Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 11 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

“Made it safe to San Fran” by Arleth Nelson

Jan 12 2024

About Me January 5, 2024 Yesterday was a full on travel day to San Francisco. I woke up in my Wisconsin home at 3, got dressed packed those few last minute things, loaded them in the car and me, my parents, my grandparents, my boyfriend and 2 best friends (a whole group!) trecked our way down to Green Bay for my 6am flight. The ride was sad, seeing Door County one last time. During all of yesterday I’ve was listening and resinating to the song “You’re gonna go far” by Noah Kahan. If you haven’t heard this song it’s really good and just had me in my feels with moving, I was sad to leave by I knew it’s what I needed. I am so happy with all the love I was met with by my family they really have supported all of my dreams and aspirations. My first flight was . . .

Conversations with Self by Racine Frank Poetry (Ethiopia)

Jan 11 2024

Conversations with Self by Racine Frank (Ethiopia 2019-20) Poetry Lulu Press October 2023 44 pages $10.00 (Paperback) Racine Frank began to write poetry in December 2019 during her time as a PCV in Ethiopia. She started by writing haikus and then branched into free verse poetry incorporating rhyming schemes. From an early age, she traveled to and lived in multiple countries with Ethiopia being a time of tremendous growth and transformation. Her writing surrounds the power of love — not only for others, but for oneself. With love being the core of her creative writing, Racine explores other aspects of life that aid in the self-discovery and evolution of individuals. She recently shared with the world this, her first ever self-published poetry chapbook titled Conversations with Self. She is enthusiastic about creativity, whether that be in the form of dancing, singing, writing, or inspiring others to live life . . .

“Blame and shame: Culture as the whipping post” by Joyce McClure (Micronesia)

Jan 10 2024

Inside the Reef by Joyce McClure (Response Volunteer 2016) . . . When I first heard the word “culture” applied to a workplace, I was confused. I didn’t understand what it meant back in the 1980s when it began to appear in job announcements, brochures, advertising and even in job interviews in which the interviewer attempted to explain the company to a candidate. Truth be told, I’m still not entirely certain what it means today when I hear empty words like respect, fairness, collaboration, teamwork, trust and integrity bandied about in a company’s mission, value and ethics statements. Culture is still deemed an all-important playbook that defines the day-to-day operations and atmosphere of the organization. But actions speak louder than words. My confusion stems from the lack of those traits in the highly competitive, power-driven companies and industries that I worked in for many years. The managers’ bad behavior, which . . .

Six decades of Peace Corps in Nepal

Jan 08 2024

In the news — The US and Nepal have been steadfast friends not only as countries but also on the individual level a statement by Troy Kofroth (country director/Nepal 2022– present) The Katnamdu Post January 7, 2024 Each year at this time, the Peace Corps notes the anniversary of the start of the programme in Nepal in 1962. On August 24 of that year — soon after President John F Kennedy created the Peace Corps — the governments of Nepal and the United States signed a bilateral agreement to authorize the Peace Corps’ operation in Nepal. Just a few weeks later, in September 1962, the first group of 77 volunteers consisting of teachers and agriculture specialists arrived in Kathmandu to live in, and partner with, Nepali communities. Since 1962, nearly 4,000 US citizens have arrived in Nepal to serve as volunteers for two years. These volunteers have lived in communities . . .

Green Bay Packers honored RPCV Dan Krause (Kenya) during Sunday’s game

Jan 08 2024

In the news Packers honored RPCV Dan Krause during Sunday’s game against the Bears Jan 07, 2024 The Green Bay Packers and Network Health paid special tribute to U.S. Army veteran Daniel Krause during Sunday afternoon’s game against the Chicago Bears for ‘Operation Fan Mail.’ Operation Fan Mail, the program that recognizes military families and veterans at each Packers home game, marked its 17th season this year. After Krause graduated from high school, he joined the U.S. Army as a medic. He went on to graduate with honors from UW-Stevens Point. He also served in the Peace Corps (Kenya 1992-994) and graduated from law school at New York University, where he also earned a master’s degree in philosophy. He then practiced law for the Menominee and Oneida tribes, then opened his own law office in Shawano, Wis. He served for a total of 31 years, serving . . .

