Archive - September 2022

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Review — THE RAZOR’S EDGE by Robert Gurevich (Thailand)
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THE MOUNTIAN AND THE SEA by Ray Nayler (Turkmenistan)
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Why You Should Write a Memoir by Evelyn LaTorre (Peru)
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Your Peace Corps Story In The Libraries of Our World
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Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Carol Spahn announces climate initiative
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Marian Haley Beil Creates Peace Corps Writers (Ethiopia)
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DRAYTON HALL STORIES by George W. McDaniel (Togo)
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Leeatt Rothschild — “Packed with Purpose” (Paraguay)
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Peace Corps at the Kennedy Center on September 24th
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Writing Your Peace Corps Story
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BALLET ORPHANS by Terez Mertes Rose (Gabon)
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Issue 7 of “Inside Peace Corps” is now available
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House Passes Sweeping Peace Corps Legislation
14
A conversation with novelist Mark Jacobs (Paraguay)
15
IS MALIA OBAMA DATING THE SON OF AN ETHIOPIAN RPCV?

Review — THE RAZOR’S EDGE by Robert Gurevich (Thailand)

  The Razor’s Edge: Embezzlement, Corruption and Development in Ethiopia: A Novel Robert  Gurevich (Thailand 1963–1965) Peace Corps Writers June 2022 $18.98 (paperback), $6.98 (Kindle) Reviewed by John Chromy (India 1963–65; PC CD/Eastern Caribbean 1977–79; Assoc Dir-PC/Washington 1979–1981) • The author, a veteran of numerous stints in countries around the world managing and overseeing a variety of development projects, takes us on a wild ride through one year as an NGO Project Director of a school and education upgrading program in three provinces of Ethiopia.   The setting The setting is in a country that has recently overthrown a 15-year, communist-inspired, military dictatorship, and hopes are high that the country can quickly move forward to rebuild the school system, address the poverty in the rural areas and prosper under the new found democracy. It seemed the wind was blowing in a very good direction indeed, and the U. S Government, through USAID . . .

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THE MOUNTIAN AND THE SEA by Ray Nayler (Turkmenistan)

  Humankind discovers intelligent life in an octopus species with its own language and culture, and sets off a high-stakes global competition to dominate the future. Rumors begin to spread of a species of hyperintelligent, dangerous octopus that may have developed its own language and culture. Marine biologist Dr. Ha Nguyen, who has spent her life researching cephalopod intelligence, will do anything for the chance to study them. The transnational tech corporation DIANIMA has sealed the remote Con Dao Archipelago, where the octopuses were discovered, off from the world. Dr. Nguyen joins DIANIMA’s team on the islands: a battle-scarred security agent and the world’s first android. The octopuses hold the key to unprecedented breakthroughs in extrahuman intelligence. The stakes are high: there are vast fortunes to be made by whoever can take advantage of the octopuses’ advancements, and as Dr. Nguyen struggles to communicate with the newly discovered species, forces . . .

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Why You Should Write a Memoir by Evelyn LaTorre (Peru)

  by Evelyn LaTorre ( Peru 1964-66)   Face it. You’re not getting any younger. Once you’re gone, your stories won’t be there the way only you can tell them—unless they’re written down. Do it now. One never knows when one’s faculties might fade. Write a scene about one of the many tales you’ve often given voice to about the time you “did such-and-such and then …” Those memories are important to put on paper or store in your computer while you can still recall them. Look at a few old photos or listen to music you loved to resurrect forgotten feelings and the memories will come flooding back. “So who cares about what I have to say?” you may ask. Maybe your family will. Or maybe they won’t. But do it anyway. Leaving a record of your life while you’re still kickin’ will do more than prove you existed. . . .

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Your Peace Corps Story In The Libraries of Our World

Thanks for the ‘heads up’ suggestions from Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96)   by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) I was doing my daily browsing in my home town library and on the library’s giveaway shelf was a perfect copy of Papa: Hemingway in Key West 1928-1940 by James McLendon. Tucked inside this Popular Library paperback (which, by the way, sold for 95 cents when it was published in 1972) was an article on Hemingway from the April 12, 1999 Newsweek magazine. The article was about the publication of True at First Light, the last writings of Papa, edited by his son Patrick. I also picked up off the shelf The Sportswriter, a novel by the Pen/Faulkner winning writer Richard Ford. Beside it was a collection of short stories, The Next New World, by one of my favorite Peace Corps writers, Bob Shacochis, Eastern Caribbean 1975-76. None of them was stamped as a library book; they had all been . . .

