John Coyne – Page 2 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Join in the conversation with Marnie Mueller (Ecuador)

Apr 01 2024

Mark your calendars for an April 11, 2024 at 7:00pm(et) set for a virtual program: In Conversation with Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65). Marnie’s new book is a stunning story, a combined memoir and biography (maybe a new genre?) about her own life and a life-changing friendship. The book, The Showgirl and the Writer: A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration, tells the remarkable true story of two women, one white and one Asian, who forged a deep friendship based on the secrets they carried. Marnie Mueller, a Caucasian, was born in a Japanese incarceration camp during World War II, because her parents had moved there to help make life more tolerable for the internees. Later, when the family moved to New England, Marnie was scarred by anti-Semitism and learned not to reveal her religion and her birth in the internment camp. Which of these experiences defined Marnie? It . . .

THE LIGHT OVER LAKE COMO by Roland Merullo (Micronesia)

Apr 01 2024

New book — The Light over Lake Como by Roland Merullo (Micronesia 1979-80) Lake Union Publishing June 2024 280 pages $14.89 (Paperback), $4.99 (Kindle), 1 credit (Audiobook) • • • Two lovers separated in war-torn Italy struggle to reunite in a riveting and heartrending historical novel by the bestselling author of Once Night Falls and From These Broken Streets. It’s 1945. The Nazi occupation of Italy is in its closing days. But risk is ever present. It’s been nearly two years since Sarah Zinsi found tenuous sanctuary in Switzerland. Unmoored in a foreign land, she heeds a rumor that her village on the Lake Como shore has been liberated. Clutching her young daughter, Sarah navigates the arduous mountain trek back home to be with Luca Benedetto, the father of her child. A resister to the end, Luca has one last assignment: assassinate Mussolini, the man who destroyed everything Luca cherished and who forced the love . . .

Talking With P.F. Kluge (Micronesia)

Mar 29 2024

When P.F. Kluge (Micronesia 1967-69) finished his Ph.D. he wasn’t sure what would come next. Then, one of his professors at the University of Chicago suggested the Peace Corps. He applied and dreamed of exotic locations, perhaps in North Africa. But he was assigned to Micronesia, a collection of 2,100 tiny islands in the northern Pacific. That assignment turned out to be a life-defining adventure. It was his Walden Pond. About Kluge’s New Book WORDMAN is Kluge’s 14th book, his fourth book of nonfiction. According to Kluge it is his most personal book, a memoir told largely through published materials that demonstrate, in real-time, how his career developed. There were lucky accidents, like his Peace Corps assignment to Micronesia, which came to influence his fiction as well as his nonfiction. In Wordman Kluge offers a behind-the-scenes look at how his books happen, where the ideas come from, what he . . .

Sara L. Taylor (Bangladesh) | Asia Foundation representative in Mongolia

Mar 28 2024

In the news Sara L. Taylor is the Asia Foundation’s country new representative in Mongolia. She formerly served as country representative and deputy country representative in Bangladesh. The Foundation, with headquarters in San Francisco, is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Prior to rejoining the Foundation in 2023, she had more than two decades of experience in the field of international development in complex, fragile, and post-conflict contexts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, with particular focus on women’s leadership and empowerment, civic engagement and citizen participation, and governance. Sara was the country director and legal representative in Colombia for Partners of the Americas during a period of historic political transition. From 2009 to 2014, she served as a democracy and governance officer at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she worked across a broad range of . . .

Peace Corps make its Overseas Offices a Voter Center for U.S. Elections

Mar 27 2024

Peace Corps Pushes Expanded Overseas Voting Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / March 25, 2024 The Peace Corps says it will comply with President Joe Biden’s order for federal agencies to help get out the vote by boosting voting overseas in U.S. elections. Pictured: A Peace Corps contingency marches last June 25 during the 53rd annual San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration in San Francisco. (Photo: Miikka Skaffari/WireImage/Getty Images) FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—To comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden, the Peace Corps pushed to make its headquarters a voter registration center, upped efforts to register U.S. citizens abroad, and moved to supply multilingual voter registration forms. The Peace Corps, a federal agency, assigns volunteers to provide services and meet needs in over 60 countries. The agency released its plan to implement Biden’s order late last week in response to a request by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project under the Freedom of . . .

