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 […]
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The Vanishing Point: Stories by Paul Theroux, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve read and reviewed the last seven books from the “Dean of Travel Writing,” Paul Theroux. I wrote my latest book, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, in honor and appreciation of Theroux and another travel writer, “who personally knew and was inspired by Moritz Thomsen and passed their enthusiasm on to me.” Thomsen wrote the Peace Corps experience classic, Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. Theroux’s book, The Tao of Travel, celebrates 50 years of travel writing and inspired my series, “The Yin & Yang of Travel.” Theroux is probably the most prolific of the Returned Peace Corps writers, with […]
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 readingNeighbors: Oral History from Madera California Vol. 4 by Lawrence Lihosit, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
Over the years, I’ve read and reviewed several of the twenty books of fellow author and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer “Lorenzo” Lihosit. He was a volunteer in Honduras and married a lady from Mexico, and I was a volunteer in Guatemala and married a señorita from there. I used his Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir to write my first book, Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond, proofed his Oral History from Madera, California, and agreed with the Madera Tribune, “The best of its kind in print. Like Volume 1, the author offers real-life stories by citizens of Madera, California. […]
Continue readingPeace Corps Epiphanies: Panama by Anson K. Lihosit, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve written my own Peace Corps memoir and reviewed many others of fellow RPCV writers, so when my author friend and fellow RPCV writer, Lawrence Lihosit mentioned that his son was also a Peace Corps Volunteer and had written a book about his experience, I offered to review his book. Lawrence is a prolific writer and I just recently reviewed his latest book, Those Who Are Gone, which is about a time long past in my own community of Scottsdale, Arizona. I also used one of his 17 books, Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir to write my […]
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 […]
Continue readingThe Dog Who Came for Christmas by Jody Sharpe, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I’ve read and reviewed four of the author’s Mystic Bay series books, and like her five other books, this one proves the power of the human spirit to move on despite incredible tragedy and personal loss. The author’s daughter, Kate, was killed in a tragic accident, and then her husband died. And during a difficult period where many would have succumbed to despair, Jody had a dream in which a voice told her to read “Charlotte’s Web,” by E.V. White, a children’s book. Initially, she didn’t know why she should read it until the last line of the text revealed […]
Continue readingBig Ears Jack and Friends by Earl Vincent de Berge, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I met the author and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix, discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women in Guatemala, to improve family access to food and nutrition. I soon learned that we shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest, and that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet. I was surprised to learn that he started writing as far back as 1959 and is publishing this spring an autographical novel laced with […]
Continue readingSo, What’s a Writer to Do? Million Mile Walker Dispatch December, 2024 edition
Dear Colleagues and Friends from Around the World, Thanksgiving greetings to one and all! You can click on the poster above to access the latest Arizona Authors Association Dispatch (AAA), which includes accomplishments and my latest book review, as well as several essays and resources from top authors of the AAA. This month, I’ll focus on the writer’s role in this ever-more violent and complex world. 2024 was a year with unprecedented violence, record immigrant displacement, a growth with human trafficking, growing inequality, greater levels of misinformation, political abuse, and hatred against the “enemy from within,” which includes immigrants as […]
Continue readingVagabond Dreams: Road Wisdom from Central America by Ryan Murdock, Reviewed by Mark D. Walker
I met the author through his podcast, Personal Landscapes: Conversations on Books About Place, which included interviews with some of my favorite authors: Paul Theroux on Orwell and Burma Sahib, Thomas Swick: Life in Cold War Poland, Nicholas Shakespeare on Ian Fleming, Barnaby Rogerson: The making of the Middle East and Jeremy Bassetti: Pilgrims on Bolivia’s Hill of Skulls. Murdock’s latest book, A Sunny Place for Shady People, takes place in Malta and blends travel writing and political reportage to show why a journalist was killed in broad daylight in a tiny European Union member state. But I chose Vagabond […]
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