J. T. Blatty

Last updated
J. T. Blatty
J.T. Blatty at Frontline Peace Life exhibition.jpg
Blatty at Frontline / Peace Life exhibition in 2020, in front of her portrait of "Valkyrie" Yulia Tolopa
Born
Jennifer Tuero Blatty

1978 (age 45–46)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma mater United States Military Academy
Occupation Photojournalism
Years active2006–present
Parents
Website Official website

Jennifer Tuero Blatty (born 1978) is an American photojournalist, former army captain, and college athlete. The daughter of tennis player Linda Tuero and writer and filmmaker William Peter Blatty, she was a star tennis player at the United States Military Academy at West Point. She served six years in the United States Army including in the United States invasion of Afghanistan, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After military service she became a photojournalist. She wrote and photographed for newspapers, magazines, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and published photobooks about communities in the United States South. Since 2018 she has been documenting Ukrainian military volunteers in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Contents

Family and early life

William Peter Blatty in 2009, photograph by J. T. Blatty William-Peter-Blatty-2009 (cropped).jpg
William Peter Blatty in 2009, photograph by J. T. Blatty

Jennifer Tuero Blatty was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1978, [1] to tennis player and paleoanthropologist Linda Tuero and author and filmmaker William Peter Blatty. [2] Each parent married several times, and she has multiple half-siblings; full brother Billy Blatty became a restaurateur and entrepreneur. [3] In 1996 she graduated from St. Martin's Episcopal School, which her mother had also attended. [4]

West Point and military service

Blatty attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1996 to 2000. While there, she was a standout athlete in women's tennis. She was part of the Patriot League all-star tennis singles team each of her four years, and doubles in 1997. [5] She amassed a record 27 career wins at number 1 ranked women's tennis singles. [6] She was a captain of the women's tennis team in the 1999–2000 school year, [7] and her team, the Army Black Knights, won the League title in both 1999 and 2000. [5] She also won the most valuable player of the Patriot League. [8] After graduation, she was listed in the Patriot League's All-Decade and 25th Anniversary women's tennis teams. [9] [5]

Blatty was also the first female boxer at West Point. [8]

After graduation, Blatty served as a platoon leader in the 92nd Engineer Battalion. [10] She was among the first troops deployed into the 2002 United States invasion of Afghanistan, and afterwards in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. [8] By 2005 she was a captain, and rear detachment commander for the 92nd. [11] She served a total of six years in the United States Army. [10]

Photojournalism

As an amateur photographer before military service, she continued to create scrapbooks of her deployments. [10] It was in Afghanistan that she says that she became drawn to capturing the world around her; she tried to turn her story and photographs into a book, and wrote 30,000 words before pausing. [12] [13] Blatty had been stationed at Fort Stewart during her army career, and stayed in Savannah, Georgia afterwards, coaching tennis and doing freelance photography and writing. [14] [12] She credits Zig Jackson, documentary photographer and professor at Savannah College of Art & Design, who attended her first exhibition in 2006, for urging her to hone her craft by learning the darkroom, and taking a 2009 internship with National Geographic Traveler . [12] [15] In 2010, she published Who Dat Nation, a book of photographs documenting the euphoria after the New Orleans Saints football team winning Super Bowl XLIV, some of which were also published in the Traveler. [16] [17]

Starting in 2011, Blatty took courses at the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies (CDS), getting a certificate in 2013. [12] After her CDS courses, she also became a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Reservist Photographer. [12]

Blatty made several fine art photography exhibitions at the Martine Chaisson gallery in New Orleans. "Parallel" was a 2012 exhibit of fossils displayed on nudes. [18] "Happy Dogs" was a 2015 exhibit of motion blur photographs of colorful light traces left by active dogs at night; [19] 10% of its profits went to dog rescue missions. [20]

In September 2018, Blatty published Fish Town: Down the Road to Louisiana's Fishing Communities (George F. Thompson Publishing, ISBN   9781938086519). It was a 200-page book with 137 color photographs taken over six years, mostly in St. Bernard, Tangipahoa and Plaquemines parishes, with recollections from the people of the coastal communities sustained by fishing. [12] [21] [22] Its release was accompanied by an exhibition of the photographs in the book at the Martine Chaisson gallery. [23] Blatty had written a story about the collapse of regional fisheries for Connect Savannah magazine in 2008, but went back to her home state for this long-term project. [12]

