Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 37 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

The Volunteer who became an acclaimed novelist of small-town life — Kent Haruf (Turkey)

Sep 24 2023

by Jeremiah Norris (Colombia 1963-65) Kent Haruf served as a Peace Corps Volunteer English teacher in Turkey from 1965 to 67, after graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1966. Before becoming a writer, Kent worked in a variety of places, including a chicken farm in Colorado, a construction site in Wyoming, a rehabilitation hospital in Denver, a hospital in Phoenix, a Presidential library in Iowa, an alternative high school teacher in Wisconsin, and various colleges in Nebraska and Illinois. Undoubtedly, these hardcore working experiences served as inspirational foundations to his later life as a novelist focused on the broad subject of small town America. All of Kent’s subsequent novels take place in the fictional town of Holt in eastern Colorado. Holt is based on Yuma, Colorado, one of Kent’s residence in the early 1980s. His first novel, published in 1984, The Tie That Binds, received a Whiting Award and a . . .

NPCA’s Inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award given to John Coyne and Marian Haley Beil

Sep 24 2023

Here is a short video of Marian Haley Beil talking about creating Peace Corps Writers website with John Coyne.The link to the video: https://youtu.be/y7lLWyXQ_zw?si=fVXR7IQ8lJqE2ztq

60 years later: UNM hosts Peace Corps reunion

Sep 23 2023

Turning outward bound into homeward bound; that’s an unforgettable experience that took place at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on Sept. 19, 2023. Decades in the making, members of the UNM Peace Corps Outward Bound Training 1963 class, known as Colombia VIII, reunited at UNM. Now retired with families and memories, these Peace Corps alumni were able to relive their lives from years ago. Thanks to the College of University Libraries & Learning Sciences (CULLS), and its archives these former students were able to recollect through old photos of their time training for the Peace Corps at UNM. “It was such a pleasure seeing the Peace Corps reunion today. I’m impressed that so many people traveled from around the country to be here. It just shows how important the Peace Corps were to everyone’s lives,” University Archivist Portia Vescio said. Vescio, Graduate Student Amber Lane and Macon McCrossen led the . . .

Reed Aeschliman (Thailand) in Bangladesh as new USAID Mission Director

Sep 22 2023

In the news — New USAID mission director Reed Aeschliman (Thailand 1981-83) on Thursday said the agency followed three principles in its activities in Bangladesh as its “development assistance” program had now turned into a “development partnership.” “The first principle is to be a good partner,” he said while meeting journalists at the American Center for the first time since his arrival in Dhaka on August 20. Principle number two is to expand USAID’s investments to local institutions, and the third is to harness the power of the private sector fully in achieving development goals. “We have moved from development assistance to development partnership. Fifty years ago we were development assistance. Now we want to be a good trading partner. That’s win-win,” he said. “USAID will continue to invest in the Bangladeshi people – whether it’s building the skills of farmers, doctors, nurses, school teachers or emergency responders . . .

Brandeis University remembers Lawrence Fuchs (Philippines staff)

Sep 22 2023

In the news Faculty, alumni remember Prof. Lawrence Fuchs An American Studies pioneer, a giving mentor, a champion of social justice First Peace Corps Country Director in the Philippines Photos/Brandeis University Archives by David E. Nathan, March 21, 2013 Former colleagues and students this week remembered longtime professor Lawrence Fuchs as an intellectual giant whose accomplishments in and out of the classroom were matched only by the outsized impact he had in shaping Brandeis’ core values. Fuchs, the Meyer and Walter Jaffe Professor of American Civilization and Politics, died on March 17 at the age of 86 at his home in Canton. He was a longtime resident of Weston. Fuchs began his Brandeis career in 1952, while still a doctoral student at Harvard. He retired 50 years later, having established himself as a renowned authority in the emerging field of American studies, a giving mentor to students . . .

