Dear Colleagues and Friends from Around the World,
This month, you can click on the poster above to access an Ad in the Arizona Authors Association Literary Magazine, “Two Arizona Authors Celebrate Their Passion For Guatemala.” Earl de Berge is the other author, and he’s a poet and co-founder of Seeds for a Future, which we highlight as well. I highlighted him and his wife Susanne in The Guatemala Reader, “Allegro to Guatemala: An Expatriate Journey Through the Land of Eternal Spring.” Earl recruited me to their board, and we all lived in Guatemala and are still working to support Guatemalans.
The big news is that The Guatemalan Reader received The BookFest Award for Nonfiction Travel: Self Discovery and Travel Journals. The Guatemala Reader – The BookFest So, I’m stoked!
I also have a new Culture Watch, What Others Are Saying, What We’re Reading & Watching, and Why?, and an updated Calendar.
But first, here’s what I consider the best review of The Guatemala Reader from Reader Views. It’s very insightful and addresses one of the major concerns of an author, the impact our book has on the reader:
Reading “The Guatemala Reader” left me with a profound sense of humility and how very little I actually know of the world. Living in North America, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking the rest of the world operates similarly to our own, yet Mr. Walker’s work serves as a powerful reminder that this is far from the case. In many of the most difficult circumstances we face in our own culture, we still have far more than those in countries like Guatemala. The essays in this book opened my eyes not only to the struggles of the people in Guatemala but also to the different challenges people face around the world.
…Regardless, “The Guatemala Reader” offers not just information but perspective—a vital tool for understanding our place in the world and the many lives that exist beyond our own. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in expanding their worldview and challenging their assumptions.
Here’s the entire review: “The Guatemala Reader” by Mark D. Walker – Reader Views Book Reviews
And one reader who confirms how a book can impact assumptions:
I’m reading Guatemala Reader right now, and those accolades are richly deserved. And the window is opening — I’m learning so much. Kixx🖤Dr. Kixx Goldman
Psychologist, Coach, and Author
Culture Watch
Threats to a viable free press are occurring both here and abroad. In Guatemala, Jose Ruben Zamora is given house arrest after more than 2 years in prison, falsely accused of money laundering when, in fact, it was for uncovering corruption in the previous administration. He’s the respected editor of “El Periodico,” and his incarceration represents a crumbling democracy and press freedom in Guatemala–a threat we’re experiencing in the U.S. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/18/world/americas/guatemala-journalist-prison-democracy.html?ogrp=ctr&unlocked_article_code=1.V04.5v47.LgA8a29f-EkY&smid=url-share.
Former President Trump continued his threats to revoke government licensing for news outlets like CBS, NBC & even Fox, which represent a major threat to freedom of the press & democracy. The head of the Federal Communications Commission denounced the threats, Not to mention the fear-mongering search for “The Enemy Within,” which includes journalists who haven’t been throwing “softball” questions at the former President. Trump’s growing threats to strip broadcast licenses send chills across industry | CNN Business
What Others Are Saying
In response to my last newsletter, “Ode to Travel Writers.:”
Mark, I have always loved to travel. So, I went immediately to your article. I enjoyed it and will reread Theroux’s book. I can no longer travel very far but do so vicariously now through folks like you. Marie Fasano, Freelance Photojournalist, Past President Arizona Professional Writers, Inc.
How Mark Walker finds the time and energy for all of his efforts, humanitarian and creative, is truly mind-boggling for me. I just read some of the reviews he has written and some written about his books, and both are of a caliber that inspires me to up my game. That Walker, like me, cut his teeth in Guatemala in the Peace Corps also resonates with the making of myself as a man in my Peace Corps experience in Gabon (1981-83). I hooked up with Mark on the Peace Corps Worldwide blog, where he was awarded Best Travel Book of the Year. This is an author well worth … trying to keep up with, and one can’t go wrong with any of his books or hundreds of reviews. Mark the walker Walker has magic in his stride and gold in his heart. Eric Madeen, Author of Water on the Soul, teaches in Tokyo.
Mark, I don’t know what to say. Your review is amazing and makes me love the book even more . Many thanks.Bernadette Inclan, Author/Writer
The Perils of Beginnings
What We’re Reading, Writing, Viewing, and Why?
I recently returned from Guatemala with my wife, Ligia, and here’s the essay inspired by the trip, which was published in Literary Yard, where I’m a contributing writer. This is my fourth and, naturally, my best essay! “Traveling Through Guatemala With Granddaughters” was a story of how age impacts how/where we travel and why. Part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series—I started with traveling “Solo,” then “In Tandem,” “With Kids,” and now “With Granddaughters.” We brought 9- and 22-year-old grandkids, which could be the most challenging phase, and we have eight grandkids! Yikes! Traveling Through Guatemala with Granddaughters – Literary Yard
Here’s my latest cross-border book review. The author extensively researched this 500-year family history and took five years to write it–and it was worth waiting for! The book is especially timely during a time when our neighbors from the South are often disparaged and misunderstood. This story helps establish the role people from Mexico and Native Americans had in settling the areas on both sides of our southern border. The author is a fellow member of the Phoenix Writers Club, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary! Here’s the review: The Perils of Beginnings by Bernadette Inclan, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker – Million Mile Walker
This marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary film. El Silencio de Neto. The Director, Luis Arqueta, was a pioneer in Guatemalan cinematography, which explored the history of Guatemala and reflected on the social and cultural fabric of the country. He received the highest award from the Guatemalan government for his work, the Orden del Quetzal. His focus is immigration, and a quarter of The Guatemala Reader is about his insights into the human suffering and survival of immigrants from Central America. Algunas reflexiones del cine guatemalteco a 30 años de ‘El Silencio de Neto’
Calendar
- November 2, The Arizona Authors Association celebration of the winners of our literary contest (I’m a proud board member, and one of my books and two essays have been recognized over the years.)
- November 16, Saturday, 10-12: a joint meeting of the Phoenix Writers Club and the Arizona Authors Association for a presentation by Danielle Hampson, founder of The Authors Show, who will speak on leveraging three powerful marketing tools for writers. Devonshire Senior Center, 2802 E. Devonshire Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85016; Cost is $10 members, $15 guests.
- November 8, SEEDS for a Future Board of Directors meeting—the fundraising committee. Seeds for a Future – A Unique Food Security Program in Guatemala
You can find my 80 book reviews and 28 articles, plus several videos and photos, on my website, including a reduced price for my new book if you read it and pass it along to your local library: http://millionmilewalker.com. “Follow” me on Twitter—at https://twitter.com/millionmile, Substack- Mark D Walker | Substack – and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/millionmilewalker/ for the latest international affairs and literature. And please share the link to the sign-up page to the Dispatch for any friends you think will enjoy it. Million Mile Walker Newsletter – Million Mile Walker.
And, as always, if you’ve read “Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, the Best Travel Book according to the Peace Corps Writers, and of course, my most recent book, The Guatemala Reader, please review and rate them on Amazon and Goodreads.
Shalom!
Mark D. Walker