The ensuing coronavirus pandemic has caught most of our attention over the last few weeks, and possibly for the foreseeable future. As is the case with many authors, I’m used to “hunkering down” in my home office writing away, so this is not that big a deal. On the positive side, the pandemic has breached several myths, which needed to be exposed. First off, the “America First” and we can go it alone has failed miserably when international communication and cooperation can save lives. The impact of global travel is most evident in New York City, which is now the […]

Starting the year off right with a three-page feature article on our Guatemala immigration documentary in the February issue of Revue Magazine! The focus is the making of the film production and provides an overview of what the documentary is about, and why it’s timely, with a link to our website and the trailer of the film. http://www.revuemag.com/2020/02/guatemala-trouble-in-the-highlands-mark-d-walker/. Read the newsletter . . .

2019 has brought on many nuances in cross-border, immigration issues and philanthropy, which I’ve tried to stay on top of. A year ago, I teamed up with director and cinematographer, Hal Rifken, to produce a documentary titled after the essay you can read by clicking once and then again on the article, which is on page 82. https://issuu.com/revue/docs/revue_magazine_september_2019?fr=sOTIwODE4NzMw. After adding team members Alana DeJoseph and Tracy Cring, “Guatemala: Trouble in the Highlands” has a trailer and new website. The “Resource” center includes all of my articles on immigration as well as recommended readings to better understand the situation in Guatemala. […]

I just received a 30-year membership pin from the President of AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) as a milestone to my commitment to my profession and the power of philanthropy, “…we know that over that time, you’ve made an indelible and long-lasting impact upon your cause, our community and the world.” Read the newsletter . . .

“Hugs not Walls: Reuniting the Children,” which is part of my series of articles on immigration, placed second at Saturday night’s Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest held at the Moon Valley Country Club here in Phoenix and will be included in their Arizona Literary Magazine. Over 50 attended the banquet. Also, my article, “Justice and Responsibility: The Plight of the Immigrants from Guatemala,” is now available at “Quail Bell Magazine”. http://www.quailbellmagazine.com/the-real-20/essay-migrant-caravans-and-social-justice.  Read the newsletter . . .

I’ve just learned that my essay, “Hugs Not Walls: Returning the Children,” is a finalist in the Arizona Authors Association literary competition where my book, “Different Latitudes” was recognized two years ago and is now ranked 22nd for “Guatemala Travel Guide”! The essay is one piece of a multi-part series on the challenges of migration into the U.S. and will be published in the 2020 Arizona Literary Magazine. I’ll learn the results at the awards ceremony in early November. In the meantime, I continue to wait with infinite patience for my articles to drop in “The Scarlet Leaf Review” and […]

Upon returning from vacation, I was confronted with an offer to become the CEO of “Better Soils Better Lives,” which has developed techniques around soil restoration as a solution to global hunger and includes some interesting carbon dioxide extraction technologies so important in dealing with climate change. I’d worked with Roland at World Neighbors, and knew him from his classic book on agricultural extension, “Two Ears of Corn.” He’s worked on agricultural development for as long as I have worked in fundraising and covered 50 countries. He’s been nominated for the Global 500 Award, the End the Hunger Prize of […]

This has been an eventful month with two new articles, a presentation at the Phoenix Writers Club and participation in the Peace Corps Connect Conference at the University of Texas in Austin. My trip to Austin was complicated by my driver’s license having expired, (we get it for five years in Arizona and they don’t let you know when it expires…) so I spent over an hour at Sky Harbor International Airport getting patted down and everything in my luggage getting checked for drugs – and it was worse on the way back! On Sunday morning in Austin, the lines […]