Peace Corps Worldwide – Page 420 – promoting Peace Corps writers since 1989

Does The Peace Corps Really Matter?

Oct 26 2009

I like this question–Does the Peace Corps Really Matter?– and the conversations and discussions that it provokes. It brings the idea of the agency back to mind. I have been hearing people since the Nixon years trashing the Peace Corps, all of us were ‘draft dodgers” Tricky Dick said. Eisenhower called us a “juvenile experiment,” and the Daughters of the American Revolution warned of a “yearly drain” of “brains and brawn…for the benefit of “backward, underdeveloped countries.” (A year after all of these “wise” pronouncements, Time magazine declared in a cover story that the Peace Corps was “the greatest single success the Kennedy administration had produced.”) It is good for the agency when the whole idea of ‘The Peace Corps” is in the public currency. The problem today is that while the agency is ‘Mom’s apple pie’ in the minds of most Americans, the next question most Americans ask is: ‘Does the Peace Corps still . . .

Water

Oct 24 2009

The following was the 1998 recipient of the Moritz Thomsen Peace Corps Experience Award presented by Peace Corps Writers for the best short description of life in the Peace Corps. • Water by Rachel Schneller (Mali 1996–98) WHEN A WOMAN CARRIES WATER on her head, you see her neck bend outward behind her like a crossbow. Ten liters of water weighs 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 head height, you duck underneath the pot and place it on the wad of rolled . . .

First National Advisory Council To The Peace Corps

Oct 23 2009

[Jim Sheahan (Sierra Leone 1963-65) was kind enough to send me this list of the first National Advisory Council to the Peace Corps. I thought you’d like to see who what was where when.] NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Honorary Chairman The Honorable William O. Douglas, Associate Justice I Supreme Court, United States Chairman The Honorable Lyndon B. Johnson, Vice President, United States Vice Chairman Dr. Mary Bunting, President, Radcliffe College David E. Lilienthal, Chairman, Development and Resources Corp. Rev. James Robinson, Director, Operation Crossroads Africa Thomas J. Watson, Jr., President, IBM Corp. Members Dr. Leona Baumgartner, Comm. of Health, New York City Joseph Beirne, President, Communications Workers of America Harry Belafonte, New York City Rev. William Sloan Coffin, Chaplain, Yale University LeRoy Collins, President, Natl. Assn. of Broadcasters Rev. John J. Considine, M.M., Director, Latin America Bureau National Catholic Welfare Conference Colonel Henry Crown, General Dynamics Corp. Dr. Albert Dent, President. . . .

Looking For An Agent? The “K” List

Oct 22 2009

Kaliski, Michael Omniquest Entertainment 1416 N. La Brae Ave. Hollywood CA 90028 Reference, Art, Business/Investing/Finance mk@omniquestmedia.com www.omniquestmedia.com Karchmar, Dorian William Morris Agency 1325 Ave. of the Americas New York, NY 10019 Memoir, Parenting (212)903-1100 dkar@wma.com http://www.wma.com Kartsev, Vladimir P. Fort Ross, Inc. Russian-American Publishing Projects 26 Arthur Place Yonkers NY 10701-1703 General Fiction, Reference fort.ross@verizon.net www.fortross.net Kier, Mary Alice Cine/Lit P.O. Box 802918 Santa Clarita, CA 91380 Reference, Art, Narrative Fiction, History cinelit@msn.com Kirkland, Linda Samuel French, Inc. 45 West 25th Street New York, NY 10010 General Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Art, Lifestyle, Narrative Fiction, Religion/Spirituality, Business/Investing/Finance www.samuelfrench.com Klinger, Harvey Harvey Klinger, Inc. 301 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10017 Mystery/Crime Klingerinc@aol.com Knappman, Edward New English Publishing Associates P.O. Box 5 Chester, CT 06412 General Non-Fiction, Biography, Memoirs, Reference, Business/Investing/Finance www.nepa.com Knight, Deidre The Knight Agency P.O. Box 550648 Atlanta, GA 30355 Religion/Spirituality, Women’s/Romance, Children’s, Inspirational, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Advice/Relationships Home Knowlton, . . .

