Archive - February 11, 2010

Peter Hessler (China 1996–98) and his wife, Leslie T. Chang, will be speaking on the University of San Francisco Campus on Tuesday, February 23.  Peter will be discussing his new books, Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory, together with Leslie talking about Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China, now out in paperback. The discussion will start at 5:45 in USF Lone Mountain Campus Room 100, (2800 Turk Blvd between Masonic and Parker.) The event is free and open to the public. For information and a reservation, call (415) 422-6357,  and tell Peter you’re a PCV…also buy the book. It is terrific! For those of  you who are new to Peter Hessler, he was was the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker and a contributor to National Geographic.  Previously he had written for the Atlantic Monthly, New York Times, Boston Globe, and the Wall Street Journal. . . .

Out this month is Matt Davis’s (Mongolia 2000–02) memoir of Mongolia, When Things Get Dark: A Mongolian Winter’s Tale. In a cover blurb Peter Hessler (China 1996–98) writes, “Matthew Davis’s portrait of Mongolia is riveting, insightful, and deeply honest.” Matt received his MFA from the University of Iowa’s Writing Program (other fine RPCV writers who graduated from this program are Richard Wiley (Korea 1967–69), Phil Damon (Ethiopia 1963–65), Bob Shacochis (Eastern Caribbean 1975–76), and John Givens (Korea 1967–69). At Iowa Matt was an Arts Fellow, a writer-in-residence at the Museum of Art, and a postgraduate Writing Fellow. Today Matt is a fellow and student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. On June 9, 2009 Peace Corps Worldwide published an interview I did with Matt about his book.  In the interview I asked Matt what other Peace Corps memoirs he had read and he replied, “Well, I’ve read Peter Hessler; George Packer; Tom Bissell; Sarah . . .