Peace Corps Worldwide – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

PCV Vanessa Paolella Letter from Madagascar

Dec 10 2023

Sometimes, I imagine I know what it’s like to be Patrick Dempsey. Everyone stares at me when I go grocery shopping. Making small talk on the street inevitably draws a crowd. Strangers want to take photos of me. Girls giggle to each other when I say “hello,” or, too shy to approach, they instead point and call to me from yards away. The major difference in my comparison, as I’m sure you might guess, is that no one has graced me with the title of “Sexiest Man Alive.” Not yet, anyway. That, and my only claim to fame here in Madagascar is presumably being the lone white person for miles. I’m the first Peace Corps volunteer to live in this village and likely the first foreigner. Being able to hold a basic conversation in Malagasy only draws more attention. Foreigners rarely make the effort to learn Madagascar’s native language, preferring . . .

William Hershey’s (Ethiopia) book on his Peace Corps experience

Dec 10 2023

by Michael Douglas Beacon Journal editorial page editor (retired) William Hershey admits to “a touch of idealism” in joining the Peace Corps nearly six decades ago. He also had in mind avoiding the draft. As a twentysomething completing graduate school, he easily could have found himself on a path to joining the massive American military deployment in Vietnam. Thus, a persistent tension informs his engaging and insightful new book, “Taking the Plunge into Ethiopia: Tales of a Peace Corps Volunteer.” American idealism contends with indelible realities. In telling his story, Hershey also helps us understand our own time and dilemmas, from the plight of refugees to the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The book is part of the indispensable (to followers of Ohio political life) Bliss Institute Series, published by the University of Akron Press. Hershey has made multiple contributions, including an entertaining biography of Ray C. Bliss, “Mr. Chairman,” written with . . .

Dwight Yates (Tanzania) Obituary

Dec 08 2023

In the news — Published by Redlands Daily Facts Nov. 21, 2023 We sorrowfully announce that Dwight Yates (Tanzania 1964-66) passed away Sunday, November 12th, 2023, at the age of 81. Dwight was born in Helena, Montana, and traveled widely in his youth. He taught in Tanzania, East Africa, during his time with the Peace Corps and continued his education in Arizona, where he met his wife, Nancy Carrick. Dwight moved to Redlands, CA in 1980 and quickly became a staple within the academic community in the Inland Empire. He was a widely-published writer and professor of creative writing at UC Riverside. He knew how to connect deeply and – in written word – capture the range of our humanity completely. Dwight Yates’ stories have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. His first collection, Haywire Hearts and Slide Trombones, received the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award from SnakeNation Press. His second, Bring Everybody, was . . .

Susan English (Namibia) author of CUPID’S ARROW

Dec 07 2023

Cupid’s Arrow by Susan English (Namibia 2004-06) Out on a Whim Press January 2022 318 pages $0.00 (Kindle); $2.99 (to buy) When her utopian moon base is targeted by Earth’s authoritarian powers, can she stand in the face of tyranny to prove love is stronger than hate? Biologist Pavani Nampeyo is devastated to lose her soulmate. But with the world military preparing to raid their lunar science colony, the broken-hearted specialist makes the agonizing decision to stay behind while the love of her life escapes to another solar system. And when the brutal invaders fail to find the missing colonists, Pavani’s protective instincts steer her in the path of a violent assault. Bruised but undaunted, she and her team attempt to drive out the troops by broadcasting video of the illegal occupation across the planet. But with the threat of reprisal looming, Pavani’s only hope of reconnecting with . . .

“Why Would Someone Give Me a Story Like This”? Charlie Peters

Dec 07 2023

Charlie Peters, the founder of the Washington Monthly who died on Thanksgiving, wasn’t easy but he cared intensely about the country. The magazine was the tool he had to help. by Nicholas Thompson December 6, 2023 Washington Monthly founding editor Charles Peters in 2008. Credit: Gunes Kocatepe/Wikimedia Commons The first time I met Charlie Peters was in a job interview. It was the fall of 1999: I was 24, he was 72, and I was a candidate to be an editor at the Washington Monthly. I trudged up the stairs to the third floor of 1611 Connecticut Avenue to a well-worn office filled with old magazines and crossed by the occasional cockroach. Charlie sat across from me and a big wooden desk with a box for incoming manuscripts and one for outgoing manuscripts that he had marked up with a felt green marker. “What is your relationship like with your father?” he asked a . . .