Talking With Children’s Book Award Winning Writer Cristina Kessler

Mar 25 2024

John interviews . . . Cristina Kessler Cristina Kessler is an award-winning author of nine books set in Africa, where she lived for 19 years. She’s received the 2015 Lumen Award, given for “excellence in nonfiction for young readers” with Hope is Here!; She’s received the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award from the ASPCA for Excellence in Humane Literature for Young Readers; the Africana Book Award, from the African Studies Association, honoring outstanding books about Africa for children and young adults; and has been included many times on the Notable Books for a Global Society list. She writes about nature and cross-cultural topics. I asked Cristina what she did before the Peace Corps. I graduated from California Polytechnic in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1972. I majored in Criminology and minored in Political Science. My first job upon graduating was working as a mushroom sorter in the Santa Cruz . . .

RPCV Phil Lilienthal (Ethiopia) holds gala for his Global Camps Africa

Mar 24 2024

In the news — Phil Lilienthal’s (Ethiopia 1964-66) Global Camps Africa will be holding its annual Sizanani Gala on Sunday April 20 at The International Spy Museum in Washington DC from 6-10 pm. This year’s gala honoree is Dr. Anthony Fauci. Also, on hand will be 2022 Honoree MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, who will introduce Dr. Fauci. For those of you not familiar with Global Camps Africa, here’s the back story. After the Peace Corps, Phil and his late wife Lynn more than met the Peace Corps’ Goal Three of Bringing the Peace Corps Home. They managed his family’s famed Camp Winnebago in Maine, where they prioritized the recruitment of underprivileged and international students. Then in 2003, they decided to something more visionary, and launched Global Camps Africa, a non-profit organization providing thousands of South African children from the townships surrounding Johannesburg with a summer camp experience that includes AIDS education and life skills training. For more than 20 . . .

Sargent Shriver Peace Institute on ZOOM Monday!

Mar 23 2024

A Conversation about The Call with Jamie Price & Judith Guskin Join author Jamie Price and Judith Guskin in a dialogue followed by Q&A The Call looks at the role of the spirit in the life and work of one of the most accomplished American peacebuilders of the 20th twentieth century, Robert Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), founder of the Peace Corps and architect of the War on Poverty. Author Jamie Price knew Shriver personally and served as the Founding Director of several programs dedicated to understanding and advancing Shriver’s approach. On Monday, March 25 at 12:00 PM ET, we’re joining forces with Insight Collaborations International for a conversation about SSPI Founding Director Jamie Price‘s latest book, The Call: The Spiritual Realism of Sargent Shriver. Try clicking https://icischedule.as.me/schedule/5ea46a71 Judith Guskin (Thailand 1961-64) Judith Guskin holds an MA in Comparative Literature and a PhD in Educational Psychology with a focus on history, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural . . .

Review | WORDMAN by P. F. Kluge (Micronesia)

Mar 22 2024

Wordman by P.F.Kluge (Micronesia 1967-69) Peace Corp Writers 204 pages January, 2024 $22.00 paperback Reviewed by Stephen Foehr (Ethiopia 1965-66) • • • So, you want to be a writer, despite the warnings of school counselors, parents who advise to train for a day job, and the realism of making a living in the creative arts. Okay. It may be a long shot, but it’s possible. But, first read Wordman, the memoir of P.F. (Fred) Kluge’s career as a journalist and an acclaimed writer. He took the well-trodden route from journalism to nonfiction to fiction. His first job out of college was editor/writer for The Micronesian Reporter as a Peace Corps volunteer (Micronesia 1967-69). He went on to write features and travel articles for prestigious magazines. Two of his novels became films, Dog Day Afternoon and Eddie and the Cruisers. Kluge’s memoir is a useful primer for making that journey, . . .

How I Got Here: Shari Cohen (Botswana)

Mar 21 2024

How I Got Here: Shari Cohen Explores the World Through Seal & Scribe By Karen Dybis | March 20, 2024 Thanks to jet lag and a lifelong affection for antiques, Shari Cohen (Botswana 1987-89) made her way from a fine arts and consulting career that took her around the world into her own fine jewelry brand that turns intaglio seals into one-of-a-kind pieces. Cohen, who founded Seal & Scribe in 2016, says her foundation in art, photography, and storytelling helped her develop a thriving business. Her family, who also are jewelry lovers, also were significant influences on her interest in restoring and marketing heirlooms for another generation of owners. Her parents had an apparel business that frequently took them from their home in northwest New Jersey into New York City and on business trips to Asia. “My mother always had custom jewelry made when she was in Hong Kong,” says Cohen. “Sometimes we would put . . .