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Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Carol Spahn announces climate initiative

  WASHINGTON – Peace Corps Chief Executive Officer Carol Spahn announced that over the next year the agency will implement a climate initiative to support over two million hours of volunteer and staff service in approximately 50 countries around the world. Speaking via video at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City, CEO Spahn described how approximately 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers will work with host country partners to identify and implement strategies that contribute to climate priorities and national plans. “Climate change disproportionally impacts the Global South, including many countries in which Peace Corps Volunteers serve,” said CEO Spahn. “The world is at an inflection point when it comes to the climate emergency; it is now or never, and we are choosing now.” Volunteers and their host communities will work together to promote climate-smart agriculture practices, develop community tree nurseries, and increase climate literacy through environmental education. Additionally, the Peace Corps . . .

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Marian Haley Beil Creates Peace Corps Writers (Ethiopia)

Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64) started the first newsletter for the growing group of returning volunteers. Along with John Coyne she started a blog https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/category/pc-writers/and worked to get the stories of the PCVs coming out of Ethiopia published. Finally, she established the Peace Corps Writers Imprint, encouraging all of us to write those stories down. https://peacecorpsworldwide.org/books/books-published-by-pc-writers/publish-with-pc-writers-imprint/ There are few who can match her enthusiasm for her work with RPCV writers. There are many who owe her for her dedication for creating opportunities such as EERPCV in order to bring so many of us together. This video is an opportunity to learn more about our Peace Corps history from one who helped create it. Cinda Mosca (Ethiopia 1967-69) President of Ethiopia & Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Z8L7qDNOQ Attachments area Preview YouTube video Marian H Beil, Ethiopia 1962-1964 Marian H Beil, Ethiopia 1962-1964  

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DRAYTON HALL STORIES by George W. McDaniel (Togo)

  George W. McDaniel (Togo 1968-70) has writing a new portrayal of this 18th-century icon among America’s historic sites, Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People is the first book in the nation to focus on a site’s recent history using interviews with descendants (both White and Black), board members, staff, donors, architects, historians, preservationists, tourism leaders, and more. Like different pieces of a mosaic, each interview combines with others to create an engaging picture of this one place, revealing never-before-shared family moments, major decisions in preservation and site stewardship, and pioneering efforts to transform a Southern plantation into a site for racial conciliation. Readers will come to see Drayton Hall’s people not as stereotypes, but as the real people they were — and are. Maps, photographs, lines of descent, interview questions, a how-to guide, and related website, all provide blueprints for readers who wish to undertake similar endeavors to build . . .

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Leeatt Rothschild — “Packed with Purpose” (Paraguay)

  Leeatt Rothschild writes: “A few years ago, I discovered a way to embed the act of doing good into the gifts we give. Packed with Purpose was born out of my desire to create social impact while recognizing the importance of gifting in fostering meaningful relationships. Packed with Purpose gifts enable companies (from Fortune 500 to nonprofit organizations) to create social impact while positively influencing their business across employees, clients, and other key stakeholders. “My experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer — Paraguay 2008-10 — and social impact consultant inspired me to create these gifts that give back.” In Paraguay she launched an income-generating fertilizer business with local farmers, witnessing the profound impact that economic development has on underserved communities.  Before serving in the Peace Corps, she was a Rotary Youth Ambassador in Morelia, Mexico, and then earned her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University. Upon graduation, she joined the . . .

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Peace Corps at the Kennedy Center on September 24th

Join Peace Corps at the Kennedy Center on September 24th We invite you to join us at the Global Connections: Stories from the Peace Corps event at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Saturday, September 24, 2022 from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. EST. As part of the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary celebrations, this distinctive event will showcase inspirational stories about the transformational connections made in the Peace Corps. Darlene Grant, Senior Advisor to the CEO and RPCV Cambodia, will be the emcee for the event and will also be sharing a story from her service in Cambodia. Scheduled Storytellers Aisha Harris-Parker, Language and Cross Cultural Coordinator, Peace Corps Jamaica Dinesh Karki, Deputy Program Director, Peace Corps Nepal Brianna Maltez, Virtual Service Outreach and Selection Specialist (RPCV/Mozambique) Kelsey McMahon, Virtual Service Participant Support Specialist (RPCV/South Africa) Anisa Rahaman, Office of the Chief Information Officer Herizo Ramanantsialonina, Health Programming and Training Specialist, Peace Corps Madagascar Ella Sokoliuk, Public Health Specialist . . .

