Sebastian Junger to Speak at C of C in November! - College of Charleston Libraries
On November 13, 2013, the College of Charleston’s Friends of the Library will host acclaimed war correspondent, bestselling author and Academy Award-nominated documentary film maker Sebastian Junger.
Sebastian Junger literally took the literary world by “storm” with the 1997 publication of The Perfect Storm, his bestselling account of the doomed last voyage of a Massachusetts-based fishing ship, the Andrea Gail. In the years that followed, through assignments for Vanity Fair and ABC News, Junger turned his attention to increasing U.S. involvement in overseas conflicts. During the bloodiest period of war in Afghanistan, Junger embedded with a U.S. Army platoon in the remote and infamously dangerous Korengal Valley. His fifteen months in-country resulted in the 2010 documentary film Restrepo, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2011, Junger also published the bestselling book War based on his experience in the trenches.
Junger’s newest project, which recently debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and is now presented as an HBO Documentary, is a feature-length portrait of Tim Hetherington, his friend and photographer who was with him in Afghanistan but was killed in 2011 while covering the civil war in Libya. Junger began work on Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington in 2011, shortly after attending his friend’s memorial service.
The event will begin with a special reception with Sebastian Junger for sponsors of the event and guests who purchase VIP tickets. Following the reception, Junger will deliver his keynote address an audience of approximately 450 attendees. Junger’s keynote address will focus on the motivations for, realities of, and lessons learned from his time on the front lines in Afghanistan. Both The Perfect Storm and War will be available for purchase and Junger will be signing autographs.
In addition to his keynote address, Junger will participate in a moderated question and answer session with students from the College of Charleston, MUSC and the Citadel. All proceeds from An Evening with Sebastian Junger will go toward establishing the first scholarship specifically for veteran students at the College of Charleston.
Several other events and activities are planned leading up to Sebastian Junger’s visit. The full list of events and activities, including the keynote address, can be found below.
September 5th-November 14th, 2013: Photography exhibit by award-winning combat photojournalist Stacy Pearsall
Second Floor, Addlestone Library
September 25th, 2013: Free Screening of Sebastian Junger’s Academy Award-nominated documentary film, Restrepo
6:00pm, The American Theater, 456 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401.
October 23rd, 2013: Free Screening of Sebastian Junger’s HBO Documentary film, Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington
6:00pm, The American Theater, 456 King Street, Charleston, SC 29401
November 13th, 2013: Moderated Q&A with Sebastian Junger
4:00pm, Rivers Green, behind the Addlestone Library
*this event is free and open to students from the College of Charleston, MUSC and the Citadel.
November 13th, 2013: VIP Reception and Keynote Address by Sebastian Junger
6:00pm (VIP Reception)
7:00pm (Keynote Address)
Rivers Green, behind the Addlestone Library
*This is a ticketed event. Tickets for VIP reception and keynote address will be $125.00 per person. Tickets for keynote address only will be $45 per person. Tickets will be available online in mid-August.
For more information on any of the events related to Sebastian Junger’s visit to the College of Charleston, please contact Stephanie Alexander at alexandersd@cofc.edu.