Archive - February 2011

I mentioned Ann Neelon (Senegal 1978-79) last week and her publication, New Madrid, when I wrote about the AWP Conference in Washington, D.C. I want to go back to Ann and her literary magazine as there are two more connections to the Peace Corps. (By the way, New Madrid(pronounced New Mad-drid) takes it name from the New Madrid seismic zone, which falls within the central Mississippi Valley and extends through western Kentucky. Between 1811 and 1812, four earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7.0 struck this region, changing the course of the Mississippi River, creating Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee and ringing church bells as far away as Boston.)   That all said, Ann invites submissions of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction for her literary journal. Your work should be sent directly (and only online) to the Submission Manager. Go to their website: www.newmadridjournal.org for details. In the issue of New Madrid (Winter 2010) the theme is: The Dynamics . . .

A School For Others; The History of the Belize High School of Agriculture George LeBard (Belize 1981-86) Xlibris $19.99 269 pages 2010 Reviewed by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975-77) MORE THAN a Peace Corps experience memoir, this is a story of redemption. Very few people honestly confront personal weakness and fewer change. I do not refer to the new found frugality we all learn as Volunteers but a physical and mental change. LeBard explains his sordid past, accepts full responsibility and then describes his own long journey towards change. His Peace Corps experience lasted longer than most for he served for five years. The fruits of his labor are quite extraordinary, not only for his host community but for him personally. In 1981, LeBard reported as a thin thirty-one year old. In the book, he admits that prior to the Peace Corps his “life consisted of drinking, drugs and one-night . . .

Cynthia Morrison Phoel (Bulgaria 1994-96) is the author of Cold Snap: Bulgaria Stories and she will be reading in New York City in March. If you can, see her on the 8th of March at 7:30 p.m. at the famous McNally Jackson Books store, 52 Prince Street. In May, on Sunday the 15th, at 7 p.m. Cindy will return to New York (this time the East Village) and appear at Sunday Salon 43 East 7th between 2nd and 3rd Avenue. The co-founder of this amazing showcase for writers is RPCV Nita Niveno (Cameroon 1988–90). Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963–65) writes of Cynthia’ s book: “I am greatly impressed with Cold Snap, a look at Bulgarian Life — family life, school life, frustration, even passion and desire. Cynthia Phoel writes from inside this culture, convincingly and with real insight.” And reviewer Dona Seaman (has in part) this to say: Phoel’s first collection of stories and . . .

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN Shelton Johnson prominently featured in the Ken Burns documentary film on our National Parks. What you might not have known is that Shelton Johnson served with the Peace Corps in Liberia in 1982–83, and that he is the author of Gloryland, a novel that is quietly gaining a lot of attention. Dick Joyce (Philippines 1962–64) who coordinates the RPCV group in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is a former graduate school classmate of mine, brought it to my attention. The novel was published by Sierra Club Books in 2009 and we’ll be reviewing it shortly on our site. Shelton Johnson is from Detroit, Michigan and has worked for the National Park Service since 1987. Currently he is a ranger in Yosemite, and lives with his wife and son just outside the Park. He has presented his original living-history program about a buffalo soldier as venues around the country. Shelton is also a helluva writer. . . .

Books about the Peace Corps and your experiences will be included in a permanent Peace Corps Collection of the Library of Congress and displayed at the Library on the September weekend celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the agency. To have your book included in the collection (whether you will be attending the luncheon or not) please send a copy before July 1, 2011, to the Washington, D.C. Congressional Office of U.S. Representative John Garamendi. Mark the envelope Peace Corps Collection and address it to: Ms. Mayra Chavez Executive Assistant 228 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 ALSO — please send a note to Marian Haley Beil (marian@haleybeil.com)  that you have sent your book to Ms. Chavez so that Peace Corps Worldwide can have a complete listing of the books in the Collection.

