An afternoon with Sebastian Junger may take you further than Corwin Pavilion, and even the western world.

Junger, author of The Perfect Storm and Fire, will read from his works and discuss his experiences as a journalist at 4 p.m. in Corwin Pavilion. Junger is promoting the paperback reissue of Fire, a collection of Junger’s firsthand essays and news articles from conflicts and dangerous situations around the world.

“Originally, I was going to write a book on dangerous work, including fishermen, which instead turned into The Perfect Storm,” Junger said. “If fishermen, loggers – if they all stopped working, everything would grind to a halt.”

Junger wrote Fire’s most recent essay from the height of conflict in Afghanistan. Riding alongside Northern Alliance commanders, Junger witnessed the fall of Kabul from a rare perspective.

“It was very intense. They were encircled by the Taliban and we were on the front lines and there was a lot of fighting,” he said. “Once we got caught in a hilltop position and the Taliban were firing missiles at us. Being the target of heavy artillery was absolutely miserable.”

His intent is to bring the danger involved in particular types of work and particular situations or conflicts to the attention of his readers, Junger said. His position as a journalist enables Junger to “elicit compassion for the poor and the suffering in the world, to explain in clear terms why wars happen, and to examine the role played by the West in these tragedies.”

“Usually I talk about Afghanistan,” he said. “I think the United States has obligations there. I have a lot of feelings about what we should be doing in Afghanistan.”

Junger will answer questions in Corwin Pavilion regarding his views as a wartime correspondent.

“I typically get asked about Iraq, how I became a journalist, and some of my experiences in war zones dating back to Bosnia in ’93,” he said.

Tickets are $5 for UCSB students and $6 for the general public. Information is available at UCSB Arts & Lectures at 893-3535.