Peace Corps Writers’ Award for Best Book of Poetry
Awards are presented to books published during the previous year.
To purchase any of these books from Amazon.com, click on the book cover or the bold book title, and Peace Corps Worldwide — an Amazon Associate — will receive a small remittance that will help support these annual writers awards.
The winners of the Best Book of Poetry Award are —
2020
Strange Beauty of the World: Poems
Bill Preston (Thailand 1977–80)
2019
Nature’s Poetry
Elton Katter (Ethiopia 1962–64)
2018
Nuns, Nam & Henna: A Memoir In Poetry And Prose
Larry Berube (Morocco 1977–79)
2017
An Ecology of Elsewhere: Poems
Sandra L. Meek (Botswana 1989–91)
2016
Bartram’s Garden
Eleanor Stanford (Cape Verde 1998–2000)
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2015
The Consolations
John W. Evans (Bangladesh 1999–2001)
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2014
Strange Borderlands
Ben Berman (Zimbabwe 1998–2000)
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2013
The Land of Four Rivers:
My Experience as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia (2006–08)
Matthew A. Hamilton (Armenia 2006–08, Philippines 2008–10)
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2012
Lake: and Other Poems of Love in a Foreign Land
Jeff Fearnside (Kazakhstan 2002–04)
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2011
Weavings
Mary Ellen Branan (Poland 1994–96)
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2010
The Mind Dancing
Tony Zurlo (Nigeria 1964–66)
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2009
The Book of Sleep
Eleanor Stanford (Cape Verde 1998–2000)
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2008
What Kills What Kills Us
Kurt S. Olsson (Kyrgyzstan 1996–98)
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2007
Wild Women with Tender Hearts
Patricia Taylor Edmisten (Peru 1962–64)
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2006
San Miguel De Allende
Andrew Oerke (staff: Tanzania, Uganda, CD/Malawi, CD/Jamaica 1966–71)
African Stiltdancer
Andrew Oerke (staff: Tanzania, Uganda, CD/Malawi, CD/Jamaica 1966–71))o
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2005
The Way They Say Yes Here
Jacqueline Lyons (Lesotho 1992–95)
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2004
Gilbert & Garbo In Love: A Romance in Poems
Christopher Conlon (Botswana 1988–90)
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2003
Nomadic Foundations
Sandra L. Meek (Botswana 1989–91)
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2002
I Want This World
Margaret C. Szumowski (Zaire 1973–74, Ethiopia 1974–75)
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2001
The Cartographer’s Tongue: Poems of the World
Susan Rich (Niger 1984–86)
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2000
The Deathbed Playboy
Philip Dacey (Nigeria 1964–66)
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1998
Moments Between Cities
John Flynn (Republic of Moldova 1993–95)
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1997
Easter Vigil
Ann Neelon (Senegal 1978–79)