Sebastian Junger has intentionally risked death multiple times in his career – with one intention: to objectively give a voice the full experience of war. On November 13, 2013, the College of Charleston Friends of the Library will host Sebastian Junger for two special events: a moderated Q&A session with students from the College of Charleston, MUSC and the Citadel in the afternoon, followed by an evening keynote address. Junger will explain the motivations for, realities of, and lessons learned from his time on the front lines in Afghanistan. The evening event is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket.

Junger InfoSebastian Junger 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 moderated Q&A is for students from the College of Charleston, The Citadel, and MUSC only. The event will begin at 4 p.m. in Rivers Green (behind Addlestone Library). The evening program will begin at 6 p.m. with a special reception with Sebastian Junger for sponsors of the event and guests who purchase VIP tickets. Following the reception at 7 p.m., Junger will deliver his keynote address to an audience of approximately 450 community members. Both The Perfect Storm and War will be available for purchase and Junger will be signing autographs.

All proceeds from An Evening with Sebastian Junger will go toward establishing the first scholarship specifically for veteran students at the College of Charleston. Read more about the scholarship.

The Friends of the Library have also organized other events in conjunction with Junger’s visit. From September 6 through November 15, 2013, “Shooter: A Photo Exhibit by Combat Photographer Stacy Pearsall” will be on display on the second floor of Addlestone Library. The exhibit features award-winning photos by Stacy Pearsall, retired USAF Staff Sergeant and owner of the Charleston Center for Photography. On Wednesday, September 25, 2013, there will be a free screening of Jungers’ Academy Award-nominated documentary film Restrepo at the American Theater (476 King St.). On Wednesday, October 23, 2013, a free screening of Junger’s HBO documentary Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington will be held at 6 p.m. at the American Theater.

For more information on these events, visit junger.cofc.edu.

For a full listing of Friends of the Library events, visit fol.cofc.edu.