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 […]

As the pressure and chaos at our southern border continues to grow, I’m taking a look at a few of the reasons why so many are streaming down from Central America. Watch for my soon to be published article in WorldView Magazine, where I’ll join with two other Returned Peace Corps authors to explore this issue in more depth. This month’s special review is The Art of Political Murder: Who Killed the Bishop? by the Guatemalan, American-award winning author, Francisco Goldman. Click on the Million Mile Walker poster to get your copy of the review of this fascinating tale on […]

My recent research trip to the University of Arizona Special Collection for correspondence of revered travel author, Moritz Thomsen, has surfaced a most amazing find—his last manuscript has just been published – 28 years after his death! I consider it equal to his other four masterpieces, as I found several literary gems. “Bad News on the Black Coast,” which includes 30 vignettes reflecting on poverty, life, death, why the proliferation of thievery amongst the people he loved and lived with for thirty years, and a story about what connects authors around the creative process. Click on my poster for your […]

Earlier this month, the “Godfather of contemporary travel writing,” and author of over 45 fiction and nonfiction works plus 134 essays written over 53 years, Paul Theroux, commented on my article in WorldView, “Living Poor,” and threw out an idea for a future project: Mark Thanks very much. Your piece about “Living Poor” in WorldView is worthy of the man. A British publisher, Eland Press in London, is reissuing Moritz’s books – they just asked me if they could use my intro for nothing, and in the spirit of Moritz, I said yes. Actually, I think Moritz would have had […]

I’m pleased to announce that my Guatemalan filmmaker friend, Luis Argueta, was selected to receive the Harris Wofford Global Citizens award! Luis was the focus of my recently published article in Revue Magazine, http://www.revuemag.com/…/luis-argueta-telling-the-stories…/ and together with fellow RPCV, Ken Lehman, we submitted letters in support of Luis’s nomination. I plan to attend the Peace Corps Connect Conference at the University of Texas in Austin this June 22nd-23d, where the prestigious award will be presented! https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/articles/announcing-the-2019-harris-wofford-global-citizen-award-winner-luis-argueta-of-guatemala?fbclid=IwAR3GZiCdIgihLpEX5zh-uK783H_8Ae27s8NhEBmg2YqJi4JpHBBzTy-z7PU. Read the newsletter . . .