John Coyne – Page 5 – Peace Corps Worldwide

2024 Peace Corps Writers’ Marian Haley Beil Award for Best Book Review to Ben East (Malawi) for IF YOU TURN TO LOOK BACK by Tom Hazuka (Chile)

Aug 25 2024

2024 Peace Corps Writers’ Best Book Review Award is named in honor of Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64), co-founder and publisher since 1989 of the Peace Corps Writers newsletter, website, and book imprint. Following her tour of service, Marian worked for 4 years in the Office of Reports and Special Studies at Peace Corps Headquarters. She founded the Ethiopia & Eritrea RPCV group in 1991, and later co-founded Rochester RPCVs. If You Turn to Look Back: A Memoir and Meditation by Tom Hazuka (Chile 1978-80) Woodhall Press 388 pages September 2023 $19.95 (Paperback); $9.99 (Kindle) If You Turn to Look Back combines memoir with political, social, and economic investiif gations of what it means to be an American and a citizen of the world. American influence is ubiquitous in South America, and If You Turn to Look Back explores these relationships in a personal context. For Tom Hazuka was once part . . .

Review | FROM MOUNTAINS TO MEDICINE by Erica M. Elliott, MD (Ecuador)

Aug 24 2024

Review — From Mountains to Medicine: Scaling the Heights in Search of My Calling Erica M. Elliott, M.D. (Ecuador 1974–76) Lammastide Publishing January 2024 383 pages $19.95 (paperback), $16.99 (Kindle), 1 credit (audiobook– author narrator Reviewed by Sue Hoyt Aiken (Ethiopia 1962-64) . . . This is a remarkable memoir with vivid descriptions that confirmed how happy I , as the reader, was to be safely at home and not dangling from a rope at a very high altitude! It is fair to say her story takes us to the depths of despair, confusion, darkness and up to the highest peaks, exhilaration, pure joy and onward to many life accomplishments. As a Peace Corps Volunteer and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer she takes the life lessons learned while in these roles into a variety of situations. But before the Peace Corps there was a teaching experience with the Navaho in New Mexico, complicated . . .

RPCV REV. Dr. Otis Turner Dies at age 83 (Philippines)

Aug 24 2024

Obituary — LOUISVILLE — The Rev. Dr. Otis Turner, a Presbyterian pastor and scholar who was a longtime advocate for racial and social justice, died Aug. 2 in Jacksonville, Florida. His funeral service is set for noon Eastern Time on Monday at Sardis Missionary Baptist Church in Dawson, Georgia. According to his obituary, Turner was the first Black person to enroll at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, in 1965. Turner was born in Dawson, Georgia, on Sept. 12, 1940, to Plumpton and Edna Turner. He and siblings were raised on the family farm. He grew up and married Gloria Silver, and to that union a son was born. In 2001, he married Patsy Ford and gained two bonus sons. His early education was in a one-room, two-teacher school nestled in woods adjacent to a railroad track and surrounded by large farm plantations. The daily four-mile walk to and from . . .

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY INTERVENTIONS by Thomas Syre Sr. (Ethiopia)

Aug 23 2024

Positive Psychology Interventions for Increasing Well-Being and Happines: A Guided Self-Help by James L. Krag M.D. & Thomas Syre Sr. (Ethiopia 1972-74) February, 2024 208 pages $9.00 (Kindle); $14.00 (Paperback) Positive Psychology Interventions for Well-Being and Happiness focuses on what is strong with us rather than what is wrong with us. This self-help book teaches proven Positive Psychology Interventions that will increase well-being and fulfillment in your life. Historically, psychology and psychiatry have focused on disease and there has been too little study of what makes life worth living and on promoting simple, effective, preventive approaches to well-being. Research has shown that: Well-being and happiness can be defined. Well-being and happiness can be measured. Well-being and happiness can be learned. If you, or someone you care about, would like to learn proven ways to increase well-being and happiness, then this book is for you.

Empowering women and children from Nepal to the Amazon | Lisa Labita Woodson (Nepal)

Aug 22 2024

RPCVs in the news — Lisa Labita Woodson, MPH, PhD Fulbright-Fogarty Fellow: 2022-2023 U.S. institution: University of Arizona Foreign institution: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru Research topic: The effects of COVID-19 on adolescent pregnancy and educational attainment in the Amazon Basin Current affiliation: Editor-In-Chief, Beyond Global Health; Principal investigator in sexual and reproductive health research, Mamas del Río PCV Nepal (2004 evacuated due to civil unrest) Dr. Lisa Labita Woodson’s path to global health research began somewhat by accident. Initially she aspired to be a poet or an ecologist. Her journey took a dramatic turn after she joined the Peace Corps (Nepal 2004). Assigned as a science teacher to Nepal, she witnessed a tragic joint suicide of one of her students and their partner, which was due to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. This experience compelled Woodson to seek mental health consultations and reproductive health education for her students. She . . .

2024 Peace Corps Writers’ Poetry Award Winner

Aug 22 2024

I Am a Fact Not a Fiction: Selected Poems Edward Mycue (Ghana 1961-63) San Francisco poet Edward Mycue was born in Niagara Falls, New York, and raised in Texas. He was a Lowell Fellow at Boston University Graduate School of Public Relations and Communications, a WGBH-TV Boston intern, a Macdowell Colony Fellow, a Peace Corps teacher in Ghana, editor at the Norton Coker Press, and he taught American Literature at the International Peoples College in Elsinore, Denmark. He has had 18 books or chapbooks published. His poems appear in multiple anthologies and journals. I Am a Fact Not a Fiction is a selection of poems culled from three areas of interest: War and Peace, Life / Time Memory, and History. . . . “The precision of Ed Mycue’s dreamscape is laser-sharp and as warm as chocolate. Images rush pell-mell across the page, jumbling and tossing each other aside as one . . .

Peace Corps Director welcomed in Tonga

Aug 21 2024

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 Nuku’alofa, Tonga By Katalina Siasau On a first visit to Tonga and the Pacific, US Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn, from Washington DC, was welcomed by the Peace Corps Tonga staff with a traditional Kava ceremony on Tuesday, at the Peace Corps Office in Nuku’alofa. During her visit this week, Director Spahn will administer the oath of services to 19 new Peace Corps volunteers on Friday. The Peace Corps has been active in the Pacific since the early 1960s, and serving in Tonga for 57 years. There are about 100 Peace Corps volunteers in the Pacific and approximately 30 in Tonga. In an interview before her welcome kava ceremony, Director Spahn said the impact of Covid 19 had been a challenge for Peace Corps operations and services in the region. “The global pandemic impacted every country around the world. It closed off borders and it isolated people from each other. and . . .

2024 Peace Corps Writers Best Children’s Book Award Winner!

Aug 21 2024

The Fly That Flew Off The Handle by Jonathan Foret (Tonga 2004-06) and illustrated by Alexis Braud When you have a story to tell, you’re in the midst of a national pandemic, and you’re Jonathan Foret, you write a book. The original story is beautifully illustrated by Alexis Braud, who is cut-out to be a professional artist, bringing Jonathan’s story to life in the pages of The Fly that Flew Off the Handle. . . . Jonathan, who is the Executive Director of the South Louisiana Wetlands Discovery Center, is proud to present his newly published children’s book, The Fly that Flew Off the Handle. “The story is about a little fly named Lester who often feels angry, but doesn’t quite know why or what to do about it,” explained the author. After a long journey of trying and failing to feel better, Lester meets a little butterfly, Seymour, who helps . . .

Educating for the Future with the Marina Orth Foundation

Aug 20 2024

RPCVs in the news — Today we are thrilled to reveal the selection for this round of global grants – the Marina Orth Foundation The Marina Orth Foundation was established by award-winning journalist and former Peace Corps Volunteer, Maureen Orth (Colombia 1964-66), with a mission to improve the education of children and youth from disadvantaged areas in Colombia. This organization is revolutionizing educational opportunities by integrating technology and innovative teaching methods. By creating technology-focused curriculum for children in underserved communities, the foundation aims to bridge the digital divide and equip students with essential digital skills for future success. In addition to technology, the Marina Orth Foundation emphasizes the importance of English language proficiency and leadership development. It also provides training to help teachers establish effective classroom practices, foster collaborative learning environments, and promote community involvement. Andres nominated the Marina Orth Foundation having previously volunteered with the foundation as a teacher to advance STEM education . . .

Review | Patrick Shea’s PEACE CORPS VICTIM: A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER STORY OF TRAUMA AND BETRAYAL

Aug 19 2024

Peace Corps Victim: A Peace Corps Volunteer Story of Trauma and Betrayal Patrick Shea (Georgia 2016-17 — Medically Separated) Friesen Press 258 pages $21.99 (Paperback); $ 9.99 (Kindle); $35.99 (Hardcover) by Andy Martin (Ethiopia 1965-68) . . . Patrick Shea had a terrible time as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia, and he wants the world to know it. To get his message out, he has self-published a book called, Peace Corps Victim, subtitled, a Peace Corps Volunteer Story of Trauma and Betrayal. In addition, Shea has added the initials RPCV after his name. In the Forward, he excuses the many typos and grammatical errors throughout the book, by stating that he wrote it during the COVID-19 years and that he wanted to have it published as soon as possible because of what he feels is the book’s importance. He has spent thousands of his own . . .

Remembering RPCV Dennis Grubb (Colombia 1961-63)

Aug 18 2024

One of the youngest and first Peace Corps Volunteers, Dennis Grubb began serving in Colombia at age 19 in 1961. He was a sophomore at Penn State when President John F. Kennedy mentioned the idea of a Peace Corps; Grubb left school and became part of the first group of Volunteers. It changed his life. He trained several hundred future Volunteers, and he literally became the Peace Corps poster boy, his face appearing on a flyer displayed in post offices across the U.S. He served as an aide to Sargent Shriver, who esteemed him “one of the first and one of the best” Volunteers. He was a great advocate for Peace Corps on Capitol Hill. Equipped with degrees from the Southern Illinois University School of Law and American University, he went to Tunisia on a Fulbright. His international experience translated to work with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and USAID, introducing reforms . . .

Florida post office named after RPCV Pamela Jane Rock (Guatemala)

Aug 17 2024

RPCV in the news — Mauled Florida mail carrier who died from 5-dog attack to be honored with post office naming A post office in Florida will soon be renamed for a mail carrier who died in 2022 after being viciously mauled by dogs. The Pamela Jane Rock Post Office at 859 North State Road 21 in Melrose will be dedicated on Monday, Aug. 26, the United States Postal Service said in a release. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-District 4, and Rep. Kat Cammack, R-District 3, sponsored a bill to dedicate the facility to her and President Biden signed it into law in May. “Pam had a servant’s heart, and it was obvious in the way she lived her life. While her time on this earth was tragically cut short, she served the U.S. Post Service with passion and integrity,” said Congressman Bean. “I’m looking forward to this special renaming ceremony where we will be able . . .

Alexandra Bell (Jamaica) — Department of State: Senior Policy Director at the Council for a Livable World

Aug 17 2024

RPCVs in the news— Alexandra Bell (@atomicbell) served at the State Department from 2010 to 2017, most recently as senior advisor to the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. She is now the Senior Policy Director at the Council for a Livable World. Before joining the State Department, Bell was the Project Manager at the Ploughshares Fund and a Research Assistant for Nuclear Policy at the Center for American Progress. Bell received a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the New School and a Bachelor’s degree in Peace, War and Defense from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From 2001-2003, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica Bell is a Truman National Security Fellow, a Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations, a 2017 Munich Security Council Young Leader, a member of the Project on Nuclear Issues Mid-Career Cadre . . .

New PCVs to Moldova

Aug 16 2024

PCVs in the news – Twenty Peace Corps Volunteers from the United States have taken the oath to serve Moldovan people. Starting today, they will begin their roles as English teachers, health educators, and consultants in community and development in Moldova. Among those who have taken the oath is Ryan Bell. He lived with the Căpăţină family in Ruseştii Noi for 10 weeks. Today, the Căpăţină family was present to support him. “We considered him our third son. He is kind, helpful when needed, and tolerant. After he left early this morning, my husband and I felt a void. It feels empty without Ryan; the atmosphere is not the same,” said Domnica Căpățină. “We want to assist the people of Moldova. I appreciate your culture and the hills. I am very excited; it is a significant moment,” declared Ryan Bell, a Peace Corps volunteer. The Darii family from . . .

RPCV Dr. Autumn Beavers–Fulbright Scholar–To Tanzania

Aug 16 2024

Dr. Autumn Beavers is a surgical resident at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and heading to Tanzania as a Fulbright Scholar. Sometimes the road to success comes with detours. That’s what Dr. Autumn Beavers discovered after taking a long break between college and medical school. The demands of medical school are well known, and Beavers said she is so busy she’d nearly forgotten about her application for the prestigious scholarship program. “I had just arrived home from a long day at work. And I opened my email and it said you’ve been awarded the Fulbright,” she said. “And I was like, oh yes, I remember I applied for this. It was very exciting.” Fulbright scholars get the opportunity to study, teach, and do research in other countries. While in Tanzania, she will be working at a local hospital, continuing research started by a fellow University of Alabama at Birmingham . . .

Author - John Coyne