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Writing Your Peace Corps Story

 Writing your Peace Corps Story Lee Gutkind who started the first Creative Nonfiction program at the University of Pittsburgh writes simply that “creative nonfiction are “true stories well told.” In some ways, creative nonfiction is like jazz—it’s a rich mix of favors, ideas, and techniques, some of which are newly invented and others as old as writing itself. Creative nonfiction can be an essay, a journal article, a research paper, a memoir, or a poem; it can be personal or not, or it can be all of these. Creative nonfiction is also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction and is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction, such as academic or technical writing or journalism, which is also rooted in accurate fact, but is not written to entertain based on writing style or florid prose. . . .

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BALLET ORPHANS by Terez Mertes Rose (Gabon)

  Ballet Orphans: A Prequel (Ballet Theatre Chronicles: Book 3) by Terez Mertes Rose (Gabon 1985-87) Classical Girl Press January 2021 375 pages $12.99 (Paperback), $2.99 (Kindle)   Terez writes: I am the author of Off Balance and Outside the Limelight ( 2015, 2016), A Dancer’s Guide to Africa (2018) and Ballet Orphans (Jan 2021). A former Peace Corps volunteer and ballet dancer, my writing has appeared in numerous publications, including the Crab Orchard Review, Women Who Eat (Seal Press), A Woman’s Europe (Travelers’ Tales), Literary Mama, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the San Jose Mercury News.  I review ballet performances for Bachtrack.com and blog about ballet and classical music at The Classical Girl. I make my home in the Santa Cruz Mountains with my husband and son. I love humor, hiking, an engrossing book, and a nice glass of red.”      

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Issue 7 of “Inside Peace Corps” is now available

  Here is the link to read the latest Issue of Inside Peace Corps https://elink.clickdimensions.com/m/1/42800499/02-t22252-ade13aeef6b0438297841dc4943063c1/1/1/1 You may also go to peacecorps.gov and on the menu, click on NEWS.   Issue 7 contains information on the following: Chief Executive Officer’s Message  (Chief Executive Officer is Carol Spahn. She has been nominated to be Peace Corps Director.  Her confirmatin hearing in the Senate have not yet been scheduled,) Calling all RPCVs to inspire your networks to apply The Return of Volunteers to Service Overseas. Sexual Assault Advisory Council Summit. Revised Volunteer Core Expectations and Staff Responsibilities and Conduct. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief Annual Meeting There are also stories of Volunteer service, events planned and “Peace Corps in the News.”

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House Passes Sweeping Peace Corps Legislation

The House of Representatives has just passed the most sweeping Peace Corps legislation in a generation. Washington, D.C. — National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) strongly applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1456). This bill is crucial for the future of the Peace Corps as a new generation of Volunteers returns to service. If it ultimately becomes law, it will be the first full reauthorization of the Peace Corps since 1999. More than 240,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. The bill’s lead author is Representative John Garamendi (D-CA), the sole Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) in Congress; his co-author is Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA), a longtime Peace Corps champion. Their bipartisan leadership in support of the Peace Corps is a powerful testament to the enduring backing of the American people for volunteer service abroad. The strong bipartisan vote today only affirms this backing. NPCA Board of . . .

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A conversation with novelist Mark Jacobs (Paraguay)

Thanks for the “heads up” from Mark D. Walker (Guatemala 1971–73)   Nicholas Litchfield interviewed RPCV Mark Jacobs Lowestoft Chronicle, Issue 51 September, 2022 In spite of a lengthy government career requiring extensive travel and prolonged stays overseas, ever since the 1980s, Mark Jacobs has managed to forge a successful dual occupation as a writer of fiction. His enviable body of work includes critically-acclaimed novels and story collections lauded by illustrious authors and editors like Robert Olen Butler and C. Michael Curtis. For decades, his stories have appeared regularly in dozens of commercial and literary magazines, sometimes featured in leading newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times. In this exclusive interview with Lowestoft Chronicle, Jacobs discusses his publication history, from significant mentors and literary influences to early writing accomplishments and the media frenzy that accompanied one of his short stories. • Lowestoft Chronicle (LC): Over a span of 40+ years, you’ve had . . .

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IS MALIA OBAMA DATING THE SON OF AN ETHIOPIAN RPCV?

On Monday 12 September, Malia Obama, 24, was spotted hanging out with rumored boyfriend Dawit Eklund, 33, in New York City — PageSix reports. This comes a month after the pair were spotted together in Los Angeles. While the pair has not yet confirmed the relationship, and spent most of their stroll with their arms firmly crossed in front of them on Monday before grabbing lunch, they were a bit more touchy-feely last month. Eklund is a DJ, producer and co-founder of the Washington, DC-based record label 1432 R, which focuses on experimental electronic music. The music producer is from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. He was born to an Ethiopian mother — who is an entrepreneur — and an American father, who is a retired employee of the US Peace Corps.  

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