Ukraine

Ukrainian veteran Dmytro Lavrenchuk (left) with Blatty at "Frontline / Peace Life" exhibition in 2020 Dmytro Lavrenchuk and J.T. Blatty.jpg
Ukrainian veteran Dmytro Lavrenchuk (left) with Blatty at "Frontline / Peace Life" exhibition in 2020

After finishing Fish Town in 2018, Blatty spent a month as an embedded journalist among the volunteer Ukrainian soldiers of the war in Donbas. [24] [25] Her photos and recorded oral histories became an exhibition titled "Frontline / Peace Life: Ukraine’s Revolutionaries of the Forgotten War", which was presented at the Ukrainian National Museum in Chicago in May 2019, and the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City in 2020. [26] Dmytro Lavrenchuk and Alina Viatina, Ukrainian veterans from the photos, accompanied Blatty to the exhibitions to tell their stories in person. [27] The exhibit was a finalist for the 2019 Lange-Taylor Prize for documentary photography. [28]

Blatty returned to photograph Ukraine veterans regularly over the next years, including with West Point classmate and veteran activist Dylan Tete and former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald. [29] [30] In November 2020, Blatty received the 2020-21 Fulbright Program U.S. Scholar Award to Ukraine, which she used to continue documenting Ukraine's volunteer soldiers, the latest project to be called "Transition Within Conflict and Across Borders". [8] [31] In November 2021, she appeared on the third season of Ukrainian reality television program Крутий Заміс, about veterans starting businesses. [32]

Blatty's book Snapshots Sent Home: From Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine - A Memoir was published by Elva Resa Publishing on February 20, 2024. [33] It included photographs and memoirs of the war veterans of three conflicts, including stories of her own experience from the first two, while especially focusing on Ukraine, where she only carried a camera. [34] [35]

Related Research Articles

<i>Afghan Girl</i> 1985 cover photograph on National Geographic magazine

Afghan Girl is a 1984 photographic portrait of Sharbat Gula, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. The photograph, taken by American photojournalist Steve McCurry near the Pakistani city of Peshawar, appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic. While the portrait's subject initially remained unknown, she was identified by early 2002: Gula, an ethnic Pashtun from Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province, was a 12-year-old child residing in Pakistan's Nasir Bagh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Peter Blatty</span> American writer and filmmaker (1928–2017)

William Peter Blatty was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel, The Exorcist, and for his 1973 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Exorcist, and was nominated for Best Picture as its producer. The film also earned Blatty a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama as producer.

<i>The Exorcist</i> 1973 American supernatural horror film by William Friedkin

The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair. The story follows the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Tuero</span> American tennis player

Linda Tuero is an American tennis player and paleoanthropologist. She won six U.S Junior Titles and three U.S. Women's Titles. She reached the quarter-finals of the French Open in 1971, and won the singles titles at the Italian Open in 1972. She represented the United States in the Wightman Cup and Federation Cup teams in 1972 and 1973 and served as the Federation Cup Captain in 1973. Tuero was ranked in the U.S. Top Ten Women Singles for four years and in 1972 was ranked No. 10 in the World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frances Benjamin Johnston</span> American photographer, photojournalist (1864–1952)

Frances Benjamin Johnston was an American photographer and photojournalist whose career lasted for almost half a century. She is most known for her portraits, images of southern architecture, and various photographic series featuring African Americans and Native Americans at the turn of the twentieth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Leroy</span> French-born American photojournalist (1944–2006)

Catherine Leroy was a French-born photojournalist and war photographer, whose stark images of battle illustrated the story of the Vietnam War in the pages of Life magazine and other publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisette Model</span> American photographer

Lisette Model was an Austrian-born American photographer primarily known for the frank humanism of her street photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Leibovitz</span> American photographer (born 1949)