Looking For An Agent? The “J” List

Oct 21 2009

Jackson, Jennifer Dondld Maass Literary Agency 160 West 95th St., Suite 1B New York, NY 10025 Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Women’s/Romance, Graphic Novel, jjackson@maassagency.com Front Page Jacobson, Emilie Curtis Brown Ltd. 10 Astor Place New York, NY 10003 General Fiction, Reference, Parenting, Children’s, History, Politics/Current Affairs, Sci-Fi/Fantasy EJj@CBltd.com www.curtisbrown.com Johnson, Greg Wordserve Literary Group 10152 S. Knoll Circle Highlands Ranch CO 80130 Memoir, Religion/Spirituality, Inspirational, Parenting, Advice/Relationships, Anthology, Narrative Non-Fiction greg@wordserveliterary.com www.wordserveliterary.com

An Idea For The 50th Anniversary Of The Peace Corps

Oct 21 2009

Over the last year we have had a number of meetings taking place within the Peace Corps regarding the 50th Anniversary, meetings organized by the old administration and now with the new director, Aaron Williams. Some of these proposals for what to do on the Anniversary are on the Peace Corps website. Take a look. Representatives of the NPCA have been asked to attend the Peace Corps meetings, but unfortunately they have not been able to bring much influence or many ideas to the table. While the NPCA has a limited membership (maybe 4k) they have a good database of recent RPCVs. The Peace Corps’ lists are longer and more accurate, however. The Peace Corps didn’t track RPCVs until RPCV Carol Bellamy came into the office in 1993. She put together a data base then of about 90,000 names and addresses of RPCVs. The NPCA (since the 25th Reunion in 1986) has had reunions, but not since Kevin Quigley, the CEO and President . . .

Looking For An Agent? The “H” List

Oct 20 2009

Hagan, Peter The Gersh Agency 130 W. 42nd St. New York, NY 10036 Pop Culture, Art, Business/Investing/Finance, General Non-Fiction phagan@gershny.com www.gershagency.com Hamlin, Faith Sanford J. Greenburger Associates 55 Fifth Avenue, 15th Floor New York, NY 10003 Health, science, children’s books, illustrated/art, sports, mystery/crime, Memoirs www.greenburger.com Harding, Elizabeth Curtis Brown Ltd. 10 Astor Place New York, NY 10003 General Fiction, Reference, Parenting, Children’s, History, Politics/Current Affairs, Sci-Fi/Fantasy eharding@CBltd.com Home Harris, Joy Joy Harris Literary Agency, Inc. 156 Fifth Avenue, Suite 617 New York, NY 10010 Women’s/Romance, History/Politics/Current Affairs, Children’s, Business/Investing/Finance, General Fiction gen.office@jhlitagent.com www.globallit.com Harty, Pamela The Knight Agency P.O. Box 550648 Atlanta, GA 30355 Women’s/Rromance, Children’s www.knightagency.net Hawkins, Anne John Hawkins and Associates, Inc. 71 West 23rd St., Suite 1600 New York, NY 10010 General Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Health, Religion/Spirituality, Science, Reference, Children’s anniehawk@aol.com History www.jhaliterary.com Hawkins, Anne John Hawkins and Associates, Inc. 71 West 23rd St., Suite 1600 . . .

