Five Easy Questions: John Coyne, Part Three

Writing about how Paul Theroux launched his prolific career from Peace Corps, John Coyne describes how an overseas volunteer experience can produce evocative fiction:

"How many of us stood in front of similar classrooms and saw those young faces arriving with the dawn? How many of us could have written the same sentiments — though not the same sentences — home? And how many of us wanted to be the writer that he became, the free spirit roaming the world, jotting down notes and writing novels, travel books, short stories and essays?"

John Coyne is a former Peace Corps volunteer, novelist, and editor of the booming web magazine, Peace Corps Writers. He just finished a new novel, The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan, and has explored web publishing in his novel blog.

This week, Coyne has been the focus of deceptively simple feature: Five Easy Questions. In the spirit of Jack Nicholson’s mad piano player, I run a weekly set of quality interviews with writing pioneers—delivering some practical, unexpected advice about web publishing.

Jason Boog:
How has your personal Peace Corps experience affected your writing? How has the Peace Corps Writers community and the general PC community helped your writing?

John Coyne:
I had only written a few short stories based on the experience...

I have also written a novel [unpublished] about being a Volunteer in Ethiopia. I have, however, edited a series of books of writings by former Volunteers.

I edited two commercial books of writings by RPCVs, one on travel called: Going Up Country: Travel Essays By Peace Corps Writers; and a collection of short fiction: Living on the Edge: Fiction by Peace Corps Writers.

When I was employed by the Peace Corps in the mid-90s, I edited three paperback books of short essays by PCVs that were used in recruitment.

Many of these essays were first published in our newsletter, Peace Corps Writers.

Devoted to publishing, publishers and to those who craft the written word

related entries

1 Comments/Trackbacks

submit a trackback

post a comment

Comment Preview

Advertise

Related Resources

recent comments

sponsored ads

topics

subscribe

Current News

resources

Support This Blog

archives

blogroll

Know More Media - Writing / Speaking

know more media network

we support unitus

PRWeb

Influencer

ProductivityGoal

CallCenterScript

AdHurl

TheBizofKnowledge

HealthCareVox

BrainBasedBusiness