Peace Corps writers

Michael Meyer (China 1995-97) author of The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Back Streets of a City Transformed had an op-ed in the New York Times on January 1, 2011. Mike is just back from China, living in New York, and he dropped me an email to say, “Just back from China this morning and had a great skate in the sun of Bryant Park. ” Ah, the writer’s life. China one day; the Big Apple the next. Here’s Mike’s piece on China’s Big Zhang. • January 1, 2011 China’s Big Zhang Harbin, China On the high-speed train from Beijing northeast to Harbin, passengers around me munch sweet popcorn and read books titled “Currency Wars,” “The Collapse of the Eurosystem,” and “The Upside of Irrationality.” Despite the raft of anti-inflationary measues introduced by the Chinese government in November, the lead article in the morning New Capital News . . .

Weavings (Poetry) by Mary Ellen Branan (Poland 1994–96) Fairfield, Iowa: First World Publishing $15.95 74 pages December 2010 • The Piercing (E-book edition) by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962–64) Necon E-Books $4.99 73,530 words December 2010 • The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution (1st U.S. edition) by Denis Dutton (India 1966-68) Bloomsbury Press $15.00 288 pages February 2010 • Forty Wolves (Novel) by Mark Jacobs (Paraguay 1978-80) Talisman House $19.95 256 pages June 2010 • The Nightingale of Mosul: A Nurse’s Journey of Service, Struggle, and War by Susan Luz (Brazil 1972-75) (with Marcus Brotherton) Kaplan Publishing $25.95 243 pages May 2010 • Labeled (Novel) by Mark Salvatore (Paraguay 1989–91) Create Space $9.99 (paper); $4.99 (ebook) 231 pages December 2010 • The Isthmus: Stories from Mexico’s Past 1495–1995 (Historical fiction) by Bruce Stores (Guatemala 1963-65) iUniverse $21.95 392 pages 2009 • 85 Days in Cuba: A True Story about . . .

Edited by Bill Buford The Best American Travel Writing 2010 published by Mariner came out in early September and I wanted to mention it now in the first day of 2011. Of the twenty-one essays, from three to sixty pages, we have three by RPCV writers. Peter Hessler (China 1996-98), “Strange Stones” is from The New Yorker and as always beautifully-written and detailed. His new book about China, Country Driving  is reflected in this work. Our second writer in the collection is George Packer (Togo 1982-83). His story from The New Yorker is entitled, “The Ponzi State,” and is about the Florida housing boom and bust. The third travel piece is Tom Bissell’s (Uzbekistan 1996-97), “Looking for Judas” that was published in the Virginia Quarterly Review and is about his off-the-beaten path in Jerusalem looking for THE spot where Judas killed himself, but mostly focuses on his impressions of well-armed . . .

DENNIS DUTTON, A PCV IN INDIA and a distinguished philosopher, writer and digital-media guru  — he founded Arts & Letters Daily, one of the first Web sites to exploit the Internet — died on Tuesday in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was 66. The cause was prostate cancer. At his death, Dutton was a professor of philosophy at the University of Canterbury, in Christchurch, where he had taught since 1984. Arts & Letters was an aggregator that linked to a spate of online articles about literature, art, science and politics, and Dutton was one of the first people to recognize the power of the Web to facilitate intellectual discourse. In 2005 TIME Magazine describe him as being among “the most influential media personalities in the world.” Arts & Letters Daily, which was acquired by The Chronicle of Higher Education in 2002, currently receives about three million page views a month. Professor Dutton also attracted wide . . .

The Isthmus: Stories from Mexico’s Past, 1495–1995 by Bruce Stores (Guatemala 1963–65) iUniverse 2009 392 pages $21.95 Reviewed by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975–77) IN BRUCE STORES’ SECOND BOOK, he tackled fiction — a tricky craft for anyone since its aim is to entertain. In fact, many who attempt fiction forget this simple rule, Mr. Stores among them. A serious book about a serious topic, the author attempted to present a five-hundred-year panoramic historical view of an isolated portion of Oaxacan Mexico, an area known for poverty, cruelty and rebellion. This is historical fiction about “natives who have been in continuous struggle for local control.” The book includes eleven vignettes about moments in history, culminating in political activities during the last twenty-five years of the twentieth century: one piece about pre-Colombian history, two about colonial history, two about nineteenth century independence and six about the twentieth century. It is reported . . .

Sandra Meek (Botswana 1989–91), who is the Poetry Editor of the Phi Kappa Phi Forum, director of the Georgia Poetry Circuit, co-founding Editor of Ninebark Press, and Professor of  English, Rhetoric and Writing in the Department of English at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia, writes me that she just received a $25,000 grant for poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the only recipient from Georgia to be selected for the Creative Writing Fellowship, which alternates annually between poetry and prose. NEA grant selection is made through an anonymous review process, and the fellowships encourage the production of new works of literature by allowing writers the time and means to write. Last year the NEA received 1,064 applications and gave out 42 fellowships nationwide. Sandra was the only poet selected from Georgia and one of a handful in the Southeast. Meek was granted a Fall 2011 sabbatical from Berry to finish her . . .

