ARTSPEAK RADIO – Robert Sommer, Stephen Johnson, Charlene Pryor, Wick Thomas and Katie Gilchrist

Wednesday March 21, 2018 Host/producer of ARTSPEAK RADIO, Maria Vasquez Boyd talks with author Robert Sommer, artist/writer Stephen Johnson, artist/writer Charlene Pryor, & performers/musicians Wick Thomas and Katie Gilchrist. Robert F. Sommer-Losing Francis Essays on the Wars at Home While Sgt. Francis D. Sommer was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, his father stood on a street corner in Kansas City with an antiwar sign. Losing Francis: Essays on the Wars at Home reconciles that seeming contrast in a courageous dive into the personal cost of America’s wars. Fusing his eloquent meditations on nature, art, and grief with the political and social backdrop of these wars, Robert F. Sommer skillfully weaves a compelling narrative throughout these essays in the finely- honed prose of a master craftsman. “Both harrowing and lovely, Losing Francis is a vibrant, indispensable document of life in our time.” –Whitney Terrell, author of The Good Lieutenant "A poignant account of one couple's journey through the shadow cast by the death of their son. Inextricably woven into the story is the nefarious reality of the nation's ruinous recent wars. A compelling and insightful book." —Mark Karlin, Editor, BuzzFlash at Truthout Robert F. Sommer is the author of two novels,…