The Foreign Service Journal, November 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2018 9 Today. ” Special thanks to the Diplomatic Security Public Affairs team for the amaz- ing photos. If you are in Washington this month, please visit the courier centen- nial exhibit in the U.S. Diplomacy Center pavilion. In this month’s feature, best friend of the Foreign Service family Mette Beecroft shares the inside story of the creation of the Family Liaison Office 40 years ago an d its unique role helping FS families ever since. And in President’s Views, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson offers her take on the importance of “Telling Our Story to the American People,” encouraging all of us to help the American public better understand and appreciate what the Foreign Service does and why it matters. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Tales from the Foreign Service BY SHAWN DORMAN O ne of our favorite tasks each year is to bring together and highlight as many new books by Foreign Service authors as we can, showcasing the writing and storytelling talents of the U.S. diplo- matic community through “In Their Own Write.” Along with that, we feature books that we think would be “of related interest” to the Foreign Service reading community. This year’s collection features four dozen books by FS authors. The range of topics is wide. A few standouts include a memoir by Grace Kennan Warnecke, daughter of George Kennan ( Daughter of the Cold War ) and a biography of LlewellynThompson ( The Kremlinologist ) by his two daughters Jenny and Sherry Thompson. In Cold Waters , Raymond Malley takes us to the Arctic and Antarc- tica. And in a treat for the senses, Tania Teschke brings us The Bordeaux Kitchen , filled with gorgeous photos taken by the author in France. In “Coming intoTheir Own Write, ” frequent contributor Francesca Kelly introduces us to a writer’s group from the 1960s that inspired women of the FS com- munity to write and publish their stories. Through this month’s cover story, we are proud to highlight the centennial of the Diplomatic Courier Service. Veteran courier James Angell brings the history to life in “None Swifter ThanThese,” followe d by Vince Crawley’s “Diplomatic Couriers Shawn Dorman is the editor of The Foreign Service Journal. We hope this month’s celebration of FS writing will inspire you to consider how you might want to share your stories and perspective. The FSJ is always seeking submissions on topics of interest or concern to mem- bers of the FS community. We are also seeking authors for our upcoming focus topics, listed here. Figure on at least 8 to 12 weeks from submission to publication, so please keep that in mind when submit- ting for focus topics. We want your transformational Speak- ing Out submissions (1,500-1,800 words), opinion pieces that offer a critique and, ideally, suggestions for a better way forward. Or share a feature article (1,800- 2,000 words) or a Reflection (700-1,200 words). Every article is better with photos (and we welcome your favorite recent photo as a submission to Local Lens). We also seek submissions for occasional features: FS Know How, FS Heritage and Family Member Matters. Articles go to the FSJ Editorial Board for final consideration. For information on how to submit and details about each type of submission, please visit www.afsa.org/fsj-author-guidelines. Send all submissions to journal@afsa.org. And we want to know what you think about what you read in the Journal , so please send comments over to us as letters to the editor (up to 500 words). This year we added “Letters-Plus,” a space for extended responses (up to 900 words) to important issues raised in Journal articles that warrant a continuing conversation. Thank you for reading, and for writing. We look forward to hearing from you. n 2019 FSJ Focus Topics January-February: Economic Diplomacy Works March: Health and Wellness in the Foreign Service April: NATO at 70 May: The FS Career: What’s New June: Migration July-August: Managing Competition from China September: Preventive Diplomacy October: In Their Own Write November: 30th Anniversary, Fall of the Berlin Wall December: AFSA Awards + A Look at the New/Old Russia