Joe Lurie (Kenya) interviewed by Bill Miller (Dominican Republic) of Global Connections TV

Dec 06 2023

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ from Mark Walker (Guatemala 1971-73) • Bill Miller (Dominican Republic 1968-70) interviewed Joe Lurie (Kenya 1967-70) on Global Connections TV (GCTV) which is aired on UN TV and for universities around the world. The focus of the interview is cross-cultural communications, and Joe’s book, Deceptions Perceptions. • Mark Walker (Guatemala 1971-73) has reviewed Perceptions and Deceptions on his site.

“Peace Corps signifies true Gambia/US friendship” — US Ambassador

Dec 06 2023

In the news — Africa-Press – Gambia. Her Excellency Sharon L Cromer, United States of America Ambassador to The Gambia, has said the mission of Peace Corps signifies and facilitates true understanding and friendship between the peoples of The Gambia and the United States of America. Ambassador Cromer made the remarks on Wednesday at the Peace Corps Massembeh Training Center in Lower River Region during the swearing in of the most recent group of Peace Corps volunteers in agriculture and health. The swearing-in ceremony marked the completion of a 10-week Pre-Service Training (PST) that prepared the 12 trainees for service in the respective communities. During the training, trainees learned to communicate in local languages, gained a deeper understanding of the rich patterns that make up the Gambian culture, and learned to take responsibility for their health and safety as well as their security while in The Gambia. Since 1961, Peace . . .

Review | THE COUSCOS CHRONICLES by Azzedine Downes (Morocco)

Dec 05 2023

The Couscous Chronicles Stories of Food, Love, and Donkeys from a Life Between Cultures by Azzedine T. Downes (Morocco 1982-85) Reviewed by Julie R. Dargis (Morocco 1984-87) An old friend of Azzedine and his family, and a close friend of mine, devoured the Couscous Chronicles over a weekend, munching on each story as if she were a guest at a coveted Friday couscous lunch invite. Every Peace Corps/Morocco volunteer can recount various faux pas that ensue during such a visit, but soon enough all volunteers learn the lessons that have been maktub (written) over centuries: only eat from the triangle in front of you, wait for the host to offer you the prime real estate from the center of the mound, say the word sha’bet (truly, I’m full) only when you are ready to burst, and NEVER EVER eat with your left hand! When I began reading my . . .

Caleb Rudlow (Zambia) runs For U.S. House from North Carolina

Dec 05 2023

In the news — State House member seeks to run as a Democrat for U.S. House Dec 3, 2023 On Nov. 28, the Democratic member of the N.C. House held a press conference in Asheville to announce that he is running for the 11th District seat, now held by Republican incumbent Chuck Edwards of Hendersonville. Surrounded by supporters and elected officials at the event, Rudow said “WNC deserves representation that works for working families and, after serving the people of Buncombe County as a state House representative for the past two years, I am excited to announce that I am running for Congress in the 2024 election. Too many people in WNC feel left behind by the last few representatives and they want change,” according to a news release. A native of Buncombe County, the 37-year-old Rudow is the third generation of Rudows to call these western North . . .

Establishing the Peace Corps

Dec 05 2023

Establishing the Peace Corps by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) Let me start with a quote from Gerard T. Rice’s book, The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps: In 1961 John F. Kennedy took two risky and conflicting initiatives in the Third World. One was to send five hundred additional military advisers into South Vietnam; by 1963 there would be seventeen thousand such advisers. The other was to send five hundred young Americans to teach in the schools and work in the fields of eight developing countries. These were Peace Corps Volunteers. By 1963 there would be seven thousands of them in forty-four countries. Vietnam scarred the American psyche, leaving memories of pain and defeat. But Kennedy’s other initiative inspired, and continued to inspire, hope and understanding among Americans and the rest of the world. In that sense, the Peace Corps was his most affirmative and enduring legacy. Historical Framework . . .

