Peace Corps writers

YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN Shelton Johnson prominently featured in the Ken Burns documentary film on our National Parks. What you might not have known is that Shelton Johnson served with the Peace Corps in Liberia in 1982–83, and that he is the author of Gloryland, a novel that is quietly gaining a lot of attention. Dick Joyce (Philippines 1962–64) who coordinates the RPCV group in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and is a former graduate school classmate of mine, brought it to my attention. The novel was published by Sierra Club Books in 2009 and we’ll be reviewing it shortly on our site. Shelton Johnson is from Detroit, Michigan and has worked for the National Park Service since 1987. Currently he is a ranger in Yosemite, and lives with his wife and son just outside the Park. He has presented his original living-history program about a buffalo soldier as venues around the country. Shelton is also a helluva writer. . . .

Books about the Peace Corps and your experiences will be included in a permanent Peace Corps Collection of the Library of Congress and displayed at the Library on the September weekend celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the agency. To have your book included in the collection (whether you will be attending the luncheon or not) please send a copy before July 1, 2011, to the Washington, D.C. Congressional Office of U.S. Representative John Garamendi. Mark the envelope Peace Corps Collection and address it to: Ms. Mayra Chavez Executive Assistant 228 Cannon HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 ALSO — please send a note to Marian Haley Beil (marian@haleybeil.com)  that you have sent your book to Ms. Chavez so that Peace Corps Worldwide can have a complete listing of the books in the Collection.

A Peace Corps Writers Luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 22, in the Library of Congress to celebrate the establishment of the Peace Corps Collection at the Library. The luncheon guests will include Peace Corps writers who have published books about their Peace Corps experience, and invited friends of our newsletter and websites who have supported us over the years. Because seating is limited, reservations must be made. Writers whose books qualify to be included in the Library of Congress Peace Corps Collection (click here for details) should contact Marian Haley Beil to R.S.V.P. no later than July 1, 2011 (or until the dining room reaches its capacity, whatever comes first). She will prepare a listing of those attending that will be posted at Peace Corps Worldwide>Peace Corps Writers. To make a reservation, writers should email Marian at marian@haleybeil.com with the following information — I will be attending the Peace . . .

DURING THE WEEKEND CELEBRATION of Peace Corps’ 50th Anniversary, September 22-25, the Library of Congress will honor Peace Corps writers – both Volunteers and staff – who have published books about their Peace Corps experience with a display of their books of poetry, fiction, memoirs, and photography. Each book (whether academic, commercial or self-published but must have an ISBN number) will then become part of a new permanent Peace Corps Collection of the Library of Congress. In addition, the Library will establish a link from their web site to the Bibliography of Peace Corps Writers created by Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64), publisher of Peace Corps Worldwide. To celebrate this special occasion, a luncheon will be held on Thursday, September 22, in the Library hosted by Congressman John Garamendi (Ethiopia 1965-67) and his wife, Patricia (Ethiopia 1965-67). Co-hosts for the luncheon, with Patricia and John Garamendi, will be Marian Haley Beil, publisher of . . .

Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas by Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963–65) Orchid Press October 2010 266 pages Reviewed by Tony D’Souza (Ivory Coast 2000-02, Madagascar 2002-03) Don Messerschmidt’s Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas is a good example of a lifelong passion distilled into print. The title describes what the book contains: a lengthy and detailed analysis of large Tibetan dogs. An anthropologist and Himalayan specialist, Messerschmidt served in the Peace Corps in Nepal in the 1960s, was aware of the existence of an almost “mythical” breed of large dogs that were companions and protectors of Tibetan yak herdsman. He spent a considerable amount of his free time during service — and indeed the rest of his life — finding and pursuing a deeper understanding of these animals. The focused subject matter of Big Dogs is not for everyone, but canine and Himalaya fans will welcome the addition . . .

Voices from The Peace Corps: Fifty Years of Kentucky Volunteers by Angene Wilson and Jack Wilson (Liberia 1962–64) The University of Kentucky Press $35.00 400 pages March 2011 Reviewed by P. David Searles (CD Philippines 1971–74; Regional Director NANEAP and Deputy Director Peace Corps HQ 1974–76). HERE IS A BOOK THAT TELLS THE PEACE CORPS STORY in the most meaningful way one can imagine: using the voices of Volunteers who have served in many countries at different times to collectively present a picture of the Peace Corps experience that has the ring of truth to it. What one reads in the book are the heartfelt reminiscences of dozens of former Volunteers as they discuss their personal experiences relative to eleven topics selected by the authors, beginning with “Why We Went” (the title of Chapter 1), then on through “training,” “settling in,” “jobs,” and all of the other aspects of Peace . . .

I went to the Association of Writers & Writers Programs last week in Washington, D.C. I sat in on a panel featuring  Peace Corps poets. The panel was entitled, Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience. A small group of RPCV poets, gathered by Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73), addressed a small crowd of mostly women graduate students and young academics, all would-be poets and professors. Nice people. The published Peace Corps poets on the panel were an impressive lot, all award winners themselves: Sandra Meek (Botswana 1989-91); John Isles (Estonia 1992-94); Ann Neelon (Senegal 1978-79); Derick Burleson (Rwanda 1991-93), plus Virginia.  I had never met any of them before, though Virginia and I have a passing connections after all these years, and I know, by emails, Ann and Sandra. The panel discussion took place in mid-afternoon in one of those endless mall meeting rooms of this huge downtown D.C. hotel. About 30 attended . . .

