Welcome to the discussion area for the Bay Window special: The Artists' War. Please take a moment to read our guidelines for posting comments and then contribute to the discussions.

Niles Xi'an Beh-Lichtenstein's poem "Goodbye Malaysia" was inspired by stories his family told him about their experiences in Malaysia during World War II. On The Artists' War, Niles discussed his generation's relationship to war, "I can see my friends growing up and rushing to the wrong decisions because the realism of war has not touched their hearts."

Young people today are exposed to more information, more media, than any previous generation in history, but does this generation understand the realities of war?

Barbara Sonneborn made her film as an indictment against war. After seeing Regret to Inform and The Artists' War, what are your thoughts about the film and our panelists' discussion?

When singer/songwriter Holly Near went to Vietnam, she thought of herself as a troubadour. When she returned home, she took her experiences there and wrote them into song. In many of those songs, as in the lyrics to "Change of Heart," Near asks the members of her audience to become their better selves.

What is your definition of a "better self," and how have works of art helped you become that better self?

On the The Artists' War Andrew Lam said, "Art is the lesser sister to medecine. It aims to heal."

What stories have you read or heard that have helped you survive the trauma of war, and why?

Both Rupert Garcia and Bay Area poet George Evans are veterans who incorporate their experience of war into their affecting works of art.

Contribute a poem, essay, or work of fiction about you or your family's stories of war.

Children's author Jane Cutler believes that art has a moral imperative to not only teach children about war but also to ask them how they feel about war.

Do you think children should be exposed to the realities of war at an early age? In what forms?