John Coyne – Page 35 – Peace Corps Worldwide

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers‘ Publisher’s Special Staff Award

Jul 25 2023

Back to the Future in Bandipur Chin Kumar Shrestha’ (Staff/Nepal) translated by Mike Gill (Nepal 1967-70) English version edited by John Comings (Nepal 1969-72) This autobiography by a Nepali provides all RPCVs a window into the impact they had on the people who trained them, worked with them and were their friends. “I really enjoyed reading From Bandipur and Back (Ghumiphiri Bandipur), by my old friend Chij Kumar Shrestha, and happy to be included in the English translation. There is a special reason for my pleasure. Chij and I are almost the same age and have had many of the same experiences. This book presents the story of how a young man educated in a village school overcame countless obstacles as a result of his diligence, hard work, and honesty, rising to a position of great public success in a city like Kathmandu. At the same time, this book . . .

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

Jul 25 2023

“Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird”: Searching for Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s Faithful Companion by Paul Sochaczewski (Malaysia 1969-71) Explorer’s Eye Press 289 pages July 2023 $8.95 (Kindle); $17.95 (Paperback) Bestselling author Paul Sochaczewski’s highly acclaimed nonfiction books of personal travel include the five-volume Curious Encounters of the Human Kind series, An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen, Soul of the Tiger (with Jeff McNeely), and Searching for Ganesha. Gary Braver, bestselling author of Tunnel Vision, said Paul’s work is “in the great tradition of Asian reporting. The humanity of Somerset Maugham, the adventure of Joseph Conrad, the perception of Paul Theroux, and a self-effacing voice uniquely his own.” Paul’s handbook for people who want to write their personal stories, Share Your Journey, is based on the personal writing workshops he runs in more than 20 countries. Redheads and EarthLove are his eco-thrillers, . . .

Joel Rubin (Costa Rica) to run for Congress in Maryland

Jul 24 2023

RPCVs in the news — July 24, 2023 WASHINGTON (JTA) — Joel Rubin, who has had leading roles at a number of Jewish organizations, is entering a crowded Democratic congressional race in a Maryland district that stretches from Washington’s suburbs to the Pennsylvania border. The race in Maryland’s competitive 6th District is uncharted waters for Rubin, a Jewish progressive. Redistricting after the 2020 census drained the district of much of its Jewish population and stretched its boundaries into the conservative redoubts of the otherwise deep blue state. Rubin, a national security consultant who launched his campaign on Monday, said he would bring into play his hands-on experience as the deputy mayor of Chevy Chase, a D.C. suburb, and his roots in Pittsburgh, which lies about 90 minutes north of the western part of the district. “It’s just a matter of transportation, housing, public safety and security, questions about economic . . .

CHILD OF THE 1960s: A Day in the Life by Craig J. Carrozzi (Colombia)

Jul 24 2023

Child of the 1960s: A Day in the Life by Craig J. Carrozzi (Colombia 1978-80) Independently Published, July 2023 Young Adult 268 pages $22.00 (Paperback) Child of the 1960s: A Day in the Life, is Craig J. Carrozzi’s seventh complete work. It is a memoir of a coming-of-age adolescent growing up in San Francisco’s Mission District in the tumultuous 1960s. The author/narrator experiences both personally and through the mass media the Kennedy assassination, the end of the beatnik era, the beginning of the hippie era, abusive nuns at Catholic school, gang fights, Hell’s Angels and Gypsy Joker bikers, race riots, the damaging effects of drugs, the flight of blue-collar jobs and people out of the city, and other epic events of the times along with an overview of the cultural zeitgeist of the decade. It also features a good look at the local professional sport teams of the . . .

Herman DeBose (Kenya) in new book BEYOND THE SHORES

Jul 23 2023

In Sunday, July 23, 2023 The New York Times Book Review section there is a review of Beyond the Shores, A History of African Americans Abroad by Tamara J. Walker. Each of the book’s eight chapters focuses on the stories of one or two notable individuals. One of those chapters focuses on RPCV Herman DeBose who was a PCV in Kenya from 1969-72 and later a recruiter as well as a board member of the NPCA. From 1985-87, he was an Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) who oversaw approximately 125 Peace Corps Volunteers in Kenya’s Western Province. DeBose is a graduate of North Carolina A & T State University and has a masters in social work from the University of Southern California. His Ph.D. is in Social Welfare from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is married to Maureen O’Malley who was also a Kenya RPCV. They . . .

Peace Corps Volunteers arrive in Sierra Leone

Jul 23 2023

The delegation was received and welcomed by their Deputy Chief of Mission in the country, Ambassador Reimer disclosed that the volunteers will focus on improving education and health systems in the country as they will be working directly with the people of Sierra Leone to achieve the broader goal of a sustainable health and educational transformation.

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers Award for Best Peace Corps Memoir

Jul 22 2023

Turquoise: Three Years in Ghana A Peace Corps Memoir by Lawrence Grobel Ghana (1968-71) • In 1968, Larry Grobel did the party-hardy at the Aboakyere festival in Ghana, a “crazy, wild stoned-out freaky affair! People filling the streets like army ants around a carcass. No space left uncovered, dancing, drumming, singing and chanting, laughing and shouting, moving, jumping, throwing flags, waving swords, guzzling beer, pito, palm wine and akpeteshe, chewing kola nuts, smoking wee,’ celebrating the way a festival should be celebrated: up high and out of sight!” Grobel, then twenty-one, thought he was going to Guyana as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He misread; he was sent to Ghana. The names started with ‘G’ and ended in ‘ana’. One was in South America, the other in West Africa. Didn’t matter, as long as it wasn’t Vietnam, as he explains in his most recent memoir, Turquoise. He opposed the Vietnam War. Turquoise is a panoply of vignettes . . .

“How to Write a Memoir” by Bonnie Black (Gabon 1996-98)

Jul 21 2023

If I were still teaching Creative Nonfiction Writing at the University of New Mexico in Taos, I would assign this book to my students to read and study carefully, because I think it’s an excellent example of contemporary memoir writing done well. Some people, I’ve found, confuse memoirs with autobiographies. To clarify: Autobiographies are stories of a life – written by (or ghost-written for) famous people who have a built-in following. Their fans have a deep-seated curiosity: How in the world did she (or he) become so famous? So they’re willing to follow that person’s story from cradle to however close to the grave this celeb might now be — all the ups and downs of that person’s life that led to their enviable fame. Memoirs, on the other hand, are stories from a life. Not the whole life story, but rather the life-changing part or parts, drawn from the life of a regular, ordinary . . .

THE SHOWGIRL AND THE WRITER by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador)

Jul 21 2023

The Showgirl and the Writer: A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65) Peace Corps Writers 488 pages July 2023 $16.95 (Paperback) The Showgirl and the Writer, A Friendship Forged in the Aftermath of the Japanese American Incarceration, by Marnie Mueller, is a hybrid memoir/biography. It encompasses Mueller’s own story, beginning at her birth to Caucasian parents in the Tule Lake Japanese American High Security Camp in Northern California, and tells the tale of her long friendship with Mary Mon Toy, a Nisei performer who was incarcerated in the Minidoka Japanese American Camp in Idaho during WWII. The two met by chance in 1994. By then Mueller was a published author and Mary Mon Toy by necessity of old age, had retired from an unusually successful career on stage and television, for an Asian American actor of her time. After Ms. . . .

I Shall Not Want | by Andrea Elise (South Korea)

Jul 20 2023

I Shall Not Want Poems Andrea Elise (South Korea ) Create Space Publishing February 2015 46 pages $6.95 (Paperback) This is a collection of poems that express love, friendship, regret, loss, gratitude, vanity. It also includes a number of haikus and an essay about one day in the life of a young woman’s 2-year stint in the Peace Corps in South Korea in the late 1970’s. Andrea Elise was born in Sopron, Hungary and immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1956. She grew up in Amarillo, and attended Amarillo College before transferring to Duke University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She spent two years in the Peace Corps in South Korea, then obtained a Master’s degree in Counseling from West Texas A&M University. Her interests include writing essays and poetry, partner dancing (East Coast swing or jitterbug), playing mandolin, hiking, working out and . . .

Dan Link: Naked and Afraid! (Nicaragua)

Jul 20 2023

Dan Link is a graduate of Webster Thomas High School, class of 2008. After completing his high school education, he pursued further studies at Monroe Community College in 2012. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, showcasing his dedication and passion for the field. As a participant in the reality TV show “Naked and Afraid XL,” Dan Link displayed his survival expertise and skills in various challenging environments. His impressive background in marine biology and adventurous spirit added a unique and captivating dimension to his appearance on the show, earning him recognition and admiration from viewers. While he may not have a prominent online presence, Dan Link’s notable achievements and survival prowess continue to leave a lasting impact on those who follow his remarkable journey. Dan Link, a contestant on “Naked and Afraid XL,” boasts an impressive background as a . . .

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers’ Award for Best Travel Book

Jul 19 2023

My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road: Part of the Yin and Yang of Travel Series Mark D. Walker (Guatemala 1971–73) This book is part of the author’s “Yin and Yang of Travel” series of ten essays, which was inspired by Paul Theroux’s (Malawi 1963–65) The Tao of Travel: Enlightenments from Lives on the Road Mr. Walker has spent over 50 years traveling in many countries around the world, first as a Peace Corps volunteer, and later as a professional fund raiser for various nonprofit organizations or NGOs. The book is an easy read. Walker writes in a conversational style, and it is only 63 pages. It is primarily a journal of his travels alone, with his family, and leading trips for donors to NGOs he worked for. His travel has been mostly off the beaten path rather than to popular tourist destinations. It is apparent he has learned . . .

Terrance Stevenson New Head of Sea.citi (Armenia)

Jul 19 2023

The new RPCCV leader of Sea.citi, a nonprofit that aims to engage Seattle tech workers with civic life Terrance Stevenson (Armenia 2012-14 & PC Staff 2015-19) is bringing his passion for peace-building, community development, and innovation to the Seattle tech industry. Stevenson this week was named director of Sea.citi, a nonprofit that launched in 2018 and aims to help tech workers engage with civic issues. It focuses on issues such as housing affordability, climate change, transportation infrastructure and digital equity. How did you end up landing this gig? Terrance Stevenson: I began my career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia. Living and working in this beautiful, conflict-affected country — where I had to learn a new language and culture as a starting point for community service — sparked my passion for peacebuilding, community development, and innovation. I’ve been blessed to find career opportunities that bridge these passions and a city (Seattle) that . . .

“The Bed on the Roof” by Bonnie Black (Gabon)

Jul 18 2023

(The following story is excerpted from the Mali memoir of Bonnie Black, How To Make An African Quilt: The Story of the Patchwork Project of Segon, Mali) By Bonnie Black (Gabon 1996-98) • One afternoon, on the way homefrom teaching a [patchwork quilting] class at Centre Benkady, I stopped at a metalworker’s atelier to ask whether he might make an iron ladder for me that could be attached securely to the front terrace of my house, allowing me to have access to the flat roof. The man, Mr. Dao, agreed, and within a few weeks the sturdy, narrow ladder was installed. Then, as if heaven-sent one Monday morning I saw on my way to the centreville marché, but not yet far from my home, a Malian family from an outlying village conveying on their donkey cart a new, hand-made traditional bed frame made of smooth sticks tied with cowhide . . .

2023 Winner of Peace Corps Writers’ Award for Best Poetry Book

Jul 17 2023

Ten Years A Poet Philip Fretz (Sierra Leone 1967–69) I have written poems and short stories since I can remember, years before word processing freed me from the perils of my illegible handwriting. Subsequent to retiring, I discovered first the Osher Life Long Learning program in Lewes, Delaware, and then the Renaissance Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Both of these programs offered many opportunities to practice writing in many subject areas with encouragement from classmates and instructors. The selection of poems in this volume represent many that were spawned by participation in these programs. I’ve been awakened to notice the people I see in ordinary settings and events that occur in everyday life. They arouse my inspiration to record what I see and hear and translate those ideas into poetry and prose. Philip Fretz has lived in Philadelphia, southern Delaware, and in Baltimore, MD. He has been an active . . .

Author - John Coyne