For those of you living in the DC area, Stan Meisler will be talking about his new book, When the World Calls: The Inside Story of the Peace Corps and Its First Fifty Years, at Politics and Prose — 5015 Conn. Ave. NW, Washington — on Sunday, February 27, at 5 p.m.

Laurence Leamer’s (Nepal 1965-67) next book will be The Price of Justice,  a nonfiction legal thriller telling the story of a coal giant CEO who sets out to destroy a small mine owner in West Virginia.

Being First: An Informal History of the Early Peace Corps by Robert Klein (Ghana 1961–63) Wheatmark, Inc $19.95 182 pages 2010 Reviewed by Kevin Lowther (Sierra Leone 1963–65) GHANA I — Peace Corps groups were Roman-numeraled in the early years  — began with 58 trainees at the University of California at Berkeley. It was July 1961, four months after President John F. Kennedy asked R. Sargent Shriver to establish the Peace Corps. The 58 guinea pigs and their trainers were all too aware that the experiment could rise or fall on the basis of their performance. “That challenge,” Robert Klein writes in Being First, “created a sense of uniqueness which has lasted through the years.” Fifty years, of course, and counting. Klein was a 32-year-old teacher in Harlem when he volunteered. Kennedy’s summons “added a moral dimension” to Klein’s “restless romanticized adventurism.” The group supposedly had been sifted through a . . .

A group of RPCV poets, gathered by Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73), will have a panel discussion entitled,” Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience” at the 2011 Annual Conference of the Assocation of Writers & Writing Programs on February 2-5, 2011.  The panel is scheduled (subject to changes, of course) on Thursday from 1:30-2:45 in the Harding Room of the Marriott Wardman Park, (Mezzanine Level). Here are the details, if  you are attending the conference: R167. Broadening the Poet’s Vision Through the Peace Corps Experience. (Virginia Gilbert (Korea 1971-73); Sandra Meek (Botswana 1989-91); John Isles (Estonia 1992-94); Ann Neelon (Senagal 1978-79); Derick Burleson (Rwanda 1991-93). “How does a stint in the Peace Corps influence a writing life? This panel investigates the question of how living in a developing country as a volunteer contributes to the growth of a poetic voice. Five award-winning poets who served in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe discuss . . .

Exploring Hong Kong: A Visitor’s Guide to Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories by Steven K. Bailey (Poland 1993–95) ThingsAsian Press $14.95 289 pages 2009 • The Insider’s Guide to the Peace Corps: What to Know Before You Go (2nd edition of So, You Want to Join the Peace Corps) by Dillon Banerjee (Cameroon 1994–96) Ten Speed Press $14.95 192 pages 2009 • One World:A Global Anthology of Short Stories Skye Brannon (Samoa 2004–06), contributor New Internationalist $16.95 192 pages 2009 • The Man Who Caught No Birds by Thomas Burns (Marshall Island 1976–78) CreateSpace $15.00 206 pages 2010 • Roman Proud, Wayward Widower by Tino Calabia (Peru 1963–65) AuthorHouse $15.49 360 pages December 2010 • Soldiers of God (graphic novel) by Kelly Clancy (Turkmenistan 2004-06) www.thedivinebanquet.com Sixta Comics $15.00 256 pages 2010 • A Year on the Bus by Dan Close (Ethiopia 1964–66) The Tamarac Press $15.00 . . .

I’m a big fan of Roger Rosenblatt. I love his essays on PBS News Hour. I love his soft voice, quiet demeanor, the gentleness of this gentleman. When I grow up, I want to be just like him. I love the way he writes, the smooth elegance of his prose. He is like that polished English butler of English movies who has everything under control and quietly, unobtrusively, brings the dinner party to the dining room table and serves them roast duck under candle light. Besides everything else that Roger Rosenblatt does, he writes books. Unless It Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing, just published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, is his latest. He is also professor of English and writing at SUNY Stony Brook. He teaches students how to write. Though, as he says in his essay, “Can I teach them to become professional . . .

Over the weekend I read this interesting article in The New York Review of Books by Jason Epstein. He was reviewing a book Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty–First Century by John B. Thompson. Epstein is a famous figure in U.S. publishing. In 1952 he launched the trade paperback format. In 1963 he was a founder of The New York Review and in 1979. In 2007 he cofounded On Demand Books. In his review he was talking about the whole industry. As he writes, “Far more than any other mediu, books contain civilizations, the ongoing conversation betwen present and past. Without this conversation we are lost. But books are also a business….” So, the article really is about books and the digital revolution, and he makes this point, however, (in a footnote) that is interesting: “Self-publishing has an illustrious history. Milton published Areopagitica himself and Whitman self-published the first . . .

George Wallace (Korea 1975–77), writer-in-residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, will present a program of readings and conversation entitled “Whitman And Beyond, Fanfares for the Common Man” at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos NM, on Friday Feb 4, 2011 at 7 pm. In his presentation, Wallace will trace the thread of 19th century Romantic/Transcendental ideas about ‘the common man’ through early and mid-20th century American writing, and into the contemporary era. According to Laurel Johnson, Review Editor of New Works Review, “Wallace’s poetry is neither conventional nor even ‘conventionally’ atypical… Anyone who ever loved or needed love should read these poems.” Some of Wallace’s recent work: Poppin Johnny Three Rooms Press 2009 • Who’s Handling Your Aubergines Green Panda Press 2008 • Sunnyside Up: The Dream Cloud Egg Good Japan 2008 • Summer of Love Summer of Love Shivastan Woodstock NY 2008