A Peace Corps Writers Luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 22, in the Library of Congress to celebrate the establishment of the Peace Corps Collection at the Library. The luncheon guests will include Peace Corps writers who have published books about their Peace Corps experience, and invited friends of our newsletter and websites who have supported us over the years. Because seating is limited, reservations must be made. Writers whose books qualify to be included in the Library of Congress Peace Corps Collection (click here for details) should contact Marian Haley Beil to R.S.V.P. no later than July 1, 2011 (or until the dining room reaches its capacity, whatever comes first). She will prepare a listing of those attending that will be posted at Peace Corps Worldwide>Peace Corps Writers. To make a reservation, writers should email Marian at marian@haleybeil.com with the following information — I will be attending the Peace . . .

DURING THE WEEKEND CELEBRATION of Peace Corps’ 50th Anniversary, September 22-25, the Library of Congress will honor Peace Corps writers – both Volunteers and staff – who have published books about their Peace Corps experience with a display of their books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, and photography. Each book (whether academic, commercial or self-published but must have an ISBN number) will then become part of a new permanent Peace Corps Collection of the Library of Congress. In addition, the Library will establish a link from their web site to the Bibliography of Peace Corps Writers created by Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64), publisher of Peace Corps Worldwide. To celebrate this special occasion, a luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 22, in the Library hosted by Congressman John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1965-67) and his wife, Patricia (Ethiopia 1965-67). Co-hosts for the luncheon, with Patricia and John Garamendi, will be Marian Haley Beil, publisher of . . .

Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas by Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963–65) Orchid Press October 2010 266 pages Reviewed by Tony D’Souza (Ivory Coast 2000-02, Madagascar 2002-03) Don Messerschmidt’s Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas is a good example of a lifelong passion distilled into print. The title describes what the book contains: a lengthy and detailed analysis of large Tibetan dogs. An anthropologist and Himalayan specialist, Messerschmidt served in the Peace Corps in Nepal in the 1960s, was aware of the existence of an almost “mythical” breed of large dogs that were companions and protectors of Tibetan yak herdsman. He spent a considerable amount of his free time during service — and indeed the rest of his life — finding and pursuing a deeper understanding of these animals. The focused subject matter of Big Dogs is not for everyone, but canine and Himalaya fans will welcome the addition . . .

Voices from The Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers by Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson (Liberia 1962–64) The University of Kentucky Press $35.00 400 pages March 2011 Reviewed by P. David Searles (CD Philippines 1971–74; Regional Director NANEAP and Deputy Director Peace Corps HQ 1974–76). HERE IS A BOOK THAT TELLS THE PEACE CORPS STORY in the most meaningful way one can imagine: using the voices of Volunteers who have served in many countries at different times to collectively present a picture of the Peace Corps experience that has the ring of truth to it. What one reads in the book are the heartfelt reminiscences of dozens of former Volunteers as they discuss their personal experiences relative to eleven topics selected by the authors, beginning with “Why We Went” (the title of Chapter 1), then on through “training,” “settling in,” “jobs,” and all of the other aspects of Peace . . .

I went to the Association of Writers & Writers Programs last week in Washington, D.C. I sat in on a panel featuring  Peace Corps poets. The panel was entitled, Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience. A small group of RPCV poets, gathered by Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73), addressed a small crowd of mostly women graduate students and young academics, all would-be poets and professors. Nice people. The published Peace Corps poets on the panel were an impressive lot, all award winners themselves: Sandra Meek (Botswana 1989-91); John Isles (Estonia 1992-94); Ann Neelon (Senegal 1978-79); Derick Burleson (Rwanda 1991-93), plus Virginia.  I had never met any of them before, though Virginia and I have a passing connections after all these years, and I know, by emails, Ann and Sandra. The panel discussion took place in mid-afternoon in one of those endless mall meeting rooms of this huge downtown D.C. hotel. About 30 attended . . .

For those of you living in the DC area, Stan Meisler will be talking about his new book, When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the Peace Corps and Its First Fifty Years, at Politics and Prose — 5015 Conn. Ave. NW, Washington — on Sunday, February 27, at 5 p.m.

Laurence Leamer’s (Nepal 1965-67) next book will be The Price of Justice,  a nonfiction legal thriller telling the story of a coal giant CEO who sets out to destroy a small mine owner in West Virginia.