October 7, 2015 – Peace Corps Worldwide

Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) on the Air and in the TIMES

Oct 07 2015

In case you missed it, Brian Lehrer on WNYC had Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) on his show this morning (see link below). He talked about his new book on travels in the South and mentioned the Peace Corps. (Thanks to a “Heads Up” from Bill Preston (Thailand 1977-80) http://www.wnyc.org/story/paul-theroux-american-south/ In case you missed it, Paul had a piece in the New York Times on Sunday, October 4, 2015. Thanks to a “Heads Up” from William Evensen (Peru 1964-66) A factory in Toccoa, Ga., that was closed in 2010 by the manufacturing company SundayReview | OPINION The Hypocrisy of ‘Helping’ the Poor By PAUL THEROUX OCT. 2, 2015 EVERY so often, you hear grotesquely wealthy American chief executives announce in sanctimonious tones the intention to use their accumulated hundreds of millions, or billions, “to lift people out of poverty.” Sometimes they are referring to Africans, but sometimes they are referring to Americans. And . . .

Author as promoter — David Edmonds and his LILY OF PERU

Oct 07 2015

In January of this year David Edmonds (Chile 1963-65) published his “romance thriller” Lily of Peru with the Peace Corps Writers imprint. David has written that since then the book has received a “good deal of love.” The attention that the book has received includes: Latino Literacy: International Latino Book Awards – Honorable Mention: Best Novel – Adventure or Drama – English Article on the Tampa Bay “Creative Loafing” website, “Local author named an International Latino Book Awards finalist“ 2015 Readers’ Favorite: Silver Award for “Fiction – Thriller – Terrorist” category . Florida Writers Association‘s 2015 Royal Palms Literary Awards: Finalist in the fiction category. (winners to be announced Oct 15-18) Latino Literacy: Latino Books into Movies Awards: Finalist. Favorable reviews and interviews in blogs, newspapers and writers’ magazines. One of those reviews of Lily of Peru, written by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers’ Favorite, follows: Sigh. That was my . . .

IVS and the Foundation of the Peace Corps, Part 3

Oct 07 2015

One story that is told in the new book about the International Voluntary Services (IVS), The Fortunate Few IVS Volunteers: From Asia to the Andes, is from William Seraile (Ethiopia 1963-65). Here is a slightly edited version of what Bill had to say. Seraile had been a social science teacher in Mekelle, Ethiopia and he says “that experience had whetted my appetite for overseas adventures which is the reason I went to Vietnam.” He was 26 when he arrived in Can Tho and taught English at Phan Than Gian high school with a schedule that resembled a college professor’s light teaching load. The school had 3,000 students and was formerly a French fort and a World War II Japanese barracks. As the only American on the faculty, he recalls, his classes were very large. Before the Tet Offense, however, he had become disillusioned teaching English and thought he could better . . .

Archive - October 7, 2015