Dear Colleagues and Fellow Writers from Around the World, I have some compelling stories of the Arizona Authors Association Contest, what I heard when listening to my “SoftPower” interview and an update on My Saddest Pleasures. A heads up on the impact of financial inequality in the U.S. in Culture Watch a new book and movie review in What We’re Reading and Viewing and Why a few inspirational quotes in What Others Are Saying plus an updated Calendar. But first, as “Giving Tuesday” which was established to encourage generosity and community giving around the world is upon us, let’s make […]
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My Latest Journey to Guatemala with a Granddaughter, The Million Mile Walker Dispatch, August 2025
Dear friends and fellow travelers from around the world, Anna, Mark and our tour guide, Juan One of the highlights of my recent trek to Guatemala with my twenty-one-year-old granddaughter Anna was birdwatching for some of the 700 bird species at the Finca San Cayetano, at the foot of the Volcanoes of Fuego and Acatenango. We saw the colorful, green parrots as well as exotic birds with strange, long tails (our altitude was too low to see the elusive quetzal). Volcanoes El Fuego and Acatenango By far, the most exciting part of the trip was the 5.7 earthquake that occurred […]
Continue readingGuatemala: Lineage and Racism by Maria Elena Casaús Arzú, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
As a long-time student and writer on Guatemala, I’ve often pondered the country’s inequality and the extreme power of its elite. Although written over thirty years ago, Guatemala: Lineage and Racism goes a long way in explaining it. The author brings a unique perspective to this meticulous study as she is a descendant of one of those elite families. She traces the phenomenon from colonial conquest to contemporary neoliberalism. And her genealogical approach—tracing the intermarriages, business alliances, and ideological continuities among elite families—offers a blueprint for understanding how power reproduces itself across generations. The author identifies twenty-two oligarchic families who […]
Continue readingMy Latest Journey to Guatemala: With a Granddaughter! And a New Chapter for the Million Mile Walker Dispatch, July edition 2025
Dear friends and fellow travelers from around the world, Anna, Mark and our tour guide, Juan One of the highlights of my recent trek to Guatemala with my twenty-one-year-old granddaughter Anna was birdwatching for some of the 700 bird species at the Finca San Cayetano, at the foot of the Volcanoes of Fuego and Acatenango. We saw the colorful, green parrots as well as exotic birds with strange, long tails (our altitude was too low to see the elusive quetzal). Volcanoes El Fuego and Acatenango By far, the most exciting part of the trip was the 5.7 earthquake that […]
Continue readingGuatemala Bound: With A Granddaughter! Million Mile Walker Dispatch, June 2025
Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, Today, I’ll roll out the plans for our next trip to Guatemala. The No Kings events will be the focus of Culture Watch. Then, it’s ‘What We’re Reading and Why,’ a new Scanning Project segment, ‘What Others Are Saying,’ plus an updated Calendar. We’re going to Guatemala with our 20-year-old granddaughter, Ali, as part of our master plan to introduce our grandkids to other languages and cultures, as well as the birthplace of their parents and grandmother. On our last trip, I heard complaints that we were seeing too many things and […]
Continue readingReader Views Book Review of The Guatemala Reader, October, 2024
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness… Charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime. This quote by Mark Twain, from The Innocents Abroad, well sums up “The Guatemala Reader: Extraordinary Lives and Amazing Stories.” Mark D. Walker’s compelling collection of essays shines a light on a country many of us in the Western world know little about. Through these essays, Guatemala emerges as a complex nation shaped by diverse ethnicities and a painful history of exploitation. Yet within these realities a vital and intelligent people […]
Continue readingThe Moritz Project & A Setback for Global Freedom of Expression: The Million Mile Walker Dispatch, March April Edition 2025
Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, This month’s Dispatch will be a “Twofer” for several reasons—first, it is the March and April edition, and the second one is revealed below. I’ve completed my latest essay on Moritz Thomsen which will be part of my next book. I share a revelation from my latest presentation for the Phoenix Writers Club and make a shout out about the work of SEEDS for the Future. Culture Watch will include setbacks on global freedom of expression, followed by What We’re Reading and Why, What Others Are Saying, plus an updated Calendar. I’ve received […]
Continue readingLos Nawales: The Ancient Ones Merchants, Wives and overs: the Creation Story of MaXimon by Vincent James Stanzione, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
Reviewed by Mark D. Walker During a recent visit to Guatemala, my Guatemalan wife picked this book up at the Museum Miraflores, which focuses on the ancient city of Kaminaljuyu. My grandchildren were fascinated with an interactive exhibit to identify one’s “Nawales” or ancient ones. After reading the book, I realized it offered a rare window into Maya Cosmology. Vincent James Stanzione’s limited edition work (one of only 750 printed copies) offers readers an extraordinary glimpse into the enigmatic cult of Maximon and the complex spiritual landscape of contemporary Maya communities around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Francisco Goldman (The Are […]
Continue readingThe Making of the Moritz Thomsen Reader–a New Book, The Million Mile Walker Dispatch, February Edition 2025
Friends and Colleagues from Around the World, This year, I’m working on a new book, The Moritz Thomsen Reader. I’ll outline the initial plan, ask for input, and end with an updated Calendar. But first, click on the Poster above to see the latest Arizona Authors Association Digest, which includes the Million Mile Walker Review on top books for 2024 (pg. 23), a sighting of my latest book in Antigua Guatemala (pg. 10) and my critique of Paul Theroux’s essay on Expats, as well as my latest essay on traveling with granddaughters (pg. 54). Moritz is part of a talented […]
Continue readingMy Take on Paul Theroux’s Reality Check for Expats
Paul Theroux, one of the most prolific Returned Peace Corps travel writers, provides an insightful rendition of the plight of expats. He reminds us with a quote from obnoxious nativist Pap Finn from the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that Americans have complained about the state of affairs here, and many have acted on the threat to find refuge abroad, which is ironic today when millions are putting their lives at risk coming here. Those leaving often are looking for something new, according to Theroux. Pap Finn’s rant, “A man can’t get his rights in a government like this. Sometimes I […]
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