The growing income inequality and decreasing social mobility in the U.S. and abroad is a growing concern and, as a fundraiser, I’ve been in touch with some of the wealthiest people in the world and some of the most isolated and at-risk groups. The two books I reviewed reflect this reality, starting with a New York Times best seller on charity and philanthropy, and the “Crossing Class” anthology. But first, I’d like to share my recent visit with award-winning, Guatemalan film Director, Luis Argueta, who hosted screenings of his three films in Tucson and Phoenix. He also visited some of […]

The memory of Senator John McCain strikes an important cord this week due to the politics as usual going on in Washington as of late. “I was an imperfect servant, but I was always a servant,” he said. He was willing to cross party lines for what he considered the better interests of his country. In the late 1990s when I was with Food for the Hungry, I arrived in the wee hours of the morning at Sky Harbor airport, and there was McCain, reading his newspaper alone, no staff, no body- guards, no Lear Jets. In 2012, I visited […]

International travel has been a passion of mine as a time of self-discovery and transformation, and many of my stories are part of my book “Different Latitudes,” which is why it’s now ranked number 66 for “Travel, Central America, Guatemala” on Amazon. The power of travel was also what I discussed with some of the readers at the Barnes and Noble “Authors Event” at Desert Ridge in Scottsdale on July 28th. Barnes and Noble carries my book now so I’ll turn up at other outlets down the line. Special articles and reviews: This is why I’ve written a special review […]

I have some news about a new article as well as some “Cross Border” issues. The article, “My Life in the Land of the Eternal Spring,” is about a chance encounter with my oldest daughter on a coffee plantation in Guatemala and how it impacted my choice of professions. The article has been published in this month’s Ragazine, an online, global publication: http://ragazine.cc/2018/07/mark-walker-creative-nonfiction/. Read the newsletter . . .  

Anthony Bourdain’s untimely death at the age of 61 shocked me and many of his fans, as he’d become an ambassador for the U.S. when we most needed one and used his platform to remind his audience how our lives are intertwined with those in the most remote parts of the world. No matter where he was in the world, his allegiances were clear; he gravitated to people who had been victimized by unjust political or economic systems. Read the newsletter . . .  

First off I’ll be sharing my new video on “The Making of Different Latitudes” as well as a number of special book reviews of two premier travel writers and, at the end, I’ll introduce my “Word of the Day.” “The Making of Different Latitudes” video is brief but powerful. My son, John, was the cameraman and a fellow Returned Peace Corps friend and award winning documentary director, Hal Rifken, directed it while a local video guru, Donald Griffith, edited it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZmJhe-E9rc&feature=youtu.be. Read the newsletter . . .  

I’d like to introduce you to a special book, Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, and my favorite part of the book, Why That Is a Problem and What To Do About it, by Richard Reeves, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. I’ll also have an update on the Rotary/Peace Corps partnership, an overview of an article on the power of philanthropy worldwide and several new book reviews. Read the newsletter . . .  

So far, the highlight for this New Year was an hour-long interview on “Off the Record” here in Phoenix, with Judy Shriener, which included stories from “Different Latitudes” on why/how I joined the Peace Corps, what I learned and also why I joined the board of Partnering for Peace. Judy asks questions which induce her guests to reveal something about their personal lives and motivations. https://starworldwidenetworks.com/episodes/author-mark-d-walker We’ve identified a childhood literacy program in South Africa, which could become the first Rotary/Peace Corps highlighted by a Partnering for Peace video. The Rotary staff I’ve talked with consider it one of the […]

I want to wish all my friends and cohorts a Happy New Year for what should be a very challenging year in many ways. A special thanks to all who voted for me in the Authors Show, “Great Writers You Should be Reading”—my book is now in the Authors Library—just type in “Different Latitudes” as the keyword: https://wnbnetworkwest.com/BookClub.php. Read the newsletter . . .    

I’m pleased to say that “Different Latitudes” received an “Honorable Mention” out of 72 entries at the Arizona Literary Award competition last week. The event was hosted by the Arizona Authors, which is one of the longest established non-profit writers’ organizations in the Southwest. Internationally renowned, the Association sponsors this annual Literary Contest, which includes the publication of the Arizona Literary Magazine, which carries a two-page spread on my book. My wife Ligia, and middle daughter, Nicolle joined some 60 authors celebrating some of the best writing from Arizona and around the country—quite a heady event. I felt the authors […]