On January 2017, in collaboration with the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore, CBAW staged its first event, a multi-media collaborative performance directed by actor Jeffrey Wright. Veterans told their stories through poetry, song and story to an audience of more than 400 people. The performance included music by Rob Plaggman, Wytold, Pattmore Lewis and Be Steadwell, a performance by contemporary dancer Tiffanie Carson, projections by filmmaker Sareen Hairabedian and a screening of films made by refugee youth involved in the Me/We Syria project by Mohsin Mohi-ud-din.
Seema Reza is a poet and essayist and the author of two books: A Constellation of Half-Lives and When the World Breaks Open. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Writing and Community Building from Goddard College. In 2010 Seema began working with service members, veterans, and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and has since developed a unique multi-hospital arts program that encourages the use of the arts as a tool for narration, self-care and socialization. In 2015, the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore awarded Seema the Col John Gioia Patriot Award for her work with service members in military hospitals. Seema is a 2019 George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Scholar.