Phoenix Writers Club Author Profile

Mark D Walker

Mark D. Walker was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala (1971-1973) and spent over forty years helping disadvantaged people in the developing world with agencies like Food for the Hungry, MAP International, Make A Wish International, and the CEO at Hagar USA. His book, Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond, was recognized by the Arizona Authors Association. His second book, My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road, won the Peace Corps Writers’ Award for Best Travel Book. His latest book, The Guatemala Reader: Extraordinary Lives and Amazing Stories, is a Best Seller and recipient of the BookFest Award for Nonfiction travel. All three books are part of the Yin & Yang of Travel Series.

He’s written 85 book reviews, and of his 30 published essays, two were recognized by the Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing. He’s a contributing writer for “The Authors Show,” “The Wanderlust Journal” and “Literary Traveler.” His column, “The Million Mile Walker Review: What We’re Reading and Why,” is part of the Arizona Authors Association newsletter. He also contributes book reviews to the Midwest Review and The Greatest Writers You Should Read digital magazine hosted by The Authors Show. His honors include the Rotary International “Service Above Self” award, and he was interviewed by VoyagePhoenix Magazine, Global Talk Radio, and three times on Global Connections Television. He’s a board member of the Arizona Authors Association, Advance Guatemala, and SEEDS for a Future, as well as an Advisory Board member of Peace Corps Worldwide. His wife and three children were born in Guatemala.

His honors include the Rotary International “Service Above Self” award, and he was interviewed by VoyagePhoenix Magazine, Global Talk Radio, and three times on Global Connections Television. He’s a board member of the Arizona Authors Association, Advance Guatemala, and SEEDS for a Future, as well as an Advisory Board member of Peace Corps Worldwide. His wife and three children were born in Guatemala.

Useful Links

• Web: www.MillionMileWalker.com

• Substack: Mark D Walker | Substack

Select Publications

Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond

Summer, 1971. A naive young man must decide his path upon graduation from a small university in Colorado. Amidst the turmoil of the counterculture years and the looming possibility of being sent to Vietnam, he concludes that he wants to travel, serve, and, if possible, save the world.

As a Peace Corps volunteer, Mark embarks on a vigorous cross-cultural experience in a Caribbean and two Central American countries, with a final stop in one of the more isolated areas of the highlands of Guatemala. Though beset with a fear of the unknown and feelings of profound isolation due to being the only volunteer in a remote village, he eventually gets to know and appreciate the people of the rural communities he is privileged to live among. After a near-death experience takes him to another part of Guatemala and eventually to a horse town, Mark meets the love of his life, Ligia, who will bear him three children and be part of a lifelong commitment to, and appreciation of, this beautiful and unique country.

Mark’s forty-year career with various international non-governmental organizations begins when he sets up a local development agency in Guatemala to help the poorest of the poor, whose plight is at least partially due to the policies of his own government. Mark’s career comes to a sudden and unexpected turn after he is let go as the CEO of one of these international NGOs; this frees him up to focus on his three children, his seven grandchildren, and his new vocation: writing.

Praise for Different Latitudes:

The Midwest Review
"Different Latitudes: My Life in the Peace Corps and Beyond is more than just another travel memoir. It is an engaged and engaging story of one man’s physical and spiritual journey of self-discovery through Latin American, African, European, and Asian topography, cuisine, politics, and history. Informative, compelling, and impressively candid, Different Latitudes is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections."

Glenn Blumhorst, President of the National Peace Corps Association:
"...It’s one of the best RPCV memoirs I’ve read (and I have gone through quite a few)."

Edwin G. Corr, Former US Ambassador
"Professionals in international affairs and development will profit by reading it; and persons interested in foreign relations and foreign cultures will enjoy the author’s insights..."

My Saddest Pleasures: 50 Years on the Road: Part of the Yin and Yang of Travel Series

Global Travel Writing | Literary Travel | Guatemala Travel Guide

In his new book, Mark Walker reflects on his fifty years of travel miscalculations and disasters and how and why he travels changed over the years, as has who he traveled with. As a young Peace Corps Volunteer with no overseas travel experience, the world was his oyster, and he figured he could go anywhere if he set his mind to it—with little or no money. Then he married a Guatemalan lady and had to think more about “our” needs; then, three children meant additional requirements and responsibilities. And later, as a professional fundraiser, he would set up donor visits to program areas where the organizations he represented needed funds, which meant considering the needs of up to fifteen individuals of all ages, including children and some donors in their 70s and 80s. He’s become a savvier trekker, although he was still prone to the occasional snafu. This book is part of the “Yin & Yang of Travel” series of ten essays” It’s an invaluable portal into the world of timeless travel and what can go wrong.

During the author’s travels and extensive reading, he discovered Moritz Thomsen’s third book, The Saddest Pleasure, whose title originated from a quote in Paul Theroux’s Picture Palace: “Travel is the saddest of the pleasures. It gave me eyes.” This basic supposition inspired him to write his new book and would inform and put the author’s travels into perspective. It also helped him appreciate the miscues, disasters, and disappointments he experienced on the road and made him a better traveler and writer.

The Guatemala Reader: Extraordinary Lives And Amazing Stories

Join me on an epic journey through the fascinating, yet often misunderstood Central American neighbor. I've studied and written about Guatemala for fifty years, and in this book, I've focused on some of the extraordinary people of Guatemala and their amazing stories. Given the crisis of democracy in Guatemala and the continued turmoil on our border, this is the time to understand the human realities better and take action to secure a more promising future. Guatemala draws up to 1.8 million tourists per year, whose visits start in the largest city in Central America with brief visits to ancient Mayan ruins and contemporary Maya villages, which provide a partial folkloric understanding of Guatemalan society. Over the years, I've traveled to places most Guatemalans have never seen. I use encounters with ordinary Guatemalans, profiles, and stories from local Mayan leaders, advocates, writers, and poets to bring a new appreciation and understanding of this country.

Maps, graphs, fact sheets, and photos support 19 stories to provide insights into the inner workings of Guatemalan society. I start with stories seen through literary and biographical prisms.

Then tap into the "Yin and Yang of Travel Series," which transports the reader to the far-off reaches of the country and includes some of his "saddest pleasures"-horrendous journeys, which "gave him eyes."The remaining stories focus on contemporary Guatemala, from the impact of the Peace Corps over the last 60 years to the dynamics leading to the ongoing immigration crisis, ending with an insightful overview of Guatemala's political, cultural, and economic life with a new section at the end about how individuals can make a difference through their actions and philanthropy.

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