Archive - January 2017

As the transfer of power from a Democratic administration to that of a Republican administration looms, it may be very important to be able to review the Public Reports from Peace Corps.  If there is a Transition Report, I can not find it.  (I have made a FOIA request, but I suspect it will months before I get a response.)  These reports are the public summaries of Peace Corps work and also that of the Peace Corps Office of the Inspector General.  They may or may not be factors as the new administration directs policy for the Peace Corps.  The best way to scan all the Peace Corps Reports is to go to peacecorps.gov, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Open Gov and Inspector General.  Here are titles and links to those documents I think may be the most pertinent. Peace Corps Reports: peacecorps.gov Strategic Plan . . .

This is a true story. [I say that because I keep getting emails from friends asking, “did you make that up Coyne?] So, again. This is a true story. It was written by Kathleen Johnson Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67). She taught first in Addis Ababa and later in a small town in the south. She wrote this essay when Marian Beil and I published in 1994 in our first newsletter, RPCV Writers & Readers. It is entitled, “So This Is Paris.” Later I would publish it in a collection I edited for the Peace Corps titled, Peace Corps: The Great Adventure. Kathy has continued to write and continued to win awards for her fiction and non-fiction. I am posting it now for all the readers who might have missed it in previous publications. And for everyone else, a chance to re-read it, and marvel as what a fine writer Kathy is, one of many . . .

  ANNOUNCEMENT FOR JOHN COYNE’S SKILLSHARE CLASS I want to mention that I’ve recorded a video class at Skillshare.com entitled How To Write A Novel in 100 Days. The class is about one hour long broken into 10 short videos. You can check out the site free and see if you want to take the class. The class is based on my book How To Write A Novel In 100 Days. Skillshare is a fascinating site. You might want to take other classes, or teach a course yourself. But if you are thinking of writing a novel-or know someone who might be interested–go to Skillshare and check out my course. You can do it for free, but you do have to look at my face and hear what I have to say. Well, nothing is totally without hardship. Thanks. Here is a link for free enrollment into the class: http://skl.sh/1EvgvdC It . . .