November 4, 2009 – Peace Corps Worldwide

RPCV Mike Meyer Interviewed “Live” On Galleycat

Nov 04 2009

If you are at all interested in writing and publishing, check out mediabistro.com and also the video reporting done by Jason Boog (Guatemala 2000-02) who works for Galleycat and (mailer@mediabistro.com). Jason has a piece up today, plus video, of Mike Meyer (China 1995-97) where Mike is saying, “I think it’s usually a good time to write a book when you go to the library or the bookstore and the book you want to read isn’t there.” Mike, as you know, was one of the ten writers honored at the 25th annual Whiting Writers’ Award last week. GalleyCat prowled the aisles of the Award winners dinner interviewing a number of the winners about their writing lives, the recession, and the future of literature. The ten recipients each took home a $50,000 award for their literary efforts. Listen and look at Mike talk about writing, and read what Jason has to say. You’ve got to love . . .

And the winner of the Best Memoir from Asia and The South Pacific Is . . .

Nov 04 2009

The handful of Peace Corps countries on the ‘eastern rim’ has generated a number of books that rate at the top of any list of ‘good’ Peace Corps novels and memoirs. Right up there are books that deserve to be read again, including Roland Merullo’s (Micronesia 1979-81) novel, Leaving Losapas, and P.F. Kluge’s (Micronesia 1967-69) memoir The Edge of Paradise: America in Micronesia. Many of you have read, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze River by Peter Hessler (China 1996-98) and another member of the “China Gang,” Mike Meyer’s (China 1995-97) author of The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed. The Peace Corps goes back a long way in this region. The Philippines and Thailand were among the very first Peace Corps countries. From this region, Peace Corps writers have produced many historical books (maybe this is where all the smart PCVs were sent?) but . . .

Archive - November 4, 2009