Anna-Lou Leibovitz is an American portrait photographer best known for her portraits, particularly of celebrities, which often feature subjects in intimate settings and poses. Leibovitz's Polaroid photo of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, taken five hours before Lennon's murder, is considered one of Rolling Stone magazine's most famous cover photographs. The Library of Congress declared her a Living Legend, and she is the first woman to have a feature exhibition at Washington's National Portrait Gallery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myra Albert Wiggins</span> American photographer (1869–1956)

Myra Albert Wiggins (1869–1956) was an American painter and pictorial photographer who became a member of the important early 20th century Photo-Secession movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynsey Addario</span> American photojournalist (born 1973)

Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist. Her work often focuses on conflicts and human rights issues, especially the role of women in traditional societies. In 2022, she received a Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elina Svitolina</span> Ukrainian tennis player (born 1994)

Elina Mykhailivna Svitolina is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. She reached career-high rankings of world No. 3 in singles and 108 in doubles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Svitolina has won 17 WTA Tour singles titles, including the 2018 WTA Finals, and has reached three major singles semifinals.

Anja Niedringhaus was a German photojournalist who worked for the Associated Press (AP). She was the only woman on a team of 11 AP photographers that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for coverage of the Iraq War. That same year she was awarded the International Women's Media Foundation's Courage in Journalism prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Greyeyes</span> Canadian World War II servicewoman

Mary Greyeyes Reid was a Canadian World War II servicewoman. A Cree from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, she was the first First Nations woman to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces. After joining the Canadian Women's Army Corps (CWAC) in 1942, she became the subject of an internationally famous army publicity photograph, and was sent overseas to serve in London, England, where she was introduced to public figures such as George VI and his daughter Elizabeth. Greyeyes remained in London until being discharged in 1946, after which she returned to Canada.

Erin Grace Trieb is an American photojournalist. Trieb focuses on international social issues and is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josephine Herrick</span> American photographer, humanitarian, entrepreneur and teacher

Josephine Ursula Herrick was an American photographer, humanitarian, entrepreneur and teacher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iga Świątek</span> Polish tennis player (born 2001)

Iga Natalia Świątek is a Polish professional tennis player. She is currently ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), having held the position for a total of 95 weeks. Świątek is a four-time major singles champion, having won the French Open in 2020, 2022, and 2023 and the US Open in 2022. She is the first player representing Poland to win a major singles title. She has won a total of 19 singles titles, including the 2023 WTA Finals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilda Clayton</span> United States Army photographer

Spc. Hilda I. Ortiz Clayton was a U.S. Army combat photographer who was killed in 2013 when a mortar accidentally exploded during an Afghan training exercise. She captured the explosion that killed her and four Afghan soldiers. She was assigned to the 55th Signal Company 21st Signal Brigade, Fort Meade, Maryland. Ortiz Clayton was the first combat documentation and production specialist to be killed in Afghanistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edith Hallett Bethune</span> Canadian photographer

Edith Hallett Bethune (1890–1970) was a Canadian amateur photographer known for her pictorialist photography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yulia Tolopa</span> Russian-born female Ukrainian volunteer fighter

Yulia Tolopa, is a Russian-born female volunteer who fought for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Berlinska</span> Ukrainian military volunteer and womens rights advocate

Mariia Serhiivna Berlinska, or Mariya Berlinsʼka is a Ukrainian military volunteer and women's rights advocate. She was a participant in the Revolution of Dignity in February 2014 and subsequently volunteered for the war in Donbas as an aerial reconnaissance drone operator. Returning from the front, Berlinska founded a free school to train other Ukrainian military volunteers in aerial reconnaissance.

