Archive - June 21, 2015

First given in 1990, the Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award was named to honor Paul Cowan, a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Ecuador from 1966 to 1967. Cowan wrote The Making of An Un-American about his experiences as a Volunteer in Latin America in the ’60s. A longtime activist and political writer for The Village Voice, Cowan died of leukemia in 1988. • The winner of the 2015 Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award is — Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy. by Christopher R. Hill (Cameroon 1974-76) Chris Hill begins his award winning book by telling his favorite story, his account of how as a PCV in Cameroon he tried to overhaul a corrupt credit union only to have his efforts rejected, largely because he did not understand the community’s internal dynamics and culture. What happened was something like this: Chris discovered that one board of directors had stolen 60 percent . . .