Peace Corps + Corps Africa

Sep 21 2023

Today the Peace Corps, 62 years after this challenge from JFK’s inaugural address, unveils an innovative program that brings American Peace Corps Volunteers shoulder-to-shoulder with future leaders at CorpsAfrica. This historic partnership, announced amidst Peace Corps leadership participation in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Climate Week events, reflects the agency’s commitment to global collaboration and sustainability. Led by Liz Fanning (Morocco 1993-95) and recipient of the 2019 NPCA Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service, CorpsAfrica joins hands with the Peace Corps to empower volunteers and African leaders embarking on a year of service. As the Peace Corps continues to expand its footprint, it proudly announces the imminent arrival of volunteers in Sri Lanka, bringing the total number of actively serving volunteers to over 2,200 across 60 countries. This initiative marks a significant stride towards advancing development, nurturing friendships, and achieving sustainability goals on a global scale. . . .

Biden’s new Peace Corps . . . The Climate Corps

Sep 21 2023

In the news — By Maxine Joselow, The Washington Post September 20, 2023 at 8:10 a.m. EDT President Biden on Wednesday announced an initiative to train more than 20,000 young people in skills crucial to combating climate change, such as installinfg solar panels, restoring coastal wetlands and retrofitting homes to be more energy-efficent. 10 steps you can take to lower your carbon footprint The American Climate Corps comes as Biden seeks to win over young voters, a critical constituency, before next year’s presidential election. Polls show that climate change is a top concern for young people, who are more likely than older generations to face raging wildfires, stronger storms and rising seas in their lifetimes. The initiative resembles a proposal that was included in an early version of Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The Civilian Climate Corps was ultimately dropped from the final version of the legislation during private negotiations last summer between Senate . . .

“The Mending Fields” by Bob Shacochis (Eastern Caribbean)

Sep 20 2023

I WAS ASSIGNED to the Island of Saint Kit in the West Indies. Once on an inter-island plane, I sat across the aisle from one of my new colleagues, an unfriendly, overserious young woman. She was twenty-four, twenty-five . . . we were all twenty-four, twenty five. I didn’t know her much or like her. As the plane banked over the island, she pressed against the window, staring down at the landscape. I couldn’t see much of her face, just enough really to recognize an expression of pain. Below us spread an endless manicured lawn, bright green and lush of sugarcane, the island’s main source of income. Each field planted carefully to control erosion. Until that year, Saint Kit’s precious volcanic soil had been bleeding into the sea; somehow they had resolved the problem. The crop was now being tilled in harmony with the roll and tuck of the land and the island . . .

“I Had A Hero” by Mike Tidwell (Zaire)

Sep 20 2023

IN ONE HAND HE CARRIED a spear, in the other a crude machete. On his head was a kind of coonskin cap with a bushy tail hanging down in back. Around his neck was a string supporting a leather charm to ward off bad bush spirits. Two underfed mongrel dogs circled his bare feet, panting. “My name is Ilunga,” he said, extending his hand. “My name is Michael,” I said, shaking it. We smiled at each other another moment before Ilunga got around to telling me he had heard my job was to teach people how to raise fish. It sounded like something worth trying, he said, and he wondered if I would come by his village to help him look for a pond site. I said I would and took down directions to his house. The next day the two of us set off into the bush, hunting . . .

“Water” by Rachel Schneller (Mali 1996-98)

Sep 19 2023

Water When a woman carries water on her head, you see her neck bend outward behind her like a crossbow. Ten liters of water weights twenty-two pounds, a fifth of a woman’s body weight, and I’ve seen women carry at least twenty liters in aluminum pots large enough to hold a television set. To get the water from the cement floor surrounding the outdoor hand pump to the top of your head, you need help from the other women. You and another woman grab the pot’s edges and lift it straight up between you. When you get it to the head height, you duck underneath the pot and place it on the wad of rolled-up cloth you always wear there when fetching water. This is the cushion between your skull and the metal pot full of water. Then your friend lets go. You spend a few seconds finding your . . .

