Jessi and Paul led program participants to the lower end of the Capitol Mall. Surrounded by several war monuments and memorials – including the Military Family Tribute, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Minnesota World War II Veterans Memorial – participants were asked to create an ekphrastic poem as part of the program activities. An ekphrastic poem focuses on the description of a work of art. Often a writer’s lived experience and interests will determine what aspects of art they would like to write about and how they connect it to themes and ideas that exist both in and beyond a work of art. After a brief introduction to ekphrastic poetry and useful techniques for the writing exercise, participants were invited to walk around the Capitol Mall, choose a monument or memorial to write about, and compose lines.

The Capitol Mall was gorgeous that afternoon. Clear skies, fair weather, and a touch of autumn made a stunning background to the well-maintained grounds and impressive monuments and memorials, all of which were a reminder of the sacrifice and dedication of those who served in conflicts around the world. The writing activity required introspection and serious consideration of how our lives connect to the narratives and histories recorded in sculpted form. After time was spent composing poetry, the participants regrouped, walked back up the Capitol Mall, and entered the State Capitol building for the second part of the program.

Gathered around a table on the top floor of the State Capitol, participants shared their written poems with each other. It was fascinating to hear how the same monument or memorial was described in a different manner or how one portion of a visual artwork became the full focus of an ekphrastic poem. Beyond the formal elements of the poem, everyone brought their lived experience and understanding of war and conflict into their writing. The resulting work was moving and beautiful, and all recognized their vulnerability, humanity, and artistry in the shared space.

After the group share, Jessi and Paul asked everyone to highlight one or two of their favorite lines from their poems. These lines were then presented to Jessi and Paul, who worked together to compose a group poem that combined lines from each of the participants’ writing to create a new literary work that further connected us and served as a testament to the shared activity and collective artistic conversation on war and conflict. I end this post with that shared poem, written by all who attended “Reflections on War and Service at the Capitol Mall” and in recognition of all service members and Veterans who have given so much to Minnesota and the United States of America: