Ben East Books

Tag: Peace Corps

  • The first readers

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , ,

    It’s almost twenty years since I first shared my fiction beyond the confines of family or classroom. I found three trusted readers during the months of pre-service training as a Peace Corps Volunteer. What else to do on the dusty plains of Central Malawi beneath the boiling sun, the cloudless sky? I wrote my first novel. I wrote…

  • Peace Corps Writers 2015

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in ,

    The Peace Corps and Returned Peace Corps writing community at Peacecorpsworldwide is seeking nominations for favorite books published in 2015 written by a PCV, RPCV or Peace Corps Staff. I’ve compiled a partial list of the books released last year here, and welcome feedback on additional titles, reviews, and links. Paul Cowan Non-Fiction Award  First given in…

  • MFA Program for RPCVs and PCVs

    MFA Program for RPCVs and PCVs

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in ,

    Reposting this opportunity for the Peace Corps community to earn an MFA. Original content from Peace Corps Worldwide: Are you inspired by your Peace Corps service? Do you have an affinity for writing? Looking to write a memoir or book about your Peace Corps experience? John Coyne (RPCV Ethiopia 1962-64), editor of Peace Corps Worldwide, has…

  • a diplomatic noir

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in , , , ,

    At PeaceCorpsWorldwide author and reviewer John Rouse calls Two Pumps for the Body Man “Reminiscent of Joseph Heller’s famous and equally hilarious anti-war novel Catch-22.” Ben East’s humorous yet deadly serious diplomatic noir  Two Pumps for the Body Man should be required reading for any youngster contemplating a foreign service career along the conflict-torn borders of the vast American empire. It’s…

  • Short Fiction–Swimming

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in ,

    Peace Corps Worldwide carried the following review of Karl Luntta’s Swimming from SUNY press. One thing is certain for foreigners at work in much of Africa: the proverbs can be as colorful as they are vague, utilitarian as they are vexing. The truth can emerge—or remain obscured—with a single phrase. Truth, in these proverbs, lies in the…

  • Peace Corps Week–Third Goal

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in

    Peace Corps Week celebrates President Kennedy’s establishment of the Peace Corps on March 1, 1961. This year is the 55th anniversary of the Peace Corps, and service never ends. Peace Corps Volunteers go on to become Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), because there is always the third goal: bringing the experience home to promote a better understanding…

  • “Blog Thing”

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in ,

    Two years ago I published my first book review. It was for a work of non-fiction by Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Bryant Wieneke. A returned volunteer myself, I did the review to satisfy a couple of urges. First, it was a service to a comrade, albeit one I’d never met. But we had the same fire…

  • One Dead Cop: the Wattpad Experiment

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in

    My Wattpad experiment comes to an end. I’ll publish my conclusions next week. For now, here is the rest of One Dead Cop. Pick up where you left off below, or read from Part I. 4 Palm Massacre Darko’s voice comes hushed and urgent over the phone. I have something for you. An accident? Fitch…

  • Peace Corps Writer Awards 2014

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in

    Vote for your favorite Peace Corps Book of 2014. People in the Peace Corps community know well the agency’s three goals: To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served To promote a better…

  • Dundee International Book Prize

    —

    by

    Ben East
    in

    Two weeks until the February 15th deadline for submitting your manuscript to this year’s Dundee International Book Prize. Curious about what floats their boat? Read last year’s shortlisted works: My manuscript Sea Never Dry, thick with crooked cops, fetish priests, Internet fraudsters, and orphans turning a buck off a West African e-waste dump, made last year’s cut. Read the excerpt below. Now,…