warren etheredge
storyfinder
The Red Badge Project
Founding faculty member
Since cofounding The Red Badge Project in 2012 alongside actor Tom Skerritt, Capt. Evan Bailey, UW English professor Shawn Wong, screenwriter Brian MacDonald and photojournalist Johnny Bivera, Warren has been helping combat veterans coping with PTSD, TBIs and other hardships find and tell their stories in a variety of media. Over the course of a multi-week intensive or individual workshops around the country, Warren shares his tools for identifying personal conflicts and helps soldiers utilize these tools to best express themselves and heal their wounds.
"A decade ago, Warren Etheredge and I founded The Film School, a non-profit program focused on the self esteem necessary to effectively execute creative expression through Storytelling. The overall program has had exceptional success as, 'Life changing'... That alumni assessment of the course, led to The Red Badge Project, designed specifically for transitioning active PTSD vets. Warren's conflict and resolution approach to Storytelling, gives each vet in the program the 'nugget' from which most great Storytelling emerges. Most importantly, Warren's 'nugget' approach is a key element for building a veteran's self realization and the self worth needed to effectively move, with a measure of confidence, from the unity of military purpose to the individuality of civilian life."
- Tom Skerritt
Actor, Founder of TheFilmSchool and The Red Badge Project
"When we forged our partnership with the Red Badge Project (RBP), it was with exactly this idea in mind: to offer another type of therapeutic venue to help trauma survivors heal and gain strength in their “broken places”. Storytelling has long been used as a therapeutic tool to help lessen the burden carried by those who have experienced trauma. Finding one’s voice can serve to diminish feeling marginalized and diffuse the intensity of the traumatic memory. Thanks to the thoughtful and insightful instruction provided by Warren Etheredge with RBP, veterans participating in our class have been armed with critical skills that have enabled them to challenge themselves in a meaningful way. Specifically, the conflict grid and nugget that Warren teaches gives writers a formula for translating a very private struggle into a character that is genuine and believable. Because Warren’s approach embraces that which is both personal and universal, the individual has the opportunity to feel transformed from a wounded veteran to an accomplished storyteller. Lastly, the content of Warren’s instruction is mirrored by his presentation style. He can provide constructive critical feedback that is accurate and honest, often accompanied by humor, and always respectful and encouraging. So despite feeling nervous or vulnerable, all the veterans in our RBP class have taken risks, sharing their stories and examples of their writing with others in the group.”
- Amy V Morris, PhD
Team Leader
Federal Way Vet Center
"In February, the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles hosted one of Warren Etheredge’s writing and storytelling workshops. Warren worked with LAFLA veteran clients to help them learn to express their psychological trauma and to regain the sense of mutual understanding and acceptance that too often is buried by the prolonged, solitary experience of pain. Modern warfare robs generations of young men and women of their innocence, leaving them profoundly changed upon their return home, with injuries that loom below the surface. In a tradition that dates back to Hemingway, Warren is engaged in the labor of giving veterans the tools to create a sense of self, when the inescapable suffering of war has shattered old realities. For our veteran clients, Warren is a source of hope. He is a gifted storyteller who unlocks their ability to locate their inner voice, to speak with authority once more about matters of conviction and faith. We can’t think of a better candidate."
- Silvia Argueta
Executive Director
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
“The Red badge Project has inspired me to be more creative and take chances with my writings. Before I started participating in RBP, I was nervous to share my thoughts and ideas with anyone. My stories and poems have helped release some of that stress and tension that I carry with me as a veteran with PTSD. I still have trouble talking to people in my life about difficult emotions and memories, but I find the characters in my stories help express those raw emotions better than I ever could. Red badge Project has given me more confidence and has provided several new healing tools for my life long journey with PTSD.”
- M.S.
Army veteran
Red Badge Project student, 2014