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Member Mark G. Wentling will be inducted into WSU's Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame on February 4 at 2 p.m. in Wiederman Hall. He will also hold a book event at Watermark Books and Cafe located at 4701 E. Douglas at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb 6. Mark's two recent books, Jackleg Boys and Falling Seven Times will be available.
 Follow the harrowing journey of an Ethiopian woman navigating the hardships of working abroad to support her family LUBBOCK, Texas – Author Mark G. Wentling marks his return to the publishing scene with “Falling Seven Times” (published by Archway Publishing), a fictionalized account of his Ethiopian wife’s true-life experience as a labor migrant. The story follows Alya, an Ethiopian woman who unwillingly leaves her home in a desperate need to provide for her family. Without jobs that pay a livable wage in her country, working abroad is her only option for survival. What follows is a journey fraught with physical and emotional challenges: challenging work conditions, language barriers, and cultural clashes — all in the hope of securing a better future for herself and her loved ones. With its poignant narrative, “Falling Seven Times” offers a new perspective on a story that is all too often overlooked. The book’s title speaks to the resilience and courage that labor migrants must summon each day, facing uncertainty and struggle while holding onto the hope of rising again. It is the author’s hope for readers to gain insight into the personal toll of labor migration — a phenomenon that is an economic lifeline for both the workers’ countries of origin and the nations where they toil. “Alya’s is just one story out of tens of millions of the struggles of labor migrants,” Wentling states. “I want readers to take away the critical predicament that millions of people in the world face in order to find the jobs they and their families desperately need to survive.” “Falling Seven Times” is now available on Archway Publishing and other major online platforms. “Falling Seven Times” By Mark G. Wentling Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 318 pages | ISBN 9781665763233 Softcover | 6 x 9in | 318 pages | ISBN 9781665763219 E-Book | 318 pages | ISBN 9781665763226 Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble About the Author Mark G. Wentling was born July 3, 1945, in Wichita, Kansas. He was raised in nearby small towns and attended Wichita State University. He left Wichita at the age of 21 to join the Peace Corps. After serving with the Peace Corps in Honduras in the 1967-1969 period, he began service with Peace Corps Togo in 1970. One thing led to another and he ended up staying in Africa for almost 50 years. During this time, he had the privilege to know all 54 African countries. Following work with the Peace Corps in 1977, he worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), serving as its principal officer in six African countries. After his retirement from USAID in 1996, he worked as a personal service contractor for USAID in several African countries. In his post-USAID period, Wentling also worked in several African countries with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including CARE, World Vision and Plan International. He also worked in Africa under various institutional contracts. Wentling currently resides in Lubbock, Texas, with his much-loved Ethiopian spouse. All the seven children he helped raise were conceived in Africa, but they are now adults living in various places in the US. He would like to be remembered as a good father, an author and a humanitarian. Mark Wentling is a Kansas Authors Club member living in Lubbock, Texas.
 Jackleg Boys by Mark G. Wentling Vanguard Press 506 pages Jackleg Boys unfolds a gripping tale of survival, transformation, and the bonds forged in the crucible of adversity. Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War's aftermath, Henry and Randy, once priviledged sons of an aristrocratic Virginian family, find themselves grappling with the ruins of their past. As they navigate the harsh realities of a war-torn landscape, it becomes a catalyst for a perilous journey westward. In a quest for survival, the duo must shed their former identities and confront the moral complexities of their choices. This historical novel explores the lengths individuals go to endure and adapt in the face of calamity, challenging notions of privilege, identity, and the pursuit of a new beginning. Jackleg Boys is a riveting narrative that explores the transformative power of desperation and the indomitable human spirit. Mark Wentling is a Kansas Authors Club member living in Lubbock, Texas. D5 Member, Mark Wentling, received an award from the Peac Corps for 2023 Best Book for a Young Reader. Congratulations, Mark!  In many ways, 11-year-old Marky is a typical kid in 1950s Kansas. He collects baseball cards like other boys his age, goes fishing and hunting with his father, and has a good shot at winning his town’s annual turtle race. But his family is not immune to hardships. Marky and his siblings, for example, rarely see their dad, Boyd, who works the graveyard shift at an aircraft plant 30 miles away. Their mother, Gerry, is a manic-depressive; Marky adores her but is perpetually worried about her oscillating moods.
