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WorldView | Return to Service

Spring-Summer 2022

 

It’s a hopeful time for the Peace Corps community, as Volunteers return to service overseas — and we’re close to passing the most sweeping Peace Corps legislation in a generation. But as we show in a series of stories from and about Ukraine, it’s a time when the very existence of that nation is being threatened.

 


Here’s Where Peace Corps Volunteers Have Returned to Service

Two dozen countries have welcomed them back. And some fifty countries have issued invitations for Volunteers to return.

By Steven Boyd Saum
 

 

The Campaign to Pass the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act

Following on big news from the Senate, let’s ensure that Congress passes the most sweeping Peace Corps legislation in a generation.

By Jonathan Pearson

 

 

A Little Relief: Public Service Loan Forgiveness

At last, some good news for the Peace Corps community on Public Service Loan Forgiveness

By Katie McSheffrey

 

 

 

BIG PICTURE

Volunteers Arrive in Ghana: 1961 and 2022

Start with the big historic moment, there on the left: August 1961, the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers in Ghana — the first country to welcome Volunteers on the ground. On the right, mark the historic return: July 2022, the first group of Volunteers to return to service in Ghana touch down in Accra. It had been more than two years since all Volunteers were brought home because of COVID-19. The 13 Volunteers arriving here will work alongside partners in junior high schools and schools for the deaf, health centers, and farming communities — also partnering with efforts to provide COVID-19 education and access to vaccinations.

Left: Historical photo courtesy Peace Corps. Right: Current photo courtesy U.S. Embassy Ghana.

 


Everything Will Be Ukraine

 

Unfinished Business | From the Editor

Hopeful work, as Volunteers return to serve alongside communities overseas. And crucial work to ensure Ukraine survives

By Steven Boyd Saum


 

Bucha Was Home

A place where I lived and taught — with colleagues and students and a family, people who cared about me and I about them. Then the war came

By Sonia Scherr


 

Everything Will Be Ukraine!

More than 3,400 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Ukraine. Here are a few ways they have sought to help the communities they served as Russian rockets fly and bombs fall across the country.

By Raisa Alstodt and Natalia Joseph

 

 

What We Mean by Friendship

With the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Friends of Moldova has stepped in to provide crucial support to thousands of refugees

By David Jarmul

 

 

Ukraine Stories

A platform for citizen journalists, volunteers, and those working to deepen understanding of the war and efforts to help refugees. 

By Clary Estes

 

 


 


POETRY

 

Intimate and Lyrical Poetry by Ukrainian Poet Natalka Bilotserkivets. Her Work Has a New Resonance and Urgency.

Eccentric Days of Hope and Sorrow By Natalka Bilotserkivets. Translated from the Ukrainian by Ali Kinsella and Dzvinia Orlowsky

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum

 

Lines of Joy and Memory, Death and Rebirth

DEMO | Poems | By Charlie Smith

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum

 

 

 

Sketches in Words and Images — and an Invitation to Dine with His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I

Poetry Sketches: A Peace Corps Memoir By Eldon Katter

Reviewed by Kathleen Coskran

 

 


 

“The Peace Corps is one of the most impactful volunteer humanitarian forces in the world, transforming lives and forging international understanding. Its Volunteers represent the best qualities of American society and reflect the diversity of the American people.”

     —U.S. Senator Ben Cardin

on June 23, upon introduction of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022
in the Senate — legislation which he co-sponsored.

 


AFGHANISTAN

 

Afghanistan: For an Educator, a Journey Back to a Time of Peace

Afghanistan at a Time of Peace | By Robin Varnum

Reviewed by Jordan Simmons

 

 

 

Two Years in Afghanistan with the Peace Corps for Parents. And Two Deployments in Afghanistan for their Son.

A Few Minor Adjustments | Two Years in Afghanistan: A Peace Corps Odyssey | By Elana Hohl

Reviewed by Jordan Simmons

 

 

A Study of Land, the State, and War in Afghanistan Raises Some Big Questions. For Starters, Could It All Have Gone Differently?

