John Coyne – Page 28 – Peace Corps Worldwide

US Ambassador-Designate, RPCV Mark Toner (Liberia)

Oct 23 2023

In the news— US Ambassador-Designate to Fight Corruption, Lawlessness, in Liberia Front Page Africa – 10/23/2023 The newly nominated U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Mark Toner, has said that the George Weah government has recognition for corruption and lawlessness and that he will do all in his power to fight against these vices during his assignment here. Addressing the U.S. Congressional Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Friday, October 20, Toner said progress made in Liberia since the end of the war in 2003 has been eroded by corruption and lawlessness in the current administration. “The United States is the largest bilateral donor to Liberia, with more than US$5 billion in bilateral assistance since 2003. That assistance has paid concrete dividends in the economic, education, security, and public health sectors,” Toner told the committee. “But that progress has also been heavily eroded by growing lawlessness and corruption within the present administration.” If . . .

First-Ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award

Oct 22 2023

Peace Corps Worldwide’s Marian Haley Beil and John Coyne Honored with first-ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award Since 1989, Peace Corps Worldwide and the Peace Corps Writers Imprint have supported the writings of the Peace Corps community to promote international understanding—the essence of the Third Goal. The longevity and reach of the work by Marian Haley Beil, publisher, and John Coyne, editor, prompted NPCA to recognize their impact with the first-ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at this year’s Peace Corps Connect on September 9, 2023. For nearly 35 years, Marian and John, both “Ethie One,” have worked to “bring the world back home” by shining a light on PCV and RPCV writers: publishing, reviewing, and promoting their books, essays, poetry, and stories. John researches, compiles, and often writes, material on their website. Marian design sites, edits articles, and maintains databases including one with . . .

NPCA OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Oct 21 2023

OCTOBER 12, 2023 The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is pleased to announce the Friends of Liberia (FOL) as the winner of the 2023 Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service. NPCA members selected FOL for this year’s prestigious award, recognizing the group’s publication of Never the Same Again: Life, Service, and Friendship in Liberia. Chief editor, Susan Greisen (Liberia 1971-73) & (Tonga 1973-74) and co-editors, Susan Corbett (Liberia 1976-79) and Karen E. Lange (Liberia 1984-86) collaborated with more than 100 people across seven time zones via Zoom, email, text, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and phone to realize their final publication in less than two years – all during the COVID pandemic. The proceeds from this powerful anthology benefit educational, social, health, economic, and humanitarian programs in Liberia. WATCH our 5-minute Friends of Liberia Ruppe project video to learn about these programs and why we won. Here is Susan Greisen with his Excellency George S.W. . . .

Playwright Tom David Barna (Burkina Faso)

Oct 18 2023

The Minnesota Playwright Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania-USA, Tom David Barna is a graduate of Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico-USA. A a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso (1979-80) and a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia. Tom’s father, Thomas Barna was the first family member born in the United States and buried at Arlington National Cemetery having served in the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. Tom David Barna, playwright, has penned more than forty-two full length plays, forty-nine short plays, co-author for a 13-part radio series and author of four children’s books (Cantata Publishing) and several eBooks (Rakuten Kobo Publishing). He has been commissioned for projects as varied as episodic radio and children’s musicals and recently collaborated on a new full-length musical with Melody Bay Productions/Publisher, a . . .

Tribute to John F. Kennedy by Tom Scanlon (Chile 1961-63)

Oct 17 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, . . .

ENERGETIC HERBALISM by Kat Maier (Chile)

Oct 16 2023

Energetic Herbalism by Kat Maier (Chile 1978-79) Chelsea Green Publishing November 2021 392 pages $18.99 (Kindle); $22.49 (Paperback) In this indispensable new resource both for the home apothecary and clinical practitioners, a celebrated herbalist brings alive the elemental relationships among traditional healing practices, ecological stewardship, and essential plant medicines. By honoring ancient wisdom and presenting it in an innovative way, Energetic Herbalism is a profound and practical guide to family and community care for those seeking to move beyond symptom relief and into a truly holistic framework of health. Throughout, author Kat Maier invites readers to explore their personal relationships with plants and their environs as they discover diverse models of healing. Inside Energetic Herbalism The elements and patterns of Ayurvedic doshas for greater self-awareness as well as positive lifestyle choices. A deep appreciation of the wisdom of indigenous peoples, which is the foundation of sacred plant traditions. The relationship of well-being . . .

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors (October 2023)

Oct 16 2023

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) . . .

