Archive - October 2023

In the early days of the Peace Corps, President Kennedy greeted the first Peace Corps Trainees on the White House lawn and even invited the first Volunteers to Colombia into the White House. Then on  June 20, 1962, when Kennedy was welcoming to Washington Summer College Interns — not PCVs — he delivered this short story about a PCV serving in Chile. Recently I heard a story of a young Peace Corpsman named Tom Scanlon, who is working in Chile. He works in a village about forty miles from an Indian village which prides itself on being Communist. The village is up a long, winding road which Scanlon has taken on many occasions to see the chief. Each time the chief avoided seeing him. Finally he saw him and said, “You are not going to talk us out of being Communists.” Scanlon said, “I am not trying to do that, . . .

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors October 2023 Here is our new list of RPCV & staff authors we know of who have published two or more books of any type. Currently—in October 2023–the count is 513. If you know of someone who has and their name is not on this list, then please email: jcoyneone@gmail.com. We know we don’t have all such writers who have served over these past 62 years. Thank you.’ Jerome R. Adams (Colombia 1963–65) Tom Adams (Togo 1974-76) Thomas “Taj” Ainlay, Jr. (Malaysia 1973–75) Elizabeth (Letts) Alalou (Morocco 1983–86) Jane Albritton (India 1967-69) Robert Albritton (Ethiopia 1963-65) Usha Alexander (Vanuatu 1996–97) James G. Alinder (Somalia 1964-66) Richard Alleman (Morocco 1968-70) Hayward Allen (Ethiopia 1962-64) Diane Demuth Allensworth (Panama 1964–66) Paul E. Allaire (Ethiopia 1964–66) Jack Allison (Malawi 1967-69) Allman (Nepal 1966-68) Nancy Amidei (Nigeria 1964–65) Gary Amo (Malawi 1962–64) David C. Anderson (Costa Rica 1964-66) . . .

U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, William W. Popp Swears-in 24 Peace Corps Volunteers. U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, William W. Popp Swears-in 24 Peace Corps Volunteers.     Yesterday, Ambassador William W. Popp presided over the swearing-in ceremony of twenty-four Peace Corps Volunteers in Uganda, marking the commencement of their two-year service journey in communities throughout Uganda. Established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, the U.S. Peace Corps is dedicated to promoting global peace and international friendship through service. In Uganda, Volunteers collaborate with host counterparts in the Education, Health, and Agribusiness/Economic Development sectors. The Swearing-in Ceremony held particular significance as the second cohort since the global evacuation of Volunteers in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. The event brought together distinguished guests, community members, host families, and institutional partners. The Volunteers contributions align with Uganda’s development goals, addressing education, health, sustainable agriculture, and economic development. The Peace Corps fosters cross-cultural . . .

  Hitchcock’s Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director’s Dark Obsession by Lawrence Leamer (Nepal 1965-67) G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publisher October 10, 2023 336 pages $5.95 (Audiobook); $14.99 (Kindle); $29.00 (Hardcover)   Laurence Leamer (Nepal 1965-67) shares an engrossing account of the enigmatic director Alfred Hitchcock that finally puts the dazzling actresses he cast in his legendary movies at the center of the story. Alfred Hitchcock was fixated — not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of North by Northwest, Rear Window, and other classic films didn’t much care if they wore wigs, got their hair coloring out of a bottle, or were the rarest human specimen — a natural blonde — as long as they shone with a golden veneer on camera. The lengths he went to in order . . .

New roots planted for Peace Corps Tribute Garden Tyler Weatherwax, Staff Reporter The Rocky Mountain Collegian October 9, 2023 Since the return to school, many students have walked past a new project being carefully crafted just outside one of Colorado State University’s most traveled areas. The Lory Student Center will soon have new flora, creating a peaceful space to pass through or study. The circular path that leads around the new Peace Corps Tribute Garden takes visitors past a few different signs that explain the history and mission of the Peace Corps. Several large stones have been laid out to sit and admire the scenery of CSU’s campus and the garden itself. According to the CSU Peace Corps Garden Tribute website, the purpose is “to celebrate CSU’s early and ongoing involvement with the foundation of the Peace Corps.” We want people 80 years from now to remember this history and take pride . . .

Eight RPCVs–Ethiopia. Uzbekistan. El Salvador. Morocco. The Philippines. Cameroon. Nepal.–traveled a long way to participate in the second Peace Corps Writers’ Retreat October 5-8 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland—at least as measured by the distances between their countries of services and the Chesapeake Bay. Whatever their actual commutes—one participant came from as far as central Florida—they said the trip was well worth it. Working with RPCV Mark Brazaitis (Guatemala 1991-93), the author of eight books, including the Iowa Short Fiction Award-winning The River of Lost Voices: Stories from Guatemala, the eight participants shared their creative work in a pair of two-and-a-half hour workshop sessions, participated in two craft talks about effective storytelling, wrote pieces in response to writing prompts, and learned how and where to publish their work. A reading by the participants capped off the four-day retreat. “As someone who completed her service in 2015, it was a . . .