Author - John Coyne

  An intimate and revelatory account of two generations of students in China’s heartland, by an author who has observed the country’s tumultuous changes over the past quarter century More than two decades after teaching English during the early part of China’s economic boom, Peter Hessler, an experience chronicler in his book River Town, returned to Sichuan Province to instruct students from the next generation. At the same time, Hessler and his wife enrolled their twin daughters in a local state-run elementary school, where they were the only Westerners. Over the years, Hessler had kept in close contact with many of the people he had taught in the 1990s, and by reconnecting with these individuals —members of China’s “Reform generation,” who were now in their forties — were teaching current undergrads,  and Hessler gained from them a unique perspective on China’s incredible transformation. In 1996, when Hessler arrived in China, . . .

Mark your calendars for an April 11, 2024 at 7:00pm(et) set for a virtual program: In Conversation with Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65). Marnie’s new book is a stunning story, a combined memoir and biography (maybe a new genre?) about her own life and a life-changing friendship. The book, The Showgirl and the Writer: A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration, tells the remarkable true story of two women, one white and one Asian, who forged a deep friendship based on the secrets they carried. Marnie Mueller, a Caucasian, was born in a Japanese incarceration camp during World War II, because her parents had moved there to help make life more tolerable for the internees. Later, when the family moved to New England, Marnie was scarred by anti-Semitism and learned not to reveal her religion and her birth in the internment camp. Which of these experiences defined Marnie? It . . .

Peace Corps Pushes Expanded Overseas Voting Fred Lucas / @FredLucasWH / March 25, 2024 The Peace Corps says it will comply with President Joe Biden’s order for federal agencies to help get out the vote by boosting voting overseas in U.S. elections. Pictured: A Peace Corps contingency marches last June 25 during the 53rd annual San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration in San Francisco. (Photo: Miikka Skaffari/WireImage/Getty Images) FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—To comply with an executive order from President Joe Biden, the Peace Corps pushed to make its headquarters a voter registration center, upped efforts to register U.S. citizens abroad, and moved to supply multilingual voter registration forms.  The Peace Corps, a federal agency, assigns volunteers to provide services and meet needs in over 60 countries. The agency released its plan to implement Biden’s order late last week in response to a request by The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project under the Freedom of . . .

A Conversation about The Call with Jamie Price & Judith Guskin     Join author Jamie Price and Judith Guskin in a dialogue followed by Q&A The Call looks at the role of the spirit in the life and work of one of the most accomplished American peacebuilders of the 20th twentieth century, Robert Sargent Shriver (1915-2011), founder of the Peace Corps and architect of the War on Poverty. Author Jamie Price knew Shriver personally and served as the Founding Director of several programs dedicated to understanding and advancing Shriver’s approach. On Monday, March 25 at 12:00 PM ET, we’re joining forces with Insight Collaborations International  for a conversation about SSPI Founding Director Jamie Price‘s latest book, The Call: The Spiritual Realism of Sargent Shriver. Try clicking https://icischedule.as.me/schedule/5ea46a71 Judith Guskin (Thailand 1961-64) Judith Guskin holds an MA in Comparative Literature and a PhD in Educational Psychology with a focus on history, anthropology, linguistics, and cultural . . .

How I Got Here: Shari Cohen Explores the World Through Seal & Scribe By Karen Dybis | March 20, 2024 Thanks to jet lag and a lifelong affection for antiques, Shari Cohen (Botswana 1987-89) made her way from a fine arts and consulting career that took her around the world into her own fine jewelry brand that turns intaglio seals into one-of-a-kind pieces. Cohen, who founded Seal & Scribe in 2016, says her foundation in art, photography, and storytelling helped her develop a thriving business. Her family, who also are jewelry lovers, also were significant influences on her interest in restoring and marketing heirlooms for another generation of owners. Her parents had an apparel business that frequently took them from their home in northwest New Jersey into New York City and on business trips to Asia. “My mother always had custom jewelry made when she was in Hong Kong,” says Cohen. “Sometimes we would put . . .