Danielle Guerin (Cameroon)— “Farm Girl”

Sep 18 2023

In the news by Karl Schneider Indianapolis Star Rural landscapes blanketed with row crops and pastures peppered with faded red barns are the stereotypical scenes of Indiana agriculture. But a new type of farming is taking root in a far different setting — crops growing amid bustling streets, residential neighborhoods and commercial districts. These urban farms are tucked into inconspicuous vacant lots, oases where leafy greens and vegetables flourish in areas once overgrown and strewn with trash. In many cases, the hidden gems provide a rejuvenating source of healthy foods in areas where grocers and supermarkets may be sparse. Danielle Guerin (Cameroon 2014-16), an Indianapolis native who took a roundabout route to growing food in the city, is one of the new breed of farmers. She’s well on her way to helping her community — and, hopefully, inspiring a new generation of urban farmers. Farming wasn’t part . . .

Review | AMERICAN VOODOO by Joseph Theroux (Samoa)

Sep 16 2023

American Voodoo (with William Faulkner) by Joseph Theroux (Western Samoa 1975-78) Kilauea Publications April, 2023 190 pages $3.00 (Kindle); $10.00 (Paperback) Reviewed by Stephen Foehr (Ethiopia 1965-66) • This novel reads like a police report. The style has a James Ellroyness quality — just the facts, sketch descriptions, no setups, expositions, or transitions. Get on with the story. The reader is immediately captured by the fast pace and carried along in the torrent of a murder mystery. But an astute reader will tweak something is afoot by the name on the cover, the credit on the title page, and the subtitle “with William Faulkner in Louisiana.” Joseph Theroux’s name is on the cover in the usual author’s slot. The title page credits Lloyd Osbourne as the writer, edited by Joseph Theroux. The editor’s note identifies Joseph Theroux as the secretary for the Cemetery Advisory Committee. Lloyd Osbourne is quoted, . . .

Ron Singer (Nigeria) reads from NORMAN’S COUSIN & OTHER WRITINGS in NYC

Sep 15 2023

Jefferson Market Library 425 6th Avenue, NY,NY Saturday, September 30, 3pm Ron will be reading from his latest novel Norman’s Cousin & Other Writings (Unsolicited Press, Portland, OR, June 2023). The engine for this selection of writings from Brooklyn and Manhattan (1974-the present) is story-telling, but beneath the plots lurk layers of madness and magic, as well as startling, genre-busting juxtapositions. For example, two related stories, “Buying a Car” and “Selling a Car,” are N.Y. City picaresques combined with technical automotive detail and the history of a marriage. Written almost three decades apart, these two stories mirror their times, from the 1970s recession to the wave of immigration that was a by-product of the war in Afghanistan Norman’s Cousin & Other Writings is full of allusions to literature and the other arts. “Simple” takes its title from Langston Hughes, and alludes to the history of rhythm-and-blues. “Carla, the Copy-Shop Girl,” . . .

“The Slave Boy Who Became a Priest” by Kevin Denny (Malawi)

Sep 15 2023

Kevin Writes — I have appreciated the recent writing in which RPCVs personalize the impact the Peace Corps has had on their lives. I have a story I would like to add to the collection. It is a story that covers less than a day, but it is one that makes me value my experience more every day. • The Slave Boy Who Became a Priest by Kevin Denny (Malawi 2964-66) It was my last day in Malawi. I had said good-bye to the village I had known for two years and the was making my last stop at the post office. There I ran into Father Tovey, an Anglican priest, who asked me when I was leaving. I told him the Peace Corps lorry would be at my door early the next morning to start me on my homeward journey. Then he asked me a rather strange question: . . .

“Staying” by Giles Ryan (Korea)

Sep 14 2023

In the winter of 1970 I went to Korea, a country still recovering from a terrible war. The Peace Corps sent me there to teach English at a middle school in the central mountains, near the DMZ (demilitarized zone), where a fragile armistice was not always honored. The winter was colder than what I had known, learning the language was difficult, and in those early months I was often ill. But the true challenge was witnessing a kind of cruelty that most Americans today would call child abuse. For my part, I had been raised in an Irish Catholic environment, so I was no stranger to corporal punishment; indeed, I had my own vivid experience, both at home and in school. But nothing prepared me for what I saw at my school in Chunchon, and I reached a moment when I doubted I could stay. The students were . . .