LW9: John Milas

Marine Corps veteran and debut novelist John Milas sits down with the LitWar Podcast to discuss the power of the horror genre in telling the truth about the Global War on Terror, the experience of earning an MFA in creative writing, and the advice he would give his younger writer self.

 

John Milas enlisted in the US Marine Corps at age nineteen and subsequently deployed to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan in support of OEF 10.1. He was honorably discharged from active service in 2012. After his discharge, he earned both his BA and MFA in creative writing. He enjoys engaging with his local literary community by attending readings, hosting workshops at his hometown library, and judging creative writing contests, which he has done since 2015. He has also read submissions for literary magazines such as Sycamore Review and Ninth Letter and has completed various freelance assignments as a journalist and editor. He grew up in Illinois, where he currently reads, writes, and watches baseball.

We are in the midst of our first Platoon Book Club Initiative in which we are funding and facilitating platoon-sized book clubs for active duty and reserve platoons in every branch of the military. Click here to learn more.