Land, The State, and War: Property Institutions and Political Order in Afghanistan | By Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili and Ilia Murtazashvili

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum

 


BIOGRAPHY

 

A Biography of Writer Michael Gold Traces an Anti-Democratic Thread in American Life

Michael Gold: The People’s Writer | By Patrick Chura

Reviewed by Marnie Mueller 

 

 

The Swan Song that Truman Capote Did Not Intend to Write

Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era By Laurence Leamer

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum

 

 


BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

 

Ten Hidden Heroes

A Conversation with Mark K. Shriver and WorldView editor Steven Boyd Saum. Shriver’s book for young readers, in collaboration with illustrator Laura Watson, aims to help children develop counting skills while learning ways to make the world a better place.
 

 

 

His Family Fled the Nazis. In Ecuador, He Grows up Changing Names and Identities to Navigate an Uncertain Fate.

The Boy with Four Names | By Doris Rubenstein

Reviewed by Nathalie Vadnais

 

 

Giving Voice to Refugees: Firsthand Accounts from Children and Teenagers — Some Many Years Later

Finding Refuge: Real-Life Immigration Stories from Young People | By Victorya Rouse

Reviewed by Nathalie Vadnais

 

 


ART & NATURE

 

Andy Warhol’s Cats, a Floating Subway Map, and More NYC Delights

Art Hiding in New York: An Illustrated Guide to the City’s Secret Masterpieces | By Lori Zimmer. Illustrated by Maria Krasinski

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum


‘A Virtual Explosion of Colors, Textures, and Life’

Coral Reef Curiosities: Intrigue, Deception and Wonder on the Reef and Beyond | By Chuck Weikert

Reviewed by Steven Boyd Saum

 

 

 


News and Updates

 

Senate Committee Advances Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022

Less than a month after its introduction, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee advance major legislation — with broad, bipartisan support — to further reform and improve the Peace Corps.

By Jonathan Pearson

 

Carol Spahn Has Been Nominated to Serve as Peace Corps Director. Read Our Letter of Support — and Take Action.

In June, National Peace Corps Association sent a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supporting Carol Spahn’s nomination to serve as the 21st Director of the Peace Corps. Here’s what we said. 

By Jonathan Pearson

 

Peace Corps Closes Post in Myanmar

Instability, unrest, and armed conflict led the agency to make the announcement in April. 

By NPCA Staff

 

 

 

NPCA Hosts Annual General Membership Meeting September 24

This year National Peace Corps Association is not hosting a Peace Corps Connect conference. But here’s where you can connect virtually with members of the Peace Corps community: the NPCA Annual General Membership Meeting on September 24, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. Hear a report on key achievements and initiatives and more. More info and register here. 

 

 


People and Ideas

 

Meet the Members of the Peace Corps Community Recognized with the 2022 JFK Service Award

Every five years, Peace Corps presents the John F. Kennedy Service Awards to honor members of the Peace Corps network whose contributions go above and beyond. Here are the 2022 awardees. 

By NPCA Staff
 

 

Tales of Cartography

Mapmaking with fabrics and dances and sloths

By Nathalie Vadnais 

 

 

 

Peace Corps Posters: In Portland, Oregon, ArtReach Gallery and the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience Host an Exhibit Spanning Six Decades

Posting Peace in Portland: Peace Corps Posters 1961–2022

By NPCA Staff
 

 

Objects and Stories: Museum of the Peace Corps Experience

With a growing collection of first-hand narratives, the museum connects people, places, and objects. Those all connect us — across nations and generations.

By David Arnold  

 

 

Silver and Saddles

“My Tuareg silverwork reminds me of the hidden beauty amid the vast arid scrubland of the Nigerien Sahel,” writes author Cathy Sunshine.

 

 

 

Interior Design Colony: A Small Group of Volunteers will Finish the House of Urnebes in Serbia

An RPCV with a commitment to cross-cultural collaboration secures volunteers to help renovate and design House of Urnebes in Serbia. It’s meant to be a permanent gathering space where artists can meet in an atmosphere of creative free expression.

