Citizenship | Literature
Select novels, short stories, and nonfiction on contemporary life.
Ben East’s nonfiction debut recounts how JFK’s bold experiment shaped diplomatic careers and influenced modern American diplomacy.
Read, Listen, Watch
-
I can understand if the hygienist wants to talk: it’s the loneliest profession in the world. But why—WHY?—did the person with eight fingers and two implements in my mouth insist on asking questions?
-
Captured along the Shiloh Greenway in Morrisville North Carolina. Lots of pollen and sunshine yesterday. Thunderstorms and heavy rain in the evening. The streets looked painted yellow this morning and the pollen count remains elevated. Touring UNC and have thoughts on that to share tomorrow. ##
-
Ran past a graveyard Lost in the wood Buried in pollen From pines in the sky Celebrated a birthday Singing las manzanitas Eating tacos and chips Guac and mole Test drove an Outback Twenty twenty-five Nice improvement Over the twenty one-one Napped, walked, and YouTubed The SNL cold open Watched college hoops And cleaned up…
-
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.
-
This is not my first time designing a jacket. That turned out disastrously…
-
Spring begins this week. All the harbingers are there: buds on trees, birdsong in plenty, St. Patrick’s Day, notable birthdays, then Friday: Spring.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Turns out I do have a podcast.
-
Rather than do a shrug emoji and move on, I embraced the notoriety, made a quick audio file, and added to the page.
Ben East Books 