[City of Pasadena]
On Saturday, November 15, these four men will gather at Pasadena’s Lamanda Park Branch library to discuss something that may have saved their lives: writing.
“War Stories: The Ones We Bring Back and How” brings together Pablo Agrio, Bill Cushing, GT Foster, and John McBrearty—veterans who turned to the written word to process combat trauma, undiagnosed PTSD, and the weight of what they carried home from war.
For Agrio, writing became a lifeline after decades of darkness. The former Marine’s undiagnosed PTSD led to alcoholism and abuse.
“I was an alcoholic when I came back. I was an abusive father and I was an abusive husband,” Agrio said.
A domestic violence incident resulted in his wife’s death and a life sentence. While imprisoned, he obtained a law degree and began writing. Upon release, he finally discovered he suffered from PTSD. His memoir “In Pursuit of Happiness” is described as raw and honest.
Cushing, a Navy veteran, taught English and writing for 23 years before retiring in 2020. He has been twice-nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Foster, a Vietnam-era Army draftee, published his first novel “The Boys Are Not Refined” in 2023, a semi-biographic soldier’s story.
McBrearty served as a lieutenant colonel during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
War Stories: The Ones We Bring Back and How will run on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 2-4 p.m. Lamanda Park Branch, Pasadena Public Library, 140 S. Altadena Drive, Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 744-7266 or visit https://www.cityofpasadena.net/library/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D191007760. Ticket prices: Free.