Patti Garamendi (Ethiopia) | Sacramento County Woman of the Year

Mar 20 2024

In the News — Patti Garamendi is Sacramento County Woman of the Year WALNUT GROVE – Patricia Garamendi (Ethiopia 1966-68), the matriarch of a Sacramento County ranching and political family who served in multiple gubernatorial appointments and federal roles, responsible for addressing matters such as world hunger and international trade, has been named Sacramento County Woman of the year by Sen. Bill Dodd. “Patti has devoted a lifetime to public service and I am proud to recognize her for her many achievements,” Sen. Dodd said. “While running her family’s ranch, Patti has worked tirelessly for two governors and held top federal posts responsible for feeding the poor all over the world. She’s a true dynamo and an inspiration for all.” Patti — A Peace Corps Volunteer “learns peace, lives peace and labors for peace from the beginning of their service to the end of their life.” I was inspired by . . .

First RPCV to Go to Jail for a President!

Mar 19 2024

In the news Ex-Trump adviser RPCV Peter Navarro reports to prison on contempt of Congress conviction MIAMI — Former Donald Trump adviser Peter Navarro (Thailand 1965-68), who was convicted of contempt of Congress last year, is set to surrender Tuesday at a federal Bureau of Prisons facility in Miami to begin serving his four-month sentence. Before turning himself in, Navarro held a press conference in a strip-mall parking lot down the street from the facility. Near a Papa John’s, Navarro gave an extended speech airing his grievances against the government and his prosecution, painting himself as a victim of political persecution. “I will walk proudly in there to do my time,” Navarro said. “I will gather strength from this: Donald John Trump is the nominee.” Navarro, who was closely involved in Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the . . .

GARDENS OF PLENTY by Ron Arias (Peru)

Mar 19 2024

Gardens of Plenty by Ron Arias (Peru 1963-64) Peace Corps Writers March 2023 333 pages $ 9.99 (Kindle); $16.99 (Paperback) • • • In Gardens of Plenty, Ron Arias immerses readers in a 16th-century world that is both mysterious and magical, exploring the rich culture of “Amexica” with a tenderness that is both persuasive and captivating. Following the publication of his previous work, The Wetback and Other Stories, which earned praise from Paul Theroux for providing a compassionate glimpse into an adjacent neighborhood, Arias continues his literary journey with this epic work of historical fiction. A seasoned writer and author with a diverse bibliography, Arias brings his narrative talent to Gardens of Plenty, providing a deeply sensitive, first-person account of one man’s early years in the New World. Drawing on his nomination for a National Book Award with The Road To Tamazunchalc, and his skill in crafting truc survival sagas like . . .

FEUD’s Truman Capote by Larry Grobel (Ghana)

Mar 16 2024

In the news — Feud’s Truman Capote Doesn’t Shine Like the Man I Knew Yes, he was a lonely, tormented alcoholic at the end, but he was also a riveting dinner companion and a transcendent writer. by Lawrence Grobel (Ghana 1968-71) Vanity Fair March 13, 2024 Capote does his version of a fan dance to the disco beat at Studio A minute before the Today show’s cameras rolled in February 1985, Jane Pauley smiled and said, “I’ll begin by asking you about Truman’s hate list.” My own smile disappeared, and my eyes widened in fright. I was about to go on national television to promote my first book, Conversations with Capote, and she wanted me to talk about some of the two thousand people Truman Capote claimed to have on his “hate list.” In the seconds before the camera’s red light turned green, my mind whirred through some of those people, and I didn’t feel . . .

Which RPCV Writer Tells the Best “Peace Corps Story”?

Mar 15 2024

Which Peace Corps writer in the 62+ years of the agency has made the biggest impression on you by what they have written about their Peace Corps tour? You pick your writer from the book (s) she or he has written. The winner will be awarded a special ‘Peace Corps’ prize Peace Corps Writers and we’ll profile who it is on our site. Post on our website your ‘best’ Peace Corps writer and email me the writer’s name: jcoyneone@gmail.com Also tell why you think your person is the best of all our wonderful writers in the Peace Corps. Thank you, John & Marian

Author - John Coyne