Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 34 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

The Volunteer who wrote songs for Korean children — Mary Kim Joh (Liberia)

Oct 27 2023

Mary Kim Joh, also known as Che Sik Chu, was a Korean-American music composer and medical research specialist. She is best known for writing “School Bell” in 1945. This children’s song is taught to pre-school students in South Korea. It is often referred to as a “Korean National Anthem”. Joh was born in Seoul in 1904. She was the daughter of Kim Ik-seung, founder of Korea’s first joint stock companies, and a niece of Kim Kyu-sik. She graduated from Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea, and in 1930, she was awarded a Master’s degree in music at the University of Michigan. Later, while teaching in the music department at Ewha, she was asked by the South Korean government to compose children’s songs after the end of Japanese rule over her country in 1945. At the end of WW II, the Koreans had no Korean-language school materials. Her 1950 . . .

Andy Trincia (Romania 2002-2004) publishes travel story on Romania in The New York Times

Oct 27 2023

In the news — I’d never heard of Timisoara either when I arrived in 2002 as a wide-eyed Peace Corps volunteer. I stayed two years, fell in love, returned to get married and made annual trips from America, when Timisoara tugged at me like an old friend. My wife and I moved back six years ago. I’ve witnessed an evolution from the glum post-revolution years to today’s cosmopolitan vibe, thanks to a booming tech sector, significant foreign investment and youthful energy from 40,000 university students. For me, Timisoara’s appeal is twofold: its architecture, which jumps out immediately, and its authenticity, which sinks in gradually. This is no tourist trap with trinket shops galore, but a genuine, livable and multicultural city that moves at a measured pace and offers just enough for visitors to fill two or three days — perhaps surprising them with a taste of Romania, a country still enduring . . .

Second group of Peace Corps Volunteers arriving in Viet Nam

Oct 26 2023

OCTOBER 26, 2023 HANOI, October 24, 2023 – The second cohort of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers have arrived in Hanoi to further support the Ministry of Education and Training’s (MOET) national priorities for English Language Education and demonstrate our bilateral commitment to education and training cooperation under the U.S. – Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The U.S. Peace Corps volunteers will be the first group to serve at high schools throughout Ho Chi Minh City starting in January 2024. Volunteers will work alongside local teacher to co-teach English classes to help Vietnamese students develop their English skills to access studying and employment opportunities. Peace Corps Vietnam fully aligns with MOET’s objectives and is enabled by the Implementing Agreement signed in 2020 between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments with Peace Corps and the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) as Implementing Entities. “The geographic expansion of the program to Ho Chi Minh City . . .

If You’re Writing Your Peace Corps Book

Oct 25 2023

The Writer’s Workshop Lecture Series Dear Writers, You’re invited to a free talk tomorrow with author and editor Emily Harstone. During the talk, Emily will share tips and strategies that many authors have used to build successful publishing careers. These are the things almost every successful author does to build a foundation for long-term publishing success. The talk will be held online, and is entirely free to attend. Register to Attend the Talk (Free) You’re welcome to forward this to a friend, but please do so right away, so they don’t miss out on the live event. Sincerely, Jacob Jans Authors Publish

On TikTok — Diana Steinberg (Haiti) Dancer & Jamaica Plain Mom!

Oct 25 2023

On TikTok, an RPCV Mom dances through life Diana Steinberg (PCV Haiti ) has been filming her daily dance improvisation for years. More people have started to notice. By A.Z. Madonna Globe Staff,Updated October 24, 2023, See this entire article — with music — on the Boston Globe Today

PCVs — 60 Years in Costa Rica

Oct 24 2023

Peace Corps Celebrates 60 Years in Costa Rica with New Volunteers The new U.S. volunteers will serve for two years in rural communities in Puntarenas, Guanacaste, Heredia, Cartago, Alajuela, and San José. The group includes people between the ages of 22 and 70, with degrees in Economics, Business, Education, Law, Psychology, Communication, and Sociology, among others. Cynthia Telles, U.S. Ambassador U.S. Ambassador Cynthia Telles highlighted Peace Corps contributions to community capacity building and local economic development over six decades. “This ceremony marks the commitment of Peace Corps volunteers to continue in this exemplary and mutually cooperative work between our countries,” said Ambassador Telles. The Peace Corps arrived in Costa Rica in January 1963. Since then, more than 3,900 volunteers have served in projects that currently focus on English language learning, local economic development, and strengthening the well-being and participation of youth and women.

