Archive - February 2, 2011

Being First: An Informal History of the Early Peace Corps by Robert Klein (Ghana 1961–63) Wheatmark, Inc $19.95 182 pages 2010 Reviewed by Kevin Lowther (Sierra Leone 1963–65) GHANA I — Peace Corps groups were Roman-numeraled in the early years  — began with 58 trainees at the University of California at Berkeley. It was July 1961, four months after President John F. Kennedy asked R. Sargent Shriver to establish the Peace Corps. The 58 guinea pigs and their trainers were all too aware that the experiment could rise or fall on the basis of their performance. “That challenge,” Robert Klein writes in Being First, “created a sense of uniqueness which has lasted through the years.” Fifty years, of course, and counting. Klein was a 32-year-old teacher in Harlem when he volunteered. Kennedy’s summons “added a moral dimension” to Klein’s “restless romanticized adventurism.” The group supposedly had been sifted through a . . .

A group of RPCV poets, gathered by Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73), will have a panel discussion entitled,” Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience” at the 2011 Annual Conference of the Assocation of Writers & Writing Programs on February 2-5, 2011.  The panel is scheduled (subject to changes, of course) on Thursday from 1:30-2:45 in the Harding Room of the Marriott Wardman Park, (Mezzanine Level). Here are the details, if  you are attending the conference: R167. Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience. (Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73); Sandra Meek (Botswana 1989-91); John Isles (Estonia 1992-94); Ann Neelon (Senagal 1978-79); Derick Burleson (Rwanda 1991-93). “How does a stint in the Peace Corps influence a writing life? This panel investigates the question of how living in a developing country as a volunteer contributes to the growth of a poetic voice. Five award-winning poets who served in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe discuss . . .

Exploring Hong Kong: A Visitor’s Guide to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories by Steven K. Bailey (Poland 1993–95) ThingsAsian Press $14.95 289 pages 2009 • The Insider’s Guide to the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go (2nd edition of So, You Want to Join the Peace Corps) by Dillon Banerjee (Cameroon 1994–96) Ten Speed Press $14.95 192 pages 2009 • One World:A Global Anthology of Short Stories Skye Brannon (Samoa 2004–06), contributor New Internationalist $16.95 192 pages 2009 • The Man Who Caught No Birds by Thomas Burns (Marshall Island 1976–78) CreateSpace $15.00 206 pages 2010 • Roman Proud, Wayward Widower by Tino Calabia (Peru 1963–65) AuthorHouse $15.49 360 pages December 2010 • Soldiers of God (graphic novel) by Kelly Clancy (Turkmenistan 2004-06) www.thedivinebanquet.com Sixta Comics $15.00 256 pages 2010 • A Year on the Bus by Dan Close (Ethiopia 1964–66) The Tamarac Press $15.00 . . .