Looking For An Agent? The “G” List

Oct 19 2009

Galen, Russell Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency 276 Fifth Ave, Suite 708 New York, NY 10001 Thriller, Science, Mystery/Crime, Children’s, History/Politics/Current Affairs, Sci-Fi/Fantasy russellgalen@sgglit.com www.sgglit.com Geiger, Ellen Frances Goldin Literary Agency 57 E. 11th St., Suite 5b New York, NY 10003 Religion/Spirituality, Children’s, Pop Culture, History/Politics/Current Affairs, Biography eg@goldinlit.com www.goldinlit.com Gelfman, Jane Gelfman Schneider Literary Agents, Inc. 250 West 57th St., Ste. 2515 New York, NY 10107 General Fiction, Reference, Mystery/Crime, Thriller, Health jane@gelfmanschneider.com Gerecke, Jeff Gina Maccoby Literary Agency P.O. Box 60 Chappaqua, NY 10514 True Crime. Mystery/Crime, History/Politics/Current Affairs, Sports, jeff.gerecke@verizon.net Gerwin, Karen The Creative Culture 47 E. 19th St., Third Floor New York, NY 10003 Memoirs, Humor kgerwin@thecreativeculture.com Ghosh, Anna Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency 276 Fifth Ave, Suite 708 New York, NY 10001 Memoirs, History/Politics/Current Affairs, Science, Health, Sci-Fi/Fantasy annaghosh@sgglit.com www.sgglit.com Gillies, Paige Publishers Graphics 231 Judd Road Easton, CT 06612 General Non-Fiction, Reference, Art . . .

Fastest Man In Fort Stewart: General Stanley A. McChrystal

Oct 18 2009

I am not sure how many of you had the opportunity to read “His Long War” by Dexter Filkins in the magazine section of the New York Times today, Sunday, October 18, 2009. Filkins, who first reported from Afghanistan and Pakistan more than a decade ago, is a staff writer for the NYTIMES and the author of The Forever War. He writes about our General Stanley A. McChrystal who has been actively lobbying for a dramatic increase of troops to ‘get the job done’ in Afghanistan. There is a photograph of McChrystal on the magazine cover. He looks gaunt, tired and pathetic, as if he had just run the Boston Marathon, or is playing an extra in one of Stephen King’s Movies, say The Dead Zone! It is a long article and must be read until the very last line, which has the real kicker to the piece. Filkins spent a lot . . .

And The Winner Of The Best Memoir From Latin America Is!

Oct 18 2009

While the Peace Corps writers from Africa have produced many memoirs from their experiences overseas, RPCV writers from Latin America are sadly far behind. Nevertheless, some great memoirs were written by Latin American Vols. While I have to eliminate Green Fires: Assault on Eden, A Novel of the Ecuadorian Rain-Forest, written by Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65), I would have to say there is a lot of memories of her tour are in this novel. Another very fine book, and a memoir, and one of the very first books on the Peace Corps by PCVs, was The Barrios of Manta: A Personal Account of the Peace Corps in Ecuador published in 1965 and written by Rhoda & Earle Brooke (Ecuador 1962-64). Early PCV, Paul Cowen (Ecuador 1966-67), did write his memoir The Making Of An Un-American: A Dialogue with Experience. It was published in 1970. There is some claim to being a Peace Corps Memoir in Craig . . .

RPCV Arsenault Novel Reviewed In NYTIMES

Oct 17 2009

Emily Arsenault (South Africa 2004-06) first novel received a short but glowing review in the New York Times Book Review section on Sunday, November 18. In the Crime column, Marilyn Stasio writes “In her author’s bio we learn that Emily Arsenault wrote this first novel to pass the long, quiet nights in the South African village where she worked as a Peace Corps volunteer. The comfort she took from words–funny words, strange words, words that should have been strangled at birth–is palpable in her oddly endearing coming-of-age story about a recent college graduate who lands a job as an apprentice lexicographer and discovers clues to an unsolved murder embedded in the citation files.”

