I’ve seen Bernard-Henri Lévy on PBS, Amanpour, and Democracy Now over the last few months, and my middle daughter, who studied in France, gifted me this book. I soon learned that the author is a renowned public intellectual/philosopher who has reported on human rights abuses worldwide for over 50 years. This book follows the intrepid Lévy into eight international hotspots—Nigeria; Syrian and Iraqi Kurdistan; Ukraine; Somalia; Bangladesh; Lesbos, Greece; Libya; and Afghanistan—that have escaped global attention or active response. He describes an “inner compass” as motivating him to travel and report on disastrous situations like this, “for indeed, it is […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Book Reviews: About Writing
Million Mile Walker Dispatch, Daily Rituals That Enhance a Writer’s Productivity and Creativity, March Issue, 2023
Dear Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, Let’s explore what makes artists most productive based on their daily rituals, and I’ll reveal some of my secrets in Culture Watch. My Writing and Reviews will include an overview of my forthcoming book and my movie review of a coming-of-age story of a nine-year-old who aspires to become a writer. I’ll also introduce a new podcast based on a revealing interview with the most successful author published today, J.K. Rowling. We’ll learn What Others Are Saying, and Voices in Action will include more pearls of wisdom from fellow writers, plus […]
Continue readingWriting on the Edge: A Borderlands Reader, by Tom Miller, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve gotten to know the author over the years based on a shared appreciation of iconic writer Moritz Thomsen, whom Tom met in Ecuador. He accompanied me to the University of Arizona Library, which acquired his archives, including six boxes of materials on Thomsen that I used to research and write several articles. With Tom’s help, I’d write my anthology, Moritz Thomsen: The Greatest American Writer Nobody Knows About. Tom and I also share a love of travel and travel writing. His best-known book, The Panama Hat Trail, is one of my all-time favorites, and I was impressed to learn […]
Continue readingThe Green Pope by Miguel Angel Asturias, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I initially read this book years ago in Spanish but decided to read and review it in English as its story is so relevant to the challenges facing Guatemala today. I’m also producing a documentary on immigration and social justice challenges in Guatemala, Trouble in the Highlands and this book deals with land tenure and the control of land by international/U.S. corporations. And the author is a Nobel Prize winner for literature. Much of my documentary and Asturias’s works are inspired by the Maya culture in the highlands of Guatemala. This is an overarching theme which influenced the […]
Continue readingThe Scandal of the Century and Other Writings by Gabriel García Márquez, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
“I don’t want to be remembered for One Hundred Years of Solitude, nor for the Nobel Prize, but rather for the newspaper. I was born a journalist and today I feel more than ever that I am a reporter. It’s in my blood.” After all the accolades of his fiction writing, few appreciate how important journalism was to Marquez and overlook the importance to journalism to learning to tell a story and writing fiction. The author’s strong political sensitivity and involvement was impacted by the political violence which interrupted his academic. In April 1948 the assassination of the charismatic politician […]
Continue readingAuthor Interview in SIETAR Newsletter (Soc. Intercultural Education, Training & Research) on Moritz Thomsen
CRAIG STORTI BOOKMARKS: LIVING POOR AND THE SADDEST PLEASURE 14 Dec 2020 8:26 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator) TWO BY MORITZ THOMSEN: Living Poor and The Saddest Pleasure Reviewed by Craig Storti There’s a movement afoot (led in part by Mark Walker, see the interview below) to elevate Moritz Thomsen to the status of a Very Important Writer, someone whose books stay in print for generations and get assigned in college literature classes, someone whose name every well-read person should know. And we here at BookMarks are happy to do our part. We briefly mentioned Thomsen in one of our previous columns (where we reviewed […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: Virginia Woolf: A Writer’s Diary
Virginia Woolf: A Writer’s Diary Edited by Leonard Woolf Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I knew that Virginia Woolf was one of the major literary figures of the twentieth century and understood that she’s transformed the art of the novel with her ground- breaking works of Mrs. Dalloway and To the Lighthouse. I’d soon learn that she was the author of numerous collections of letters, journals and short stories and an admired literary critic and master of the essay, so she was someone I needed to become familiar with. I assumed that she was also the inspiration of Edward Albee’s […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: The Business of Being a Writer
The Business of Being a Writer By Jane Friedman Reviewed by Mark D. Walker “Every writer needs tough love. Typically, that’s delivered by your editor as you’re writing the book. But where’s the tough love once your book is ready for the world? It’s in here and its Jane.” I learned about this book along with another, Daily Rituals, by Mason Curren from the speakers at a Phoenix Writers Network meeting several months ago. Curren’s book provides inspirational stories from writers, composers, artists and filmmakers on how the artists produce their creations, But then the question becomes, how do we […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King Reviewed by Mark D. Walker I’ve never read one of Stephen King’s books, nor do I remember seeing any of the movies based on his books, but what author can ignore a book on how to write by the critically acclaimed, million-copy bestselling writer? One piece of advice stands out, which he repeats several times and it’s worth repeating: He goes on to say, “Yet there is a learning process going on. Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have […]
Continue readingBook Review – About Writing: DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? WHY WRITING WELL MATTERS
BOOK REVIEW OF “DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? WHY WRITING WELL MATTERS” By Harold Evans Reviewed by Mark D. Walker June 12, 2017 After writing my first book I felt it was time to return to the “classroom” and sit by the side of one of the best editors and authors of our time and continue working on my art. I was not disappointed. The insights on good writing permeated the entire book, and as an added benefit the book was filled with insightful commentary on our times presented with both cutting humor and satire, and the graceful charm the […]
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