REFLECTIONS OF AN AMERICAN POLITICAL PRISONER by Michael O. Billington (Guyana)

Jan 07 2024

Reflections of an American Political Prisoner: The Repression and Promise of the LaRouche Movement by Michael O. Billington (Guyana & Thailand 1967-71) EIR News Service 2015 435 pages $9.99 (Kindle); $19.99 (Paperback) As part of a book tour for his autobiography Reflections of An American Political Prisoner: The Represssion and Promise of the LaRouche Movement, as seen by Michael O. Billington, Billington, the last of the LaRouche political prisoners to be released on parole, after ten years in jail–two years in Federal prison, and an additional eight years as a inmate of the Virginia Correctional system (his sentence in Virginia was 77 years!), wrote a personal account of his political, philosophical, and moral development over nearly 35 years, including his work in the Peace Corps in the late 1960s. Most of the book is dedicated to his life and work, over the period since he became, in 1972, . . .

Celebrated RPCV Film “Bushman” Restored (Nigeria)

Jan 05 2024

A new 4K restoration of David Schickele’s (Nigeria 1961-63) Bushman (1971) will make its North American debut this year, marking the first time in decades that this celebrated landmark of American independent cinema will be widely available. Overseen by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) and The Film Foundation, the restoration will be distributed worldwide in all media by Milestone Films and Kino Lorber. Funding for the restoration was provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, with additional support provided by Peter Conheim, Cinema Preservation Alliance. Following a spotlight presentation in January at BAMPFA as part of the museum’s annual preservation film festival To Save and Project, Bushman will have a weeklong theatrical run at New York City’s BAM Rose Cinemas beginning on Friday, February 2. That presentation will coincide with the restoration’s West Coast premiere at BAMPFA on Saturday, February 3, which will include an onstage conversation with . . .

NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK by Benjamin Crabtree (Ethiopia, Korea)

Jan 04 2024

Needle in a Haystack: Searching for the World’s Last Cases of Smallpox in Ethiopia by Benjamin F. Crabtree (Ethiopia 1974-75) & (Korea 19676-78) Peace Corps Writers 230 pages October 2023 $7.95 (Kindle); $13.95 (Paperback) Needle in a Haystack: Searching for the World’s Last Cases of Smallpox in Ethiopia describes the high stakes adventure of bringing to fruition the greatest public health accomplishment of the 20th century — the global eradication of smallpox — as the political situation in Ethiopia deteriorated and the World Health Organization and the Peace Corps were at odds about the rising dangers this posed to workers in the field. The book is a first-person narrative non-fiction account of one Peace Corps Volunteer’s year-long encounters while searching for the final cases of smallpox in remote areas of Ethiopia in the mid-1970s as part of the World Health Organization’s Smallpox Eradication Program. Smallpox had raged across the . . .

THE PLEASURE SEEKER by Robyn Michaels (Malawi)

Jan 04 2024

The Pleasure Seeker by Robyn Michaels (Malawi 1992) Self Published January 2024 326 pages $2.99 (Kindle); $14.95 (Paperback) This is a coming-of-age story and involves real African history. Dayal Singh is brilliant, quirky, and has Asperger’s. Son of parents trafficked to East Africa from India just before independence, he knows he’s Sikh, African, and calculus is the evidence of God. He becomes fascinated by a broken piano. and is offered a piano to buy, buys it and learns to play. Mentored by his older brothers, he follows them to Singapore to further his education, he then goes to Switzerland. He falls in love with the granddaughter of the man who bought his father. She tells him that the situation is impossible, and that he must stay in school as long as his way is paid. His youth is fraught, being an other. In Switzerland, he is constantly proselytized to, which only defines for him . . .

YET TO BE REVEALED by Geri Marr Burdman (Bolivia)

Jan 03 2024

Yet to be Revealed: Finding Paths to Meaning by Geri Marr Burdman, Ph.D. (Bolivia 1962-64) GeroWise Books November 2023 124 pages $16.95 (Paperback) Yet to be Revealed: Finding Paths to Meaning is a book to dive into as you grapple with the increasing challenges and chaos of today’s world. You will emerge with newfound purpose and passion for what counts in your life. Drawing from her experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia as well as years of health work in the Caribbean, Central and South America, USA, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, Geri Marr Burdman shares riveting stories of people around the world who are living purposefully even in the midst of uncertainty and tumultuous circumstances. The author invites us to find a proactive route to meaning in the midst of the multifaceted challenges of our times-loss and grief, despair, inner emptiness, caregiving, parenting pressures, global . . .