After two decades of marriage and six children, Marky’s parents engage in arguments that escalate in frequency and violence. Intense fights send Gerry fleeing to a neighbor’s house only for Boyd to chase her down. With his older siblings out of the nest, Marky becomes the protector of his two little brothers. The three boys stick together when Gerry makes plans to leave her husband for good . . . and take her sons with her. But Marky’s life takes another turn for the worse, as his parents’ never-ending feud culminates in him and his brothers stranded at a foster farm. Now, they’re saddled with uncompromising farm chores, and endure merciless punishments if they stray from their foster parents’ strict rules. Marky struggles to keep up with academics and farm work and to ensure his remaining family stays close. But an indelible figure from his past makes a surprise return and offers him a momentous choice.  Mark G. Wentling’s article “Coming to Grips with Poverty in Africa” has just been published in American Diplomacy. Topics covered in this article include African poverty as a relative concept, types of poverty, wealth distribution and values, and his suggestion on what must be done to reduce African poverty. Mark G. Wentling worked in the Senior Foreign Service and was USAID’s principle officer in six African countries. During his time in Africa, he worked in the Peace Corps and in nongovernmental organizations. He has nine published books. His latest, Kansas Kaleidoscope, was published in 2022. He plans to publish Jackleg Boys this year. Mark is a member of D5 and is currently living in Lubbock, Texas. Mark states he was born and raised in Kansas, but made in Africa.  Member Mark Wentling has an article in the American Foreign Service Journal. You can read it here: Much Cause for Worry: A Clear-Eyed Look at Africa. Congratulations, Mark! Mark G. Wentling retired from the Senior Foreign Service in 1996, after serving as USAID’s principal officer in six African countries. He has worked in Africa for the Peace Corps, nongovernmental organizations and as a contract employee for USAID. He has published eight books, including a three-volume Africa Memoir released in 2020 and is a frequent contributor on Africa to the FSJ. Mark is a member of District 5.  If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.
D7 member, Mark Wentling, has written a three-volume memoir. Enjoy these video clips on the introduction and each of the 54 countries in Africa covered in the book.
On December 17, the third and final volume of Mark Wentling’s three-volume book, Africa Memoir, was published. Visit all 54 African countries with an adventurous American guide who has spent over half a century on the continent. Africa Memoir tells the incredible lifetime story of Mark G. Wentling, a boy from Kansas who grew up to travel, work, and visit all 54 African countries. Derived from over a half century spent working and living on the African continent, Wentling devotes a chapter to each country describing his firsthand experiences, eye-opening impressions, and views on future prospects. Original and authoritative, this one-of-a-kind, three-volume work deserves a special place on the bookshelves of anyone interested in Africa.   If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.
 Mark Wentling Memoir Writing: Born in Kansas, Made in Africa Wentling shares his experiences as a Kansan spending half a century in Africa. He provides information about the complex continent of Africa and of 54 of its countries. Wentling has published a three-volume Africa Memoir. (Link to Mark’s book on YouTube.) Mark Wentling obtained his bachelor’s degree from Wichita State University. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, Togo, Gabon, and Niger. In 1977, he began working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Niger and later served as its principal officer in Guinea, Togo/Benin, Angola, Somalia and Tanzania. Following retirement from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Mark continued to work as an advisor for the Great Lakes Region, then with USAID Missions in Zambia, Malawi, Guinea and Senegal. His many jobs and travels in Africa, visiting all 54 African countries, contributed to the completion of his latest book, Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. Those who know him well say he was born and raised in Kansas but made in Africa.   District 7 member, Mark G. Wentling’s new book, Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life is available through preorders. Mark Wentling attended Wichita State University. In 1967 he became a Peace Corps Volunteer and served for two years in Honduras. In 1970, he obtained his bachelor’s degree from WSU and continued as a PCV in Togo in 1970. Beginning in late 1973 he was an Associate Director for the Peace Corps in Togo. He then served as the Peace Corps Director in Gabon and Niger. In 1977, he began working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Niger and later served as its principal officer in Guinea, Togo/Benin, Angola, Somalia and Tanzania. Following retirement from the U.S. Senior Foreign Service in 1996, Mark continued to work as an advisor for the Great Lakes Region, then with USAID Missions in Zambia, Malawi, Guinea and Senegal. He subsequently worked with CARE, World Vision and Plan International in Niger, Mozambique and Burkina Faso. In recent years, he has worked in Ghana, Mali and Angola. His many jobs and travels in Africa, visiting all 54 African countries, contributed to the completion of his latest book, Africa Memoir: 50 Years, 54 Countries, One American Life. Those who know him well say he was born and raised in Kansas but made in Africa. Mark has published a number of professional articles over the years on Africa's development predicament, as well as three previous books: Africa's Embrace (2013), Africa's Release (2014) and Africa's Heart. In 2017, he published Dead Cow Road: Life on the Front Lines of an International Crisis. This book was awarded by Peace Corps Writers the annual Maria Thomas fiction award in 2018. In 2019, he published Blue Country, which draws on his experiences as a PCV in Honduras in 1967-1969. Mark currently maintains a home in Lubbock, Texas, but he continues to travel frequently to Africa to work. He has also designed a course in international development for Texas Tech University. He holds a master’s degree in International Agriculture from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the National War College. In 2014, he was awarded by the WSU Alumni Association its annual alumni achievement award. WE WANT TO SHARE YOUR WRITING NEWS!If you have news of writing events that would be of interest to all Kansas Authors Club members, or if you are a member (dues current) who would like to announce an achievement, please submit your news via this form.
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