Princeton Today: Thank You for Your Service

David FinkelDavid Finkel, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the new book “Thank You for Your Service,”  will discuss life after war this afternoon at Princeton University. His talk is free and open to the public.

Finkel is a staff writer for The Washington Post and is also the leader of the Post’s national reporting team. He won the Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting in 2006 for a series of stories about U.S.-funded democracy efforts in Yemen and was the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant in 2012. Since 2007, he has been documenting the effects of war on the human psyche.

He the author of The Good Soldiers, listed a best book of 2009 by the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Slate.com, and The Boston Globe, and winner of the Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism.

The talk will be held at 4:30 p.m. in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, at the Woodrow Wilson School on Washington Road. A book sale and signing will follow the discussion.

WEATHER

Heavy rain, high of 56.

EVENTS TODAY

History and Use of Spices – Join the Women’s College Club of Princeton as Jon Hauge, owner and manager of the Savory Spice Shop, talks about the various types of spices as well as some history and other uses of them. Light refreshments. The meeting is open to the public. 1 p.m. All Saints’ Church, 16 All Saints’ Road, Princeton.

The Syrian Writers’ Collective – The Department of Near Eastern Studies brown bag lunch series will continue with Alexa Firat of Temple University at noon in Jones Hall, Room 202, at Princeton University. Firat will speak on “New Papers on an Old Theme: ‘Awraq’ and the Re-formation of the Syrian Writers’ Collective.”

Rhapsody in Blue Two Ways – Ryan Raul Bañagale will present the musicology colloquium “Rhapsody in Blue Two Ways” at 4:30 p.m. in the Woolworth Center, Room 102, at Princeton University.

Discovering Islamic Art – The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University invites the campus community and general public to engage in Islamic art not as something that is overly academic, but as something vibrant and alive today. Five of the region’s most talented artists and calligraphers will practice live demonstrations and display their work, introducing visitors to Islam’s cultural and artistic richness. The program is free and open to the public. Visitors may drop in any time between 2 and 5 p.m. Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick.

Randy Newman Performs at McCarter Theatre – Popular songwriter Randy Newman visits the Matthews Theatre. 7:30 p.m. 91 University Place, Princeton. Tickets $25and up.

COMMUTE – The permanent Dinky station on Alexander Road has opened. Buses between College Road and Princeton Junction are no longer operating now that the station is open. The new Wawa is slated to open Friday. The old Wawa will remain open until the new Wawa is open to the public.

An Elizabethtown Gas maintenance project along Hopewell-Pennington Road (Rt 654) and  Marshalls Corner (Rt 612) in Hopewell is underway. Work hours will be between 9 am and 3:30 p.m. Traffic will need to be alternated during parts of this maintenance work. Motorists should expect minor delays. This project is expected to last one month.

There has been a schedule change for the reconstruction and realignment of County Route 518 between Canal Road and Carroll Place. The road closing from Nov. 10 to Dec. 21 has been delayed. Revised dates will be posted when the new schedule has been set.