The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

78 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Second Annual Book Market a Success! The American For- eign Service Asso- ciation hosted its 2nd Annual Book Market on Nov. 19 at AFSA headquar- ters. This year, 21 Foreign Service authors were on hand, showcas- ing their talents and sharing their experiences with attendees. Each author’s book was also featured in The Foreign Service Journal ’s annual roundup of FS-affiliated authors’ recent works (see the November FSJ ). Participating authors drew a diverse crowd rang- ing from Foreign Service retirees to active-duty colleagues and university students interested in the Foreign Service as a future career. Book genres fell into a wide range of categories, such as cooking, fantasy and fiction, policy, photography, memoirs, children’s books, history and biographies. The authors also enjoyed meeting one another and could be overheard shar- ing their experiences with the publication process and swapping tips on the craft of writing. We’re already looking for- ward to this year’s roundup! If you have a book coming out in 2016 (or had one pub- lished in late 2015), please send us a copy for inclusion in the November 2016 edi- tion of “In Their Own Write.” Please include any market- ing materials you may have. If you have any questions about the process, contact Editorial Assistant Shannon Mizzi at mizzi@afsa.org. n —Shannon Mizzi, Editorial Assistan t Ambassador (ret.) and prolific author Charles Ray, at left, chats with a book market browser about his latest novels, Mob Justice and A Time to Kill, A Time to Die . AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON A Conversation with Pearson Fellows On Jan. 15, American Foreign Service Association President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, Director of Advocacy Javier Cuebas and Director of Communications Ásgeir Sigfússon visited Pearson Fellows at the Russell Senate Office Building for a brown-bag lunch. The group dis- cussed ideas for maximizing the benefits of the Pearson Fellowship for the individual officer, as well as for the Foreign Service. Participants also offered valuable input on a number of issues affecting the career Foreign Service (e.g., changes to the employee performance evaluation sys- tem, 360-degree evaluations, staffing shortages and bulges, bidding). Amb. Stephenson listened to fellows’ personal experiences navigating the Foreign Service personnel waters. n AFSA/MARIAC.LIVINGSTON