BELFAST — Left Bank Books is delighted to host two free upcoming literary events, to which the public is invited. On Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m., the shop will celebrate the launch of W. Zach Griffith's just-released book, Packed for the Wrong Trip: A New Look Inside Abu Ghraib. On Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m., in honor of National Poetry Month, seven poets from throughout the Midcoast will read some of their works that are featured in the new anthology Take Heart: More Poems from Maine.

Griffith served as a combat correspondent in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years and has published hundreds of articles and thousands of photographs for the U.S. military. In Packed for the Wrong Trip, he recounts the true story of Maine National Guard soldiers who were sent to Iraq in February 2004 to serve as guards at the Abu Ghraib prison. Just before their arrival, the now infamous photos of the abuses suffered by the prisoners there hit the world stage, turning the prison into a focal point for global condemnation and outrage by the insurgents. Over the next year, members of the 152nd Battalion came under attack by snipers, suicide bombers, explosive ordinances, and constant rocket and mortar fire.

The men of the 152nd were an eclectic group of citizen-soldiers caught in one of the darkest corners of the war in Iraq. They quickly learned to rely on each other and their own ingenuity to survive. A retired U.S. Army officer, Daniel P. Bolger, writes that Packed for the Wrong Trip "puts you right in the middle of a very personal war inside the barbed wire at the infamous. . .prison camp. Griffith's darkly brilliant book will make you laugh, make you cry, and most of all, make you ask why. If you wonder what we did to our enemies, and to ourselves, in Iraq, read this book."

All of the men that Griffith writes about are memorable, but it's perhaps William "Kelly" Thorndike, the oldest (age 42) member of the 152nd Battalion who steals the hearts of most readers. Affectionately called "Dizl" by his comrades, he was a "sometimes clam digger, blueberry raker, offshore fisherman, hotelier, elementary school gym teacher, emergency services dispatcher, pre-school teacher, prison guard, and longtime artist," Griffith writes.

All proceeds from the sale of Packed for the Wrong Trip will be donated to veteran's organizations, including "Dizl's" yet-to-be-named art outreach program for veterans that he's currently putting together.

Griffith, who grew up in mid-coast Maine, now lives in Portland where he is studying at USM ("compliments of the GI Bill"). He was the recipient of the 2011 Thomas Jefferson Award for his work as a broadcast journalist. His father, the late Drew Griffith, was a Maine state trooper; his mother, Kate Braestrup, serves as chaplain to the Maine Warden Service and has written several best-selling books, including Anchor & Flares (2015), in which she writes movingly about Zach's decision to join the Marines and the crossroads she faced when he made that decision.

On Saturday, the bookshop is honored to host the first Midcoast reading of poets whose work is featured in the newly released book Take Heart: More Poems from Maine, the second anthology of poems compiled by former Maine poet laureate Wesley McNair. During his tenure (2011-2016), McNair wrote a weekly poetry column for Maine newspapers, in which he featured the work of Maine poets. These two books are compilations of those poems.

Stuart Kestenbaum, Maine's new Poet Laureate, and former director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, will join six of the area's most accomplished poets, each of whom will read one or two of their poems featured in Take Heart, as well as a few pieces by poets they most admire. The poets are Elizabeth W. Garber, Jacob Fricke, Elizabeth Tibbetts, Thomas R. Moore, Leslie Moore, and Lynn Ascrizzi.

The public is warmly invited to attend both events, but space is limited. To reserve a seat, please call the bookshop at 207-338-9009 or email leftbank@myfairpoint.net.

Copies of Packed for the Wrong Trip, Anchor & Flares, and Take Heart: More Poems from Maine will be available for sale and, of course, the authors and poets will be happy to sign their books for you. Reservations are strongly encouraged.