Gina Larson talks with Associate Editor of Global Stories Tiffany James

 


In Memoriam

 

Congressional Leadership and Bipartisanship: Remembering Senator Johnny Isakson

Bipartisanship is “a state of being,” said Johnny Isakson

By Catherine Gardner

 

 

Madame Secretary: A Remembrance of Madeleine Albright

In her childhood, her family fled tyranny — twice. She went on to become the first woman to serve as secretary of state of the United States.

By Steven Boyd Saum

 

 

The House of Yes: Remembering Paul Farmer

He founded Partners in Health and dedicated decades to focus on healing the poorest and the sickest in a dozen countries. 

By Catherine Gardner

 

 

Lifting Every Voice: William Robertson

He was the first Black American to serve as an aide to a Virginia governor. He went on to serve five U.S. presidents and lead Peace Corps posts as country director.

By Catherine Gardner

 

 

Scholar and Human Rights Activist: Jan Knippers Black

Jan Knippers Black (1940–2021) wrote the definitive book on U.S. interference in post-colonial Brazil. And she was invited to play piano with Elvis Presley’s Band. 

By Catherine Gardner

 

 

He Helped Inspire the Peace Corps, Then Became a Volunteer: Douglas Kelley

He was committed to international cooperation and civil rights.

By Catherine Gardner

 

 

Juliane Heyman Escaped the Holocaust and Became the First Woman to Serve as a Peace Corps Training Officer.

She was always ready to face any challenge and saw her experiences as testaments to learning how to understand different people and perspectives.

By Catherine Gardner

 


Letters

Reader Comments: Why we read cover to cover — and the role of WorldView in connecting the Peace Corps community. The Book Locker and the Third Goal. Partnering with Rotary International. 

 

 

 

 


Masthead

Meet the team behind the digital and print versions of WorldView.

 

 

 

 

 

Read WorldView in Print Layout

 

Get the print edition of WorldView

 

WorldView magazine brings you stories from and about the greater Peace Corps community, with connections to the wider world. We feature news, profiles, commentary and analysis, politics, arts, and ideas with a global perspective. We publish quarterly in print, with digital features throughout the year.

 

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Current edition: Spring-Summer 2022

Previous editions of WorldView digital:
2022 Books Edition (April 2022) | Fall 2021 Special 60th Anniversary EditionSummer 2021 | Spring 2021 Winter 2021 Fall 2020 | Summer 2020 | Spring 2020 
 

More previous editions are available on the WorldView app. Print copies may be available as well upon request. Write us and ask.

 

 

 

Submission Guidelines


We welcome pitches and, on rare occasions, completed pieces. What are we looking for? Stories that speak to the Peace Corps community. That might be focused on work connected to Peace Corps, returned Volunteers, communities and countries where Volunteers have served, connections to experiences and work in the U.S. and globally. We’re interested in ideas and impact and stories that connect with readers on a human level.


See Guidelines

 

About the Editor


Steven Boyd Saum is editor of WorldView. For more than two decades he has edited award-winning magazines in the San Francisco Bay Area. His journalism, essays, and fiction have appeared in OrionThe BelieverCreative NonfictionThe Kenyon ReviewChristian Science Monitor, on KQED FM, and in other magazines and newspapers in the U.S. and internationally. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, where he also directed the Fulbright program and hosted a radio show. Send a letter to the editor: worldview@peacecorpsconnect.org.

 

 

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Questions? Email us.

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Advertisers: Reach the Peace Corps community throughout the United States — and around the world. Find out more about how to advertise with us:

Download our 2023 Media Kit

The quarterly print edition of the award-winning WorldView
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thousands more Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and staff. They’re part of a committed and dynamic community of nearly a quarter million. 

 

Learn more.

 

What Our Readers Are Saying

“I would like to thank you for all of the amazing work you put into WorldView magazine. Reading it gives me a great feeling of solidarity with other Volunteers and RPCVs around the world and always serves to remind me that I’m part of something very special, and something that is much bigger than I am.”

Anna Waterfield (Tanzania 2012–14)

__________________________________

“I have read WorldView for years now and it was FABULOUS to get at post. It’s important to know someone, somewhere out there is doing what you are doing, with a twist, and that’s what keeps Volunteers serving and communities asking for more … this publication really does make a difference.”

Rachael Miller (Benin 2006–08)


Contributor guidelines here.


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