Archive - August 2013

It is time to nominate your favorite Peace Corps book published in 2012 for the Peace Corps Writers annual awards. Make your nomination(s) in the comment section following this announcement so people can see what books have been recognized. You may nominate your own book; books written by friends; books written by total strangers. The books can be about the Peace Corps or on any topic. The books must have been published in 2012. The awards will be announced in August. Thank you for nominating your favorite book written by a PCV, RPCV or Peace Corps Staff. A framed certificate and money are given to the winners. Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award First given in 1990, the Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award was named to honor Paul Cowan, a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ecuador. Cowan wrote The Making of An Un-American about his experiences as a Volunteer in Latin America in the sixties. . . .

The Fallout by S.A. Bodeen (Tanzania 1989–90) Feiwel and Friends $16.99 (hard cover); $8.89 (Kindle) 336 pages September 2013 Reviewed by Deidre Swesnik (Mali 1996–98) SPOILER ALERT! The Fallout is the sequel to The Compound. If you haven’t read The Compound and intend to, you really shouldn’t read this review. It’s hard to talk about anything in The Fallout that wouldn’t spoil at least some of The Compound. Ok — I warned you. Seriously — I “oh-so-totally-frickin’” warned you. Ok – so I really wanted to say oh-so-totally-frickin’ because it’s cool and because I can legitimately put it into this review since it’s a direct quote from the book. Yep. This young adult book was a lot of fun to get into, and definitely a page-turner. This combination of suspense, survival, and teenage angst makes for a great read. I’m spoiling The Compound for you now. This is officially your . . .

Independent writer and publisher Julie R. Dargis (Morocco 1984–87) will be reading in San Francisco  from her latest book Pit Stop in the Paris of Africa. She is being hosted by the Commonwealth Club and NorCal Peace Corps Association. Date: Monday, September 23 2013 Time: 5:30 p.m. — networking reception; 6 p.m. — program; 7 p.m. — book signing Location: Commenwealth Club/SF Office, 595 Market Street  (directions) Cost: Members free, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID) • Julie will take you on a trip around the world through selected excerpts from stories and verse in her book. In addition, she will share reflections on her humanitarian aid work with African and Eastern European populations affected by war and natural disasters, and include how she dealt with adversity in her day-to-day life in some of the most difficult and dangerous countries in the world. She will close with a brief . . .

After finishing writing his last novel, Tony D’Souza (Ivory Coast 2000-02, Madagascar 2002-03) spent a year as a free lance journalist in St. Louis and Sarasota and racked up a series of awards and recognition for his journalism. Among them were…. National Association of Black Journalists Award for Investigative Reporting (co-award with Tom Finkel) for a 8000 word feature “Plenty of Guilt to Go Around” in Riverfront Times about a murky 1982 St. Louis murder and the African American man still in prison for it despite jury stacking in the early 80s’ racially biased, pro-death penalty courts under John Ashcroft. Florida Magazine Association First Place “Charlie” Award for Investigative Reporting for his 6000 word feature “Eyes Wide Shut” in Sarasota Magazine that uncovered new evidence in the $360 million Art Nadel “Mini-Madoff” Ponzi Scheme. Florida Magazine Association Second Place Feature Writing for the same story. Florida Magazine Association Third Place . . .

Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet Call for submissions! In the 21st Century, knowledge of the world around us grows increasingly important, and fiction set in other countries has become extremely popular. Everywhere Stories: Short Fiction from a Small Planet (Edited by Clifford Garstang, to be published by Press 53 in Fall 2014) is an anthology (and potential series) of short fiction (short stories of any length, short shorts, and flash) set around the globe, including the United States. The anthology will consist of 20-25 fictions, with no more than one story set in any one country. Included stories will be a mix of previously published and new work. Each contributor will be entitled to a contributor copy and author discounts on additional copies. Deadline is December 31, 2013 Rights and Terms: Author verifies that the story submitted is original and is not prohibited from publication by Press 53 . . .

The Liberia One Storybook The First Peace Corps Volunteers to Liberia Tell Their Stories Edited by Geraldine Kennedy (1962-64) Clover Park Press, $22 114 pages 2012 Reviewed by Casey Frazee (South Africa, 2009) Those interested in far-off places will relish in the rich descriptions of life in the Liberia of the mid-1900s, before the late 20th century civil war broke out and closed the Peace Corps program there for nearly 20 years. Volunteers who served in Liberia in the pioneering group are lucky to have a formalized account of their time spent learning how to speak, cook, and live like their West African counterparts. A small, fertile country situated on the western coast of Africa, curving southeast along the Atlantic Ocean, Liberia is a country with a rich, tumultuous history. The country was founded by freed black American slaves in the early 19th century. That history of liberation, optimism and . . .

According to People Magazine in a recent review, Thurston Clarke’s (Tunisia 1968) new book, JFK’s Last Hundred Days, makes the case that JFK, who had just lost his infant son, was on the verge of vast achievement before his assassination. Thurston’s book is a minute-by-minute account of JFK’s last hundred days that asks what might have been. Kennedy’s last hundred days began just after the death of two-day-old Patrick Kennedy, and during this time, the president made strides in the Cold War, civil rights, Vietnam, and his personal life. While Jackie was recuperating, the premature infant and his father were flown to Boston for Patrick’s treatment. Kennedy was holding his son’s hand when Patrick died on August 9, 1963. The loss of his son convinced Kennedy to work harder as a husband and father, and there is ample evidence that he suspended his notorious philandering during these last months of . . .

The Book of Jotham by Arthur Powers (Brazil 1969-73) 2012 Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction – Novella Tuscany Press, $16.95 64 pages 2013 Reviewed by M. Susan Hundt-Bergan (Ethiopia 1966-68) A favorite Catholic prayer invoking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, includes the words, “we…poor banished children of Eve…mourning and weeping in this vale of tears…” Jesus focused his ministry on those heavily weighed down by the burdens of life, those who mourn and weep in this vale of tears. In the Gospel stories we see Jesus encountering and embracing lepers, cripples, prostitutes, tax cheats, demoniacs, beggars, blind men, and heartbroken widows – those at the bottom and fringes of society of his times. And one could add women and children to that list. The main character in Arthur Powers’ small and beautiful work, The Book of Jotham, adds a new face to those we meet in the . . .