US Ambassador-Designate, RPCV Mark Toner (Liberia)

Oct 23 2023

In the news— US Ambassador-Designate to Fight Corruption, Lawlessness, in Liberia Front Page Africa – 10/23/2023 The newly nominated U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, Mark Toner, has said that the George Weah government has recognition for corruption and lawlessness and that he will do all in his power to fight against these vices during his assignment here. Addressing the U.S. Congressional Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Friday, October 20, Toner said progress made in Liberia since the end of the war in 2003 has been eroded by corruption and lawlessness in the current administration. “The United States is the largest bilateral donor to Liberia, with more than US$5 billion in bilateral assistance since 2003. That assistance has paid concrete dividends in the economic, education, security, and public health sectors,” Toner told the committee. “But that progress has also been heavily eroded by growing lawlessness and corruption within the present administration.” If . . .

First-Ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award

Oct 22 2023

Peace Corps Worldwide’s Marian Haley Beil and John Coyne Honored with first-ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award Since 1989, Peace Corps Worldwide and the Peace Corps Writers Imprint have supported the writings of the Peace Corps community to promote international understanding—the essence of the Third Goal. The longevity and reach of the work by Marian Haley Beil, publisher, and John Coyne, editor, prompted NPCA to recognize their impact with the first-ever Loret Miller Ruppe Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at this year’s Peace Corps Connect on September 9, 2023. For nearly 35 years, Marian and John, both “Ethie One,” have worked to “bring the world back home” by shining a light on PCV and RPCV writers: publishing, reviewing, and promoting their books, essays, poetry, and stories. John researches, compiles, and often writes, material on their website. Marian design sites, edits articles, and maintains databases including one with . . .

NPCA OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

Oct 21 2023

OCTOBER 12, 2023 The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is pleased to announce the Friends of Liberia (FOL) as the winner of the 2023 Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service. NPCA members selected FOL for this year’s prestigious award, recognizing the group’s publication of Never the Same Again: Life, Service, and Friendship in Liberia. Chief editor, Susan Greisen (Liberia 1971-73) & (Tonga 1973-74) and co-editors, Susan Corbett (Liberia 1976-79) and Karen E. Lange (Liberia 1984-86) collaborated with more than 100 people across seven time zones via Zoom, email, text, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and phone to realize their final publication in less than two years – all during the COVID pandemic. The proceeds from this powerful anthology benefit educational, social, health, economic, and humanitarian programs in Liberia. WATCH our 5-minute Friends of Liberia Ruppe project video to learn about these programs and why we won. Here is Susan Greisen with his Excellency George S.W. . . .

Playwright Tom David Barna (Burkina Faso)

Oct 18 2023

The Minnesota Playwright Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania-USA, Tom David Barna is a graduate of Kaiserslautern American High School in Germany and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico-USA. A a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso (1979-80) and a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Russia. Tom’s father, Thomas Barna was the first family member born in the United States and buried at Arlington National Cemetery having served in the Korean Conflict and the Viet Nam War. Tom David Barna, playwright, has penned more than forty-two full length plays, forty-nine short plays, co-author for a 13-part radio series and author of four children’s books (Cantata Publishing) and several eBooks (Rakuten Kobo Publishing). He has been commissioned for projects as varied as episodic radio and children’s musicals and recently collaborated on a new full-length musical with Melody Bay Productions/Publisher, a . . .

Tribute to John F. Kennedy by Tom Scanlon (Chile 1961-63)

Oct 17 2023

In the early days of the Peace Corps, President Kennedy greeted the first Peace Corps Trainees on the White House lawn and even invited the first Volunteers to Colombia into the White House. Then on June 20, 1962, when Kennedy was welcoming to Washington Summer College Interns — not PCVs — he delivered this short story about a PCV serving in Chile. Recently I heard a story of a young Peace Corpsman named Tom Scanlon, who is working in Chile. He works in a village about forty miles from an Indian village which prides itself on being Communist. The village is up a long, winding road which Scanlon has taken on many occasions to see the chief. Each time the chief avoided seeing him. Finally he saw him and said, “You are not going to talk us out of being Communists.” Scanlon said, “I am not trying to do that, . . .

