LEWISTON — L/A Arts will present a varied and impressive series of music, poetry and film events in September. The programs, offered in collaboration with Tri-County Mental Health Services, Lewiston Public Library and Bates College, will point the way to vital counseling services for veterans.

The first event, on Saturday, Sept. 8, is “4 Songwriters in the Round,” featuring musicians Kate Schrock, Shanna Underwood, Brian Patricks and Peter Alexander.

Schrock has Maine coastal roots, thanks to her fisherman-playwright father. From teen years in Vermont to varied artistic, philosophical and musical experiences in New York and Paris, she developed remarkable maturity, sensitivity and depth as a songwriter and singer.

Underwood’s rich, deep and emotional voice is also a reflection of her life experiences from Thailand to Nashville and Maine. Patricks emerged onto the Maine singer-songwriter scene in 2009, with a background of classical guitar and various folk, blues and rock projects. Alexander’s background includes piano and guitar, as well as songwriting. He serves as a board member of the Maine Songwriters Association.

“4 Songwriters in the Round” will begin at 7:30 p.m.  in the Lewiston Middle School Auditorium, 75 Central Ave. Tickets are $20/ $15 for veterans and seniors.

September will also bring a free screening of “The Invisible War,” a powerful documentary about a groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military.

The film won the 2012 SunDance Film Festival Audience Award for U.S. Documentary; the Nestor Almendros Award for Courage in Film Making, 2012 Human Rights Watch Film Festival; and the Silver Heart Award, Dallas International Film Festival.

Currently showcased in Lewiston only, Tri County Mental Health, L/A Arts and Bates College will host this influential film with guest speaker Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. Maine information resources for Military Sexual Trauma will be available at the theater. The film will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, at Schaeffer Theater, Bates College; refreshments will be provided.

Soldier-poet Brian Turner will share his work, insight and inspiration with audiences during a poetry reading and discussion on Sept. 27-28 at LPL’s Callahan Hall. He has written two poetry collections, “Phantom Noise” (2010) and “Here, Bullet” (2005), which won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times “Editor’s Choice” selection, the 2006 Pen Center USA “Best in the West” award and the 2007 Poets Prize.

Turner served seven years in the US Army, including one year as an infantry team leader in Iraq with the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Prior to that, he was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999-2000 with the 10th Mountain Division. 

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, also at Callahan Hall, a free performance of “Greek Lives, Modern Lives” will be given by Aquila Theater in conjunction with The National Endowment for the Humanities Project. The theater will conduct a workshop with veterans from the community and then present a reading for the community in collaboration with the Lewiston Public Library. The goal is to inspire people to come together to read, see and think about classical literature and how it continues to influence and invigorate American cultural life.

The performance will include a repertoire of scenes from Greek drama and will feature between three and seven professional actors. There will be an introduction, performed readings, a post-show discussion and a town hall-style meeting, including audience comments.

Veterans participating in the workshop will receive free tickets to their choice of  other Aquila Theater performances: either “Taming of the Shrew” or “Cyrano de Bergerac.”

“These talented performers are generously donating their time in support of veterans and their families and what they have sacrificed for us all,” said Odelle Bowman, executive director of L/A Arts.

She said it is hoped the collaboration with Tri-County Mental Health, the Lewiston Public Library and others will become an annual fundraising event on behalf of veterans with needs for counseling.

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