SOCRATES IN SICHUAN by Peter Vernezze (China)

Oct 15 2023

Socrates in Sichuan: Chinese Students Search for Truth, Justice, and the (Chinese) Way Peter J. Vernezze (China 2006-08) Potomac Books April 2011 212 pages $10.01 (Kindle); $9.49 (Hardback) When Peter J. Vernezze took a leave of absence from his position as a philosophy professor to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China, he supplemented his main task―teaching English―with leading a weekly philosophical discussion group with Chinese undergraduate and graduate students at Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu. In each session the students debated topics as diverse as the status of truth, the meaning of life, the reality of fate, the definition of sanity, the necessity of religion, and the value of romantic love. Each of the twenty-five chapters of Socrates in Sichuan focuses on the topic of one evening’s discussion, which was always in the form of a question: How are ancient conceptions of virtue holding up in . . .

Steven Rosenthal (Turkey) | Yale Graduate Sells Rugs in New Haven

Oct 14 2023

In the news — The Kilim Company by Hudson Warm, Yale Daily News Outside a hidden storefront on York Street sits a table, piled with rugs. You’ve probably seen it on your way to the Humanities Quadrangle or Toad’s. Perhaps you linger for a moment as your gaze sets on the centrally displayed Yale bulldog rug, and you continue on your way. These rugs, however, are not merely furnishings; they course with stories and history, and the man behind this operation has a long-standing, rich connection with Yale and the rug trade.Store owner, historian and Yale graduate Steven Rosenthal ’68 welcomed me into The Kilim Company and led me down narrow wooden stairs into a basement that bursted with color, symmetry and style. Hanging and lying, draped and folded — rugs covered every corner of their room, and their palettes ranged from deep maroons and browns to vibrant . . .

New PCVs in Uganda

Oct 13 2023

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 . . .

Review — “LOOK HERE, SIR, WHAT A CURIOUS BIRD” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia)

Oct 13 2023

“Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird” by Paul Spencer Sochaczewski (Malaysia 1969-71) Explorer’s Eye Press 289 pages July 2023 $17.95 (Paperback) Reviewed by Ed Putka (Malaysia 1969-72) By the time most people graduate from college, they mostly have an idea of a career. For me, the plan was Peace Corps, a little travel, a little diary, then back home to law school and a career in the law. Others let the road shape their careers. And so it seems with Paul Sochaczewski, a prolific writer and intrepid adventurer. After finishing college in 1969, Sochaczewski joined me and 125 other volunteers in Malaysia Group XXIV. Southeast Asia was in full conflict, but our destination, Sarawak, was an exotic and relatively quiet place. Sochaczewski fell for it, becoming immediately fascinated with not only the culture, but the sounds and smells, the spirits and the shamans, the flora and fauna of . . .

PCVs To Moldova

Oct 12 2023

A new group of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers is coming to Moldova for two years. According to the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in the USA, this group is the first after a three-year break due to the pandemic. After a training course in Moldova, the 19 volunteers will go to the localities of the country that submitted requests to participate in the program. They will serve as either educational volunteers in schools, community development volunteers, or health education volunteers in schools/organizations. Many of the former Peace Corps volunteers who served in Moldova, upon returning to the US obtained important positions in public and non-governmental offices. Currently, Peace Corps Moldova is celebrating its 30th year of service in our country.

Jody Olsen (Tunisia) speaks at University of Mary Washington

Oct 11 2023

In the news Former Peace Corps Director Encourages Service for UMW Education Students by Lisa Chinn, UMW Voice October 10, 2023 When she arrived in Tunisia to teach English to a roomful of teenagers, former Peace Corps director Jody Olsen, then in her 20s, worried she’d made a mistake. “My first thought was to head for the door,” she said of the 1966 experience that ended up charting her course. Instead, “I said, ‘Good morning, I’m Mrs. Olsen,’ and my life began.” She shared her longtime relationship with service last week with students at the University of Mary Washington’s College of Education (COE) in Seacobeck Hall. Plucking tales from her lengthy career, including her time as Peace Corps director amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she wove a theme. International experiences — especially teaching abroad with the Peace Corps — can build the foundation for richer careers in the classroom. That’s . . .

HITCHCOCK’S BLONDS by Lawrence Leamer (Nepal)

Oct 10 2023

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 . . .

Peace Corps Tribute Garden at Colorado State University

Oct 10 2023

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 . . .

Author - John Coyne