I’ve read and reviewed several of the author’s books. We were both Peace Corps Volunteers in Central America and worked in West Africa, although Wentling went on to work and travel in 54 African countries over the years. My favorite book from his “African Trilogy” is “Africa’s Embrace,” which is fiction, but reflects his experience working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa in the 1970s. This book begins in Ethiopia with a young woman’s struggle to be a migrant worker to support her family. It is a fictional story based on her experience with his Ethiopian wife. She […]
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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 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 readingAn Ode to Travel Writers, Million Mile Walker Dispatch October Edition 2024
Dear Colleagues and Friends from Around the World, This month, you can click on the poster above to access the latest Arizona Authors Association Newsletter, which includes my “An Ode to Travel Writers,” which is part of my Million Mile Walker Review column on page 15. I highlight two writers who have inspired my travel writing: Paul Theroux and Moritz Thomsen. You can also find out about a special presentation I’ve been working on with the Phoenix Writers Club and the Arizona Authors Association for Danielle Hampson, the founder of The Authors Show. On page 31, Danielle will discuss the […]
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