Mike Tidwell's inspiration as a writer and climate change advocate

I first learned about his work through a correspondence he had with one of my favorite writers, Moritz Thomse in Ecuador. But I now appreciate the influence of those early years with the Peace Corps in Zaire, his leadership of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and his excellent memoir, The Ponds of Kalambayi: An African Sojourn and now in his latest book, The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue. Tidwell’s story is a reminder that Peace Corps service doesn’t end when the assignment does; sometimes it becomes the engine for a lifetime of writing, advocacy, and bearing witness.