Archive - September 25, 2023

  The WOW Factor: Words of Wisdom from Wise Older Women By Bonnie Lee Black (Gabon 1996-98) At the beginning of each new semester when I taught English 101 at UNM in Taos, New Mexico, I would draw a huge circle on the front board, while the semicircle of first-year students sat and stared. “This is the world,” I’d say, patting the circle. “And these . . . ” I quickly marked the circle with lots of short, horizontal dashes “— are problems in the world. As I see it, our job as individuals – our personal purpose – is to seek out one of those little negatives and turn it into a positive, using all the intelligence, talents, heart and soul we’ve been given.” I scanned the room to read the students’ reactions. Their faces looked blank —what we used to call “subway faces” in New York — registering . . .

Marian Haley Beil, publisher and John Coyne, editor – both Ethiopia PCVs 1962-64 Together we are currently responsible for the blog Peace Corps Worldwide and the Peace Corps Writers Imprint. Our efforts are at the heart of the Third Goal of the Peace Corps — to “bring the world back home.” We support the writings of RPCVs and PCVs in a positive way to educate Americans about the world and share with all who have a desire for international understanding. Since 1989 John and Marian have been publishing about the many PCVs and RPCV writers. We have promoted their books, essays, poetry and stories; we have interviewed them; announced their new book publications; reviewed their books; published their books, and made it easy for our readers to obtain their books. John is the schmoozer/editor/writer who gathers, and many times writes, the material; and Marian, the publisher, edits, designs, and distributes. In . . .