ENERGETIC HERBALISM by Kat Maier (Chile)

Oct 16 2023

Energetic Herbalism by Kat Maier (Chile 1978-79) Chelsea Green Publishing November 2021 392 pages $18.99 (Kindle); $22.49 (Paperback) In this indispensable new resource both for the home apothecary and clinical practitioners, a celebrated herbalist brings alive the elemental relationships among traditional healing practices, ecological stewardship, and essential plant medicines. By honoring ancient wisdom and presenting it in an innovative way, Energetic Herbalism is a profound and practical guide to family and community care for those seeking to move beyond symptom relief and into a truly holistic framework of health. Throughout, author Kat Maier invites readers to explore their personal relationships with plants and their environs as they discover diverse models of healing. Inside Energetic Herbalism The elements and patterns of Ayurvedic doshas for greater self-awareness as well as positive lifestyle choices. A deep appreciation of the wisdom of indigenous peoples, which is the foundation of sacred plant traditions. The relationship of well-being . . .

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors (October 2023)

Oct 16 2023

New List of RPCV & STAFF Authors October 2023 Here is our new list of RPCV & staff authors we know of who have published two or more books of any type. Currently—in October 2023–the count is 513. If you know of someone who has and their name is not on this list, then please email: jcoyneone@gmail.com. We know we don’t have all such writers who have served over these past 62 years. Thank you.’ Jerome R. Adams (Colombia 1963–65) Tom Adams (Togo 1974-76) Thomas “Taj” Ainlay, Jr. (Malaysia 1973–75) Elizabeth (Letts) Alalou (Morocco 1983–86) Jane Albritton (India 1967-69) Robert Albritton (Ethiopia 1963-65) Usha Alexander (Vanuatu 1996–97) James G. Alinder (Somalia 1964-66) Richard Alleman (Morocco 1968-70) Hayward Allen (Ethiopia 1962-64) Diane Demuth Allensworth (Panama 1964–66) Paul E. Allaire (Ethiopia 1964–66) Jack Allison (Malawi 1967-69) Allman (Nepal 1966-68) Nancy Amidei (Nigeria 1964–65) Gary Amo (Malawi 1962–64) David C. Anderson (Costa Rica 1964-66) . . .

SOCRATES IN SICHUAN by Peter Vernezze (China)

Oct 15 2023

Socrates in Sichuan: Chinese Students Search for Truth, Justice, and the (Chinese) Way Peter J. Vernezze (China 2006-08) Potomac Books April 2011 212 pages $10.01 (Kindle); $9.49 (Hardback) When Peter J. Vernezze took a leave of absence from his position as a philosophy professor to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China, he supplemented his main task―teaching English―with leading a weekly philosophical discussion group with Chinese undergraduate and graduate students at Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu. In each session the students debated topics as diverse as the status of truth, the meaning of life, the reality of fate, the definition of sanity, the necessity of religion, and the value of romantic love. Each of the twenty-five chapters of Socrates in Sichuan focuses on the topic of one evening’s discussion, which was always in the form of a question: How are ancient conceptions of virtue holding up in . . .

Steven Rosenthal (Turkey) | Yale Graduate Sells Rugs in New Haven

Oct 14 2023

In the news — The Kilim Company by Hudson Warm, Yale Daily News Outside a hidden storefront on York Street sits a table, piled with rugs. You’ve probably seen it on your way to the Humanities Quadrangle or Toad’s. Perhaps you linger for a moment as your gaze sets on the centrally displayed Yale bulldog rug, and you continue on your way. These rugs, however, are not merely furnishings; they course with stories and history, and the man behind this operation has a long-standing, rich connection with Yale and the rug trade.Store owner, historian and Yale graduate Steven Rosenthal ’68 welcomed me into The Kilim Company and led me down narrow wooden stairs into a basement that bursted with color, symmetry and style. Hanging and lying, draped and folded — rugs covered every corner of their room, and their palettes ranged from deep maroons and browns to vibrant . . .