Citizenship | Literature
Select novels, short stories, and nonfiction on contemporary life.
What began as a bold experiment in grassroots service produced future ambassadors whose courage would guide U.S. diplomacy through seven decades of war, peace, and social change.
Read, Listen, Watch
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Today I fulfilled a long-held aspiration, joining the editorial board of the Foreign Service Journal. For nearly a quarter century this storied publication has followed me around the world from Jeddah to Nicaragua and Mexico City to Mumbai.
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This is not my first time designing a jacket. That turned out disastrously…
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Spring begins this week. All the harbingers are there: buds on trees, birdsong in plenty, St. Patrick’s Day, notable birthdays, then Friday: Spring.
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From the first generation of Peace Corps Volunteers emerged 50 future ambassadors, protagonists in some of our nation’s most dramatic events over the last 65 years.
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I almost forgot I’d started a podcast called Backstory, inspired by heavy traffic to a book review published in 2015. At the time I recorded two more reviews and never got around to sharing. Here’s my new audio, with an updated show name: Backstory with Ben East.
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Turns out I do have a podcast.
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Rather than do a shrug emoji and move on, I embraced the notoriety, made a quick audio file, and added to the page.
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I like that Jimmy Carter wanted Imagine sung at his funeral.
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“Be obsessed. Obsession is a very good thing.”
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Go Big, Write Big, said nobody ever.
Ben East Books 