2006.08.11: August 11, 2006: Headlines: Figures: Writers: COS - Ethiopia: Speaking Out: Peace Corps Writers: John Coyne writes: Why aren't there more Peace Corps Writers at the 2006 National Book Festival
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2006.08.11: August 11, 2006: Headlines: Figures: Writers: COS - Ethiopia: Speaking Out: Peace Corps Writers: John Coyne writes: Why aren't there more Peace Corps Writers at the 2006 National Book Festival
John Coyne writes: Why aren't there more Peace Corps Writers at the 2006 National Book Festival
"Here we are in the middle of a half dozen wars around the world and our Peace Corps writers have lived in these countries, written about the peoples and the societies, know more about the developing world than the majority of Americans, and none of them are given the opportunity to read and talk about their experiences overseas to a gathering of Americans who live and visit our nation’s capital and want to know what the realities are on the Arab, African, Asian streets of the world? Hello? Is anyone listening? Is anyone paying attention? Talk about wasting [and not paying attention to] a great resource….Peace Corps Writers!"
John Coyne writes: Why aren't there more Peace Corps Writers at the 2006 National Book Festival
National Book Festival features Lucia St. Clair Robson
The 2006 National Book Festival, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 7th and 14th streets. The festival is free and open to the public. This is the sixth year of the Book Festival and one of the writers who will be at the event is our own Lucia St. Clair Robson (Venezuela 1964–66).
We interviewed Lucia awhile back on the PeaceCorpsWriters site: http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/2005/0507/507talklrobson.html
Lucia is the author of several well received historical novels, including the Golden Spur Award winner Ride the Wind and Golden Spur finalist Ghost Warrior: Lozen of the Apaches. Her most recent book is Shadow Patriots (Forge, 2005). If you email Lucia at her site: www.luciastclairrobson.com/ she will tell her where you can find her. Or contact the summer intern, Rachelle Lacroix at rachelle.lacroix@fleishman.com..
The National Book Festival will have, Rachelle Lacroix says, “more than 70 well-known authors, illustrators and poets discussing their work in various pavilions, including “Children,” “Teens & Children,” “Fiction & Fantasy,” “Mysteries & Thrillers,” “History & Biography,” “Home & Family” and “Poetry.”
As far as I can see, only one Peace Corps writer is involved in this fair. I don’t think this is Rachelle’s fault. However, Jim Billington of the Library of Congress and hostess, the First Lady, are responsible, I believe.
How could they not invite writers like: Milly Taylor (Ethiopia 1965-67); Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65); Larry Leamer (Nepal 1965-67); Marnie Mueller (Ecuador 1963-65); Mike Tidwell (Zaire 1985-87); Mary-Ann Tirone Smith (Cameroon 1965-67); Norm Rush (Botswana 1978-83); P.F. Kluge (Micronesia 1967-69); Richard Lipez (Ethiopia 1962-64); Roland Merullo (Micronesia 1979-80); Richard Wiley (Korea 1967-69); Karen Lynn William (Malawi 1980-83); Tony Zurlo (Nigeria 1964-66); Tony D’Souza (Cote D’Ivoire 2000–020, Madagascar 2002–03); Bill Barich (Nigeria 1964-66); Ann Neelon (Senegal 1978-79); Peter Hessler (China 1996-98); George Packer (Togo 1982-83); Mark Brazaitis (Guatemala 1991–93);Thurston Clarke (Tunisia 1968); Kathleen Coskran (Ethiopia 1965-67); Kent Haruf (Turkey 1965–67); Bob Shacochis (Eastern Caribbean 1975-77); Monique Maria Schmidt (Benin 1998–2000) and dozens of other fine writers from the Peace Corps? These writers have won AT LEAST these awards: National Book, Pen/Faulkner, Pushcard Prize, Whiting Award, Anhinga Prize for Poetry, Iowa Short Fiction, Associated Writing Prize, Alex Award from the American Library Association, Newberry.
What gives? As I said, I’m not blaming Rachelle Lacroix. She is, after all, only a summer intern, and we have all “been there, done that.” However, I know Mrs. Bush reads; she is a big fan of Kinky Friedman (Borneo 1967-69). We can’t blame the president as he is not a reader….who then?
Here we are in the middle of a half dozen wars around the world and our Peace Corps writers have lived in these countries, written about the peoples and the societies, know more about the developing world than the majority of Americans, and none of them are given the opportunity to read and talk about their experiences overseas to a gathering of Americans who live and visit our nation’s capital and want to know what the realities are on the Arab, African, Asian streets of the world? Hello? Is anyone listening? Is anyone paying attention? Talk about wasting [and not paying attention to] a great resource….Peace Corps Writers!
I’m asking Rachelle to look into this matter and to get back to me. We’ll see how she does as I have great faith the woman.
Meanwhile, if you are in D.C. and can go to the Mall stop by and talk to Lucia St. Clair Robson, who is a lovely person, and who Laura Bush had the good sense to invite.
p.s. Rachelle says you can check out their website for updates: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/.
When this story was posted in August 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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