I completed my research for “WAR: The Afterparty” with a trip to Iraq in January. While I found most of my lodging for my round the world journey through Expedia, Airbnb and Lonely Planet, I came across generous Couchsurfing hosts in Afghanistan and Vietnam. And that’s where I encountered Samir Barznjy, a 31-year old surgeon and […]
Army, Erbil, Iraq, Iraqi, Kurd, Kurdish, Mosul, Peshmerga, War, War: The Afterparty
Makhmour, briefly overrun by ISIS, is the staging ground for Iraqi Army, Kurdish Peshmerga and U.S. forces in advance of the retaking of Mosul. I spoke with a Peshmerga commander and the former mayor of Makhmour during my visit in January. From “WAR: The Afterparty,” available now on Amazon here. —- Samir takes me back […]
Brian Gruber, Daesh, Iraq, ISIS, Makhmour, Samir, War: The Afterparty
While en route to Kabul, Afghanistan for my ‘Afterparty’ journey, I was without lodging. To my rescue, via the quirky, unpredictable but sometimes wonderful Couchsurfing site, came an extraordinary offer. The CEO of one of Afghanistan’s leading IT companies, Farshid Ghyasi, offered me an ensuite room in the corporate villa in central Kabul. Three weeks […]
Afghanistan, Celine Dion, David Hamdard, Farshid Ghyasi, Kabul, karaoke, NETLINKS, War: The Afterparty
I was delighted to see one of my favorite interview subjects from Iraq, Professor Faris Nadhmi, post favorable comments about “WAR: The Afterparty” on his Facebook page. I’ve since been contacted and ‘friended’ by a number of his colleagues, sharing thoughts about the book. I have attached the interview with Farsi as a PDF on […]
Farsi Nadhmi, Iraq, Patreon, War: The Afterparty
A cut and paste from the first four reviews on Amazon, all 5 out of 5 stars. Top Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Adventure By Steve Ganz on May 20, 2016 Format: Paperback Are you interested in politics and foreign affairs? Would you love to embark on a great adventure, but don’t have the […]
Amazon, book, reviews, War: The Afterparty
The paperback version of the book is now available for $19.95 on Amazon. It launched during the TriBeCa Film Festival in New York on April 23, 2016. As I update the site, I will post pictures from the panel discussion on war, colonialism, George Orwell and Myanmar. The Kindle […]
Amazon, book, Buy, Kindle, War: The Afterparty
Life in a beachfront Thai house on Koh Phangan Photos from the Afterparty journey. New Afterparty content rinsing the pronuncements of USA presidental candidates on war and peace through the learnings of the project. Interviews, excerpts and chapters from the book posted here and on Patreon. After six months of Afterparty project travel […]
Afterparty, beach, blog, Koh Phangan, Thailand, War: The Afterparty
The “War: The Afterparty” travel blog tracks my travels through Central America, Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Now that the project moves from the travel and interview phase to the book writing and editing phase, we will be using Tumblr as our social media publishing platform. It allows for a new, more social form […]
Brian Gruber, facebook, Patreon, tumblr, War: The Afterparty
“War: The Afterparty” is now on Patreon. From the Patreon.com site, “Founded in May 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, Patreon was created to enable fans to support and engage with the artists and creators they love. Empowering a new generation of creators, Patreon is bringing patronage back to the 21st century.” The video […]
Brian Gruber, Jack Conte, Patreon, War: The Afterparty
From the National Priorities Project: A useful set of charts from the National Priorities Project. 54% of discretionary spending is military. That doesn’t include numerous spending areas from homeland security to veteran’s benefits which, by some estimates bring total spending close to one trillion dollars. Veteran’s benefits account for $10 billion per year more than […]
Brian Gruber, budget, military spending, War, War: The Afterparty