THE SHOWGIRL AND THE WRITER by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador)

Dec 04 2023

Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues, My latest book, The Showgirl and the Writer: A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration was published in July of this year by Peace Corps Writers, an Imprint of Peace Corps Worldwide. I am grateful to many of you who have read, reviewed, and referred the book to potential readers. For others, The Showgirl and the Writer is a hybrid memoir/biography about my long friendship with Mary Mon Toy, a Nisei performer who had been forcibly removed from her home to an American concentration camp in Idaho during WWII. Our underlying bond was the incarceration of Japanese Americans; I was born in the Tule Lake Japanese American high security camp in California where my Caucasian parents had volunteered to work. This book has been a labor of love, a personal and political journey. When I learned upon Mary’s death in 2010 that she had been keeping . . .

KILL THE MAGESTRATE . . . A PLAY by Abbey Fenbert (Ukraine)

Dec 04 2023

In the news — The Kiev Independent by Abbey Fenbert (Ukraine 2008-11) On a moonlit autumn night circa 1600-something, six women gather in the woods of an unnamed New England town to plot the murder of their local magistrate. But as the night wears on, the trees seem determined to deliver messages and strange objects fall from the sky — and the conspirators’ varying reasons for wanting the magistrate dead start to threaten their alliance. This energetic, heightened, time-bending new play askstheage-old question: when you violently overthrowthepatriarchy, how do you avoid replacing it with something worse? Thanks to the support of tireless Boston theater champion Jack Welch, this residency gives Boston University alumni writers 30 hours of development time to explore, evolve, and experiment with collaborators. The playwright workshops their play-in-progress and shares it in a public reading. We hope you’ll join us here at Boston’s Playwrights’ Theatre on Dec. 4, and . . .

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors As Of December 2023

Dec 03 2023

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors December 2023 Here is our new list of RPCV & staff authors we know of who have published two or more books of any type. Currently—in December 2023–the count is 523. If you know of someone who has written two books and their name is not on this list, then please email: jcoyneone@gmail.com. We know we don’t have all the Peace Corps writers. Thank you.’ Jerome R. Adams (Colombia 1963–65) Tom Adams (Togo 1974-76) Thomas “Taj” Ainlay, Jr. (Malaysia 1973–75) Elizabeth (Letts) Alalou (Morocco 1983–86) Jane Albritton (India 1967-69) Robert Albritton (Ethiopia 1963-65) Usha Alexander (Vanuatu 1996–97) James G. Alinder (Somalia 1964-66) Richard Alleman (Morocco 1968-70) Hayward Allen (Ethiopia 1962-64) Diane Demuth Allensworth (Panama 1964–66) Paul E. Allaire (Ethiopia 1964–66) Jack Allison (Malawi 1967-69) Allman (Nepal 1966-68) Nancy Amidei (Nigeria 1964–65) Gary Amo (Malawi 1962–64) David C. Anderson (Costa Rica 1964-66) Lauri Anderson (Nigeria . . .

Delaware County PA Literacy Council welcomes Colleen Duran (Moldova) as Executive Director

Nov 30 2023

In the news — Literacy Council board of directors and staff recently welcomed Colleen Duran as executive director. According to the council’s press release — “Colleen comes to us with an incredible background in non-profit service, particularly in education and literacy,” said board co-President Patricia Rizzo. “She will make Delaware County Literacy Council a place where quality services are delivered by our quality people each and every day.” After working as a literacy tutor with AmeriCorps, Duran began a long period of service managing programs at Pittsburgh Literacy, followed by two years of volunteering with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Moldova. “Without a doubt, one of the best things I’ve ever done,” said Duran. “I am forever honored and grateful that I had the opportunity to serve.” Duran continued her career with opportunities in nonprofit organizations that developed her skills in strategic leadership, program management and evaluation, and . . .

Elizabeth Strojan (Madagascar) new head of Louisville Metro Housing

Nov 29 2023

In the news — Mayor Craig Greenberg of Louisville, Ky. announced Wednesday that Elizabeth Strojan will be the new Executive Director of the city’s Metro Housing Authority beginning in early 2024. Strojan is a native of Louisville and a Jefferson County Public Schools graduate. She is currently the Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President of Administration and External Affairs at the New York City Housing Development Corporation. That’s the nation’s largest municipal Housing Finance Agency. The mayor’s office cited among her credentials that she has worked to create and preserve affordable housing for New Yorkers since 2017. “Elizabeth Strojan is a rising star in the nationwide affordable housing industry, and we are incredibly fortunate she has chosen to come home to Louisville and lead LMHA,” Greenberg said. “Having the right leader at LMHA can make the difference between an organization that misses opportunities and one that innovates. She . . .