American Hurt: Vietnam Veteran Portraits and Perspectives

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Note. Veterans can contact T.J. Mesyn at [email protected] or click on the “Participate” tab on americanhurt.com. Each veteran receives archival quality prints of his or her still lifes and portraits, along with a USB drive of the full interview and digital files of each image in a custom box—none of which can repay them for their candid conversations and willingness to share their experiences.

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Notes on contributors

T. J. (Tara Jean) Mesyn

Finding synergy in the Information & Media and Curriculum, Instruction, & Teacher Education PhD programs at Michigan State University grants doctoral student T. J. (Tara) Mesyn the opportunity to meld her passions with a dual degree. Her work strives to bridge the gap between creative and academic work, as well as the worlds between visual communication and educational research and practice. By not only researching visual communication, visual literacy, history, and education but also as a creative practitioner, she hopes to continue forging the path her mentors blazed wherein multiple research interests and creativity exist in harmony in academia. Her work on the international, award-winning multimedia project “American Hurt: Vietnam Veteran Portraits & Perspectives,” coupled with her background as a high school teacher, drives her research interests on the role visuals play in education—specifically, history education. E-mail: [email protected]