Bio

Kirsten Holmstedt is an expert in women serving in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ms. Holmstedt is the author of Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, published in July 2007 by Stackpole Books. This book recounts the experiences of 12 women—U.S. soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airwomen—who fought in combat in Iraq...12 of more than 167,000 U.S. military women who have served there. Ms. Holmstedt built Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq from hours of detailed interviews with each of the women profiled. Her research took her from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Harry Truman to a physical therapy clinic at the U.S. Army base hospital at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. To get the actual feel of the weapons and transportation systems used by the women in the book, Ms. Holmstedt rode in an assault amphibian vehicle and handled various assault weapons.

Ms. Holmstedt earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Drake University and then worked as a reporter for daily newspapers in New Jersey and New England. In 2006, she earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing from the nationally-ranked Creative Writing Program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She has earned awards at the local, regional, and national levels for her writing. Ms. Holmstedt has been interviewed many times by TV, radio, and newspaper. She was featured on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, C-SPAN Book TV, The World on BBC/PRI, and The Story with Dick Gordon on NPR.

Born and reared in the historical seaport town of Mystic, Connecticut, Ms. Holmstedt now lives in Jacksonville, North Carolina. She is a public information officer for Coastal Carolina Community College there.

Follow Ms. Holmstedt on Twitter @kholmstedt.

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