The Peace Corps On Day One: Women And The Mad Men At HQ

Jan 02 2024

Arriving for work on or before March 1, 1961, the day President Kennedy signed the executive order establishing the Peace Corps, were a few women who were early “volunteer staffers” and who would become famous in those first years of the agency. The majority of these women were well connected by family or friends to Shriver and eager to work at the Peace Corps, the shining star of Kennedy’s administration. The Peace Corps was the ‘hot’ agency and everyone, of course, wanted to be connected to Kennedy–if they couldn’t be in the White House–they wanted to be with Shriver and the Peace Corps. The women at the time were mostly ‘second class’ citizens in the world-of-work. They were not, for example, sitting at the ‘big conference table” at Senior Staff meetings. Looking at old black-and-photos of Peace Corps HQ meetings, you might see that Elizabeth (Betty) Forsling Harris had wedged herself into . . .

New books by Peace Corps writers | November — December 2023

Jan 01 2024

To purchase any of these books from Amazon.com — CLICK on the book cover, the bold book title, or the publishing format you would like — and Peace Corps Worldwide, an Amazon Associate, will receive a small remittance from your purchase that will help support the site and the annual Peace Corps Writers awards. We include a brief description for each of the books listed here in hopes of encouraging readers to order a book and/or to VOLUNTEER TO REVIEW IT. See a book you’d like to review for Peace Corps Worldwide? Send a note to Marian at marian@haleybeil.com, and she will send you a free copy along with a few instructions. P.S. In addition to the books listed below, I have on my shelf a number of other books whose authors would love for you to review. Go to Books Available for Review to see what is on that shelf. Please, please join in our Third . . .

Review | THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE by Clifford Garstang (Korea)

Jan 01 2024

The Last Bird of Paradise by Clifford Garstang (Korea 1976-77) Black Rose Writing 340 pages $6.99 (Kindle) $23.95 (paperback) This novel is forthcoming in February 2024 Reviewed by Bill Preston (Thailand 1977-80) Reading the Author’s Note following this remarkable novel, I was struck by several ways Clifford Garstang’s experience has resembled mine. He first visited Singapore, the setting of the novel, in 1978, “as a young backpacker, touring Asia after spending two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Korea.” I also traveled to Singapore in 1978–from Thailand, between Peace Corps teaching assignments. I too was fascinated by the emerging city-state, an oasis of calm and order compared to bustling, chaotic Bangkok or Jakarta. Six years later, he returned to Singapore, first as an associate and later as a partner of a U.S. law firm. Some years prior to Peace Corps, while working with Legal Aid attorneys . . .

Escape to Alaska by Steve Kaffen (Russia)

Dec 31 2023

Escape to Alaska by Steve Kaffen (Russia 1994-96) December 2023 $0.00 (Kindle) Kindle Unlimited; $4.99 (Buy within 24 hours. Author and explorer Steve Kaffen had to escape Washington, D.C.’s stifling summer heat and energy-sapping humidity, but where? Having just returned from Iceland, his natural conclusion: an escape to Alaska. The decision made perfect sense. Alaska is a haven of awesome natural beauty, spectacular scenery, great and meandering waterways, prolific animal and sea life, and fascinating indigenous cultures. It’s a land of superlatives: America’s largest state (by far) has the longest coastline, the tallest mountain, and the largest national park and national forest. Its thousands of glaciers include those in sprawling Glacier Bay, the enormous Hubbard Glacier, and majestic Mendenhall Glacier, an easy drive from the state’s low-key capital Juneau. Finally, Alaska is descriptive of a state of mind that embodies resourcefulness and self-reliance, confronting and surmounting challenges, an adventurous . . .

Review | William Hershey’s TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO ETHIOPIA

Dec 30 2023

Taking the Plunge into Ethiopia by William Hershey (Ethiopia 1968-70) The University of Akron Press 134 pages 2023 $24.95 (paperback); $18.99 (Kindle) Reviewed by Cynthia Nelson Mosca (Ethiopia 1967-69) • For those of us who are old enough to have served in the Peace Corps in the ’60s and ’70s those years conjure up vivid images of the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Robert Kennedy, the targeting of groups like the Black Panthers by the FBI, and of course the hippie movement, rock and roll, flower children and protest songs performed by Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Buffy St. Marie. Taking the Plunge into Ethiopia is a sobering look at the second largest country in Africa as well as our own past and present turbulence. Bill was part of a team of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists at the Akron Beacon Journal. . . .