Books
1) The Life and Times of Bubba Lee Boatbum was self-published in Aug 2010. It was co-written with my good friend R. E. Armstrong. We wrote the book over a period of about one year by emailing chapters back and forth. Bubba is an adventure story about a chauvinist, yet lovable character who is hopelessly in love with his ex-wife. It is a wacky, fun-loving world where the narrator’s viewpoints on women, war, politics, religion and sex are shared unabashedly. The setting is mostly the Gulf Coast region during the year leading up to and immediately preceding the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election. Bubba is available through Amazon or the publisher (Lulu) at http://www.lulu.com/browse/search.php?fListingClass=0&fSearch=rizzuti.
2) The American Veterans Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes from Veterans and Their Families was self-published in 2005. It too was co-written by email with my good friend R. E. Armstrong. It can be ordered on Amazon or through the publisher at iUniverse.
3) Veterans Benefits: A Guide to State Programs was published in 2001 by Greenwood Press and was also co-written with my good friend, R. E. Armstrong. We spent two years researching and gathering the data. It was the first single-point source for State information on veterans benefits, but as soon as the Veterans Administration (VA) got wind of it, all the State information appeared on thier website. To be honest, this book is extremely overpriced, and the information in it is very dated. The publisher, Greenwood Press, was bought out in 2008 by ABC-CLIO, which makes ebook and Kindle versions available. The ebook and Kindle are also overpriced. The latest, most current State and Federal information is all accessible for free through the VA website. However, if you decide you want this book to use as a handy starting point or historical reference. I recommend you buy the ebook or Kindle version. It is available on Amazon or from the publisher at Greenwood Press.
Short Stories
1) “Walls” was published in Connecticut Review, guest edited by Lisa L. Siedlarz, in the Fall 2010 (Vol. XXXII, No. 2), special issue titled “Veterans and War,” pp. 43-49. This story is about the emotional walls people often build between themselves to restrict real communication of feelings. It also alludes to the cultural walls we sometimes build for the opposite effect: to enhance communication of feelings. It’s excerpted from my unpublished novel Show Time, and is available through the Connecticut Review website: http://www.ct.edu/ctreview/.
2) “Crossing Over” was published in Octopus Beak, Inc., edited by Brenton Rossow, in the August 2008 issue. “Crossing Over” is about the effects that crossing certain cultural and personal boundaries can have on one’s life. It’s excerpted from my unpublished novel Show Time. The published story is no longer available because the publication is now defunct.
3) “Bruno” was published in Eclectica Magazine, edited by Tom Dooley, in the July/August 2006 issue, V. 10, No. 3. “Bruno” is about a Vietnam Veteran and his Vietnamese wife, both struggling with the effects of his PTSD. It’s one of my my favorite Vietnam-related stories because it captures a lot of the conflicting emotions combat veterans feel. It can be accessed at http://www.eclectica.com.
4) “Out of Step, Out of Time” was published in Unlikely Stories 2.0, edited by Jonathan Penton, in the February/March 2005 issue. This story is about two Vietnam Vets living in a state Veterans’ Home. It’s about their feeling that they are not only out of step with their non-veteran peers, their country and life in general, but also with their fellow veterans of WWII and the Korean War. It can be accessed at http://www.unlikelystories.org.
5) “Willis” was published in 2004 in War, Literature & the Arts, edited by Donald Anderson, Dept. of English, US Air Force Academy, V. 16, Nos. 1&2, pp. 187-189. “Willis” is about the emotional ties between a street cop and a paraplegic, homeless Vietnam Veteran. It’s a story about personal and cultural honor and respect. I like this story a lot. It can be accessed at http://www.wlajournal.com.
6) “The Redwing Blackbird” was published in War, Literature & the Arts, edited by Donald Anderson, Dept. of English, US Air Force Academy, V. 10, No. 2, in the Fall/Winter 1998 issue, pp. 310-313. This story is about a young Marine and his best friend caught up in a tragic war “incident” in Vietnam. It’s excerpted from my unpublished novel Show Time and is accessible at http://www.wlajournal.com.
7) “Fragments” was published in War, Literature & the Arts, edited by Donald Anderson, Dept. of English, US Air Force Academy, V. 8, No. 2, in the Fall/Winter 1996 issue, pp. 97-102. “Fragments is an excerpt from Part 1 of my novel The Second Tour, which is available on Amazon. The excerpt is available at http://www.wlajournal.com.
Articles
1) “War Stories for Beer” was published by War Literature & the Arts, an international journal of the English & Fine Arts department at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The article is a revised version (to make it academically acceptable) of my talk given at the Twentieth Century Warfare and American Memory Symposium on November 13th & 14th, 2009, in Denver, Colorado. The event was hosted by Regis University’s Center for the Study of War Experience, and co-hosted by Fort Hays State University and War, Literature & the Arts.
I was one of the speakers on The Vietnam War and Memory panel. My presentation covered three areas. I talked about my work, mostly focusing on The Second Tour, but also including several short stories. I covered the concept of war & memory, emphasizing the possibility that memory, especially war memory, is flawed and shouldn’t, perhaps, be trusted. And I offered my thoughts on what we should have learned from the Vietnam War.
The symposium was videotaped by OMNI Media Services located in Broomfield, Colorado. To watch the video, see my War Stories for Beer: Video Presentation.
To read the paper, access the WLA website at http://wlajournal.com/23_1/23_1_symposium.html and click on my name. If you also click on Thomas G. Bowie’s article, you can read his reflections on the symposium, reflections that include a paragraph describing his take-away points from my presentation.
2) “Art As Therapy: The Biography of a Novel” was published in War, Literature & the Arts, edited by Donald Anderson, Dept. of English & Fine Arts, US Air Force Academy, V. 21, 2009, pp. 385-398. The essay appears in the “Commentary” section of the journal and is an account of how and why I wrote my novel The Second Tour. Alongside the essay, the journal ran an excerpt from the novel as well as an advertisement. Students taking the Military & Society course offerred through the behavioral sciences department at The Air Force Academy use the article as a companion piece to the novel, as a way to further understanding of the novel. The article is accessible through the WLA website: http://www.wlajournal.com.
Poetry
None of my poetry is worth publishing. See my unpublished work to find out why.