Looking For An Agent? The “F” List

Oct 16 2009

Finch, Diana Diana Finch Literary Agency 116 W. 23rd St., Suite 500 New York NY 10011 Memoir, General Non-Fiction diana.finch@verizon.net Flannery, Jennifer Flannery Literary Agency 155 S. Washington St., Suite 202 Naperville IL 60540 General Fiction, Reference FlanLit@aol.com Fleishman, Samuel Literary Artists Representatives 575 West End Avenue New York NY 10024 General Fiction, Reference, Narrative Fiction LitArtists@aol.com Fletcher, Christy Fletcher & Parry 78 Fifth Avenue 3rd Floor New York, NY 10001 History/Politics/Current Affairs, Mystery/Crime, Business/Investing/Finance christy@fletcherparry.com Fogelman, Evan The Fogelman Literary Agency 7515 Greenville Avenue, Suite 712 Dallas, TX 75231 General Non-Fiction, Reference evan@fogelman.com Frazier, Warren John Hawkins & Associates 71 West 23rd St., Suite 1600 New York NY 10010 General Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Health, Religion/Spirituality, Science, Reference, Children’s jha@jhalit.com History www.jhaliterary.com Frederick, Dawn Sebastian Literary Agency 2160 Kenwood Way Wayzata, MN 55391 Business/Investing/Finance, Advice/Relationships, Health awn@sebastianagency.com Fredericks, Jeanne Jeanne Fredericks Literary Agency 221 Benedict Hill Road New Canaan, CT 06840 . . .

And The Winner Of The Best Memoir From Africa Is!

Oct 16 2009

Naming the best memoir by an RPCV who served in Africa has stirred some interest. A number of first rate books have been cited, from Mike Tidwell (Zaire 1985-87) The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Sojourn published in 1991, to Kris Holloway’s Monique and the Mango Rains that came out in 2006. What we are seeking is a memoir of the Peace Corps experience, not fiction. Readers seem not to remember a few other good books published by RPCVs. Jason Carter’s account, for example, of being a PCV in South Africa entitled Power Lines published by National Geographic Books in 2002, or Jeanne D’Haem’s (Somalia 1968-70) charming The Last Camel: True Stories About Somalia published by Red Sea Press in 1997, or even Mango Elephants in the Sun by Susana Herrera (Cameroon 1992-94) put out by Shambhala Publications in 1999. Selecting the best book is not easy. Very few readers remember the late Tim McLaurin (Tunisia . . .

Best Memoirs By RPCVs

Oct 15 2009

I am very impressed that so many ( actually only two) RPCVs had anything to say about the “Great Peace Corps novel” so let’s see what we can generate regarding ‘other’ books about the Peace Corps Experience: Peace Corps Memoirs. God knows we have more than a few academic and commercial books, as well as, self published books of what the Peace Corps was like going back to the first days of the agency. The very first Peace Corps memoir (written by an RPCV) is Arnold Zeitlin’s To the Peace Corps with Love published by Doubleday in 1965. Zeitlin was a PCV with the first group of Volunteers to Ghana, in 1961. Zeitlin had been a young reporter before going into the Peace Corps, and after his tour he was a journalist all his life, living around the world until his recent retirement. Another journalist, after his Peace Corps years, is Leonard Levitt. He wrote a terrific book, An African . . .

Review: San Francisco Tenderloin

Oct 14 2009

Will Siegel is a technical writer who also writes fiction and who also served in Ethiopia with Marian Haley Beil and myself back in the day (1962–64). Will went to San Francisco State for his masters degree in creative writing and lived there during the summer of love (and lots more) before moving to New York City, and next to Boston where he has lived for the last twenty plus years. Then and now, he is a fine writer and one of the sweetest guys we know and here he reviews Larry Wonderling’s (PC Staff: COR Puerto Rico 1968–70; Afghanistan 1970-73; early ’80s Central and Latin America; late ’80s Africa) book on a tender and tough spot in San Francisco. San Francisco Tenderloin: True Stories of Heroes, Demons, Angels, Outcasts & a Psychotherapist Expanded Second Edition By Larry Wonderling, Ph.D. Cape Foundation Publications 415 Pages $24.95 Reviewed by William Siegel (Ethiopia 1962-64) Larry . . .