References

  1. ↑ "Blatty, J. T. (Jenn Tuero), 1978- - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies". Library of Congress . Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Linda Tuero". Tulane University . Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. ↑ Marsh, Eric (27 April 2020). "PROFILES IN RESILIENCE: Billy Blatty, Dressed Hospitality Group, New Orleans, LA". The Tasting Panel. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "Scattered Saints". The Bell. No. Fall/Winter 2018. St. Martin's Episcopal School. p. 46. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Patriot League Announces Women's Tennis 25th Anniversary Team". Patriot League . August 20, 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Army Sweeps Through Albany, 7-0". Patriot League . January 26, 2003. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "2010-11 Army Women's Tennis Guide by Army West Point Athletics - Issuu". issuu.com. November 10, 2010. p. 26. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Women's tennis alum to receive 2020-21 Fulbright Scholarship". Army West Point . July 6, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Patriot League Announces All-Decade Women's Tennis Team". Patriot League . July 9, 2001. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Smithson, Aline (12 April 2013). "JT Blatty: Snapshots Sent Home, Afghanistan 2002 (Part 1)". LENSCRATCH. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Heininger, Claire (June 17, 2005). "Soldier's relatives haunted by slaying". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tsomondo, Dzana (21 October 2018). "An Intimate Portrait of Louisiana's Commercial Fishing Communities". Photo District News . Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Blatty, J.T. (2 September 2018). "Six Talented Military-Connected Women Writers". Books Make a Difference .
  14. ↑ Blatty, JT. "About JT". jtblatty.com. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Allie, Renee (September 28, 2015). "Photographer's Profile: J.T. Blatty" . Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Blatty, J. T. (2010). Who Dat Nation : a story about our city and the day hell froze over. [New Orleans, La.]: The Author. ISBN   978-0615422206.
  17. ↑ Blatty, J.T. (14 February 2010). "Photo Gallery: Who Dat Nation - Intelligent Travel Blog". National Geographic Traveler . Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Blatty's "Parallel" exhibit at Marie Chaisson gallery through June 30". New Orleans Photo Alliance. May 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Smithson, Aline (8 May 2015). "JT Blatty: Happy Dogs". LENSCRATCH. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  20. ↑ Bookhardt, D. Eric (May 26, 2015). "Happy Dogs and Etchynpufe". Gambit . Vol. 36, no. 21. p. 42. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  21. ↑ "In Louisiana's Fishing Villages, Food and Faith Are Found in the Water". Zócalo Public Square. 19 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "PhotoNOLA Photobook Fair". PhotoNOLA. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  23. ↑ Raborn, Dillon (October 12, 2018). "Taking Notice: JT Blatty at Martine Chaisson Gallery". Pelican Bomb . Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  24. ↑ Galin, Reed (17 January 2020). "The Ukrainian Soldiers Who Can't Rest | PDN Photo of the Day" . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  25. ↑ "JT Blatty: A New Chapter". Books Make a Difference. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  26. ↑ "Frontline / Peace Life: Ukraine's Revolutionaries of the Forgotten War". Ukrainian Institute of America. January 16, 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  27. ↑ Ripecky, Andrew (June 7, 2019). "Photo exhibit documents volunteer soldiers of Ukraine's "forgotten war" in the Donbas". The Ukrainian Weekly . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "2019 Lange–Taylor Prize: Chinen Aimi, "Finding Ryukyu" | Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University". Center for Documentary Studies . Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  29. ↑ Maksymenko, Olena (October 11, 2019). "Kyiv museum presents exhibit dedicated to Mark Paslawsky". The Ukrainian Weekly .
  30. ↑ Bob, McDonald (12 August 2019). "Re-Cap On Trip To Ukraine To Help Improve Its Care For Veterans" . Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  31. ↑ "Fulbright U. S. Student Program". Fulbright Ukraine. No. 33. Fulbright Program. p. 24. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  32. ↑ ""Крутий Заміс": український документальний проєкт про ветеранів АТО виходить на міжнародний рівень" ["Cool Party": Ukrainian documentary project about anti-terrorist operation veterans reaches the international level]. Broadcast (in Ukrainian). November 9, 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  33. ↑ Blatty, J. T. (20 February 2024). "Snapshots Sent Home: From Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine―A Memoir". Amazon.com . Elva Resa Publishing. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  34. ↑ O'Dowd, Peter; Perkins Mastromarino, James (21 February 2024). "'Snapshots Sent Home' focuses on Ukraine and the bond shared by war veterans". Here and Now . Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  35. ↑ Tsurkan, Kate (March 15, 2024). "US veteran and photographer's wartime Ukraine memoir tests notion of 'universal' truths". Kyiv Independent . MSN . Retrieved 20 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.