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 . . .

Don Messerschmidt (Nepal 1963-65) dropped me a note to say that in the January 2011 issue of the Smithsonian Magazine, “there’s an informative article by Paul Theroux entitled:  ‘The Trouble with Autobiography.’  Don found it “quite informative and insightful.” And recommended it to all Peace Corps writers! The piece is long and full of details on books by famous writers. And then Theroux sums up, with a typical Therouxism: “The more I reflect on my life, the greater the appeal of the autobiographical novel. The immediate family is typically the first subject an American writer contemplates. I never felt that my life was substantial enough to qualify for the anecdotal narrative that enriches autobiography. I had never thought of writing about the sort of big talkative family I grew up in, and very early on I developed the fiction writer’s useful habit of taking liberties. I think I would find it . . .

[Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975-77) is an urban planner and author of eight books and seven pamphlets, all self published. His latest book, Peace Corps Chronology; 1961-2010, (the first book of its kind) just came out and is available on Amazon.com.  Larry writes here on the importance of writing about the  Peace Corps experience, for yourself, your family, the world!] For fifty years former volunteers and staff have wearily trudged home convinced of a duty to share their experience with family, friends and community. Some have created and performed songs, dances and plays while others have written poems, short stories, novels, essays, history and even memoirs. Together, they form a huge mosaic about the Peace Corps Experience. There are other sources of information: government reports and records. Although some dusty report might list the incidence of rabies in a far-off place, it will not describe the fear of an unarmed village sequestered . . .

One of the unintended consequences of Peace Corps Volunteers is a library shelf of memoirs, novels, and poetry. Unlike travel writers who seek new lands to explore, and unlike anthropologists who find foreign societies puzzles to comprehend, Peace Corps Volunteers arrive, as we know, in-country with some hope that they can do some good. And many, when they come home, want to share their incomparable experiences and insights. Peace Corps writers who have written books based on their experience include, are certainly not limited to– Paul Theroux (Malawi) – My Secret History; George Packer (Togo) – A Village of Waiting; Mary-Ann Tirone Smith (Cameroon) – Lament for a Silver-Eyed Woman; Norm Rush (Botswana)-Whites; Moritz Thomsen (Ecuador)-Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle; P.F. Kluge (Micronesia) – The Edge of Paradise: America in Micronesia; Peter Hessler (China) – River Town; Tom Bissell (Uzbekistan) – Chasing the Sea; Maria Thomas (Ethiopia) – Come to Africa and Save Your Marriage; Charles . . .

Colonel Susan Luz, the highest-ranking female member of her Massachusetts Army Reserve unit, was 56 when she received the letter deploying her unit to Iraq. She packed her bags, kissed her husband goodbye, and set off on a journey that would test her leadership as an officer, her compassion as a nurse, and her resolve as a witness to the brutalities of modern warfare. Her 15 months on the ground during the surge in Iraq in 2006 and 2007 form the keystone of a book of life of service. A life of service began in Brazil as a Peace Corps Volunteer from 1972-75 working in Quixada in the interior of the country. While a PCV she was attacked and raped by a  gang of teenagers, all three of whom were caught and jailed and sentenced to life in prison. It took her best friend, who joined the Peace Corps with her, a week to reach Quixada to be . . .

Necon E-Books is proud to announce that The Piercing by John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) is now available. A young stigmatic girl experiencing the agony of Christ begs the question — is she divine, or is she damned? The Piercing is equal parts theology, philosophy, horror, suspense, love, sex and gore, brilliantly woven together by a master storyteller; in short, amidst the long lineage of horror novelists to use religion as source material, John Coyne truly stands out. Order your copy today, you will NOT be disappointed! Matt Bechtel Production Manager, Necon E-Books

The purpose of the New Mexico Book Awards is to honor great books from New Mexico and the Southwest. Each year, the New Mexico Book Awards Program honors special New Mexico authors for their special contributions to New Mexico’s book community. In 2010, the New Mexico Book Awards presented awards to two RPCV writers. They are, (and congratulations to you both!): For Novel — adventure or drama Melanie Sumner (Senegal 1988-90) for The Ghost of Milagro Creek published by Algonquin Books Fiction, Other Martha Egan (Venezuela 1967-69) for La Ranfla & Other New Mexico Stories published by Papalote Press

Peace Corps Chronology: 1961–2010 by Lawrence F. Lihosit (Honduras 1975–77) iUniverse $22.95 – hardback; $13.95 – paperback; $9.99 – ebook 120 pages November 2010 Reviewed by P. David Searles (Staff: CD Philippines 1971–74, PC/W 1974–76) A LOT CAN HAPPEN IN FIFTY YEARS, as demonstrated by Lawrence F. Lihosit’s superb book:  Peace Corps Chronology, 1961-2010. Lihosit has carefully sifted through an immense cache of Peace Corps data from a wide variety of sources, some of which are familiar and some of which were previously unknown, at least to me. In the book he gives a detailed account of the critical happenings — year by year, decade by decade — from 1961 to the present. The book will be read in two ways. The first, and this is probably what most of us will immediately do, is check out what he has included from our years with the Peace Corps. For me . . .