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WORK TITLE: The Brightest Sun
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://adriennebenson.com/
CITY: Washington
STATE: DC
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
Raised in Africa.
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Children: three.
EDUCATION:Lewis & Clark College, B.A., 1992; George Mason University, M.A., 2001.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, novelist, and editor. George Washington University, Washington, DC, associate editor, 2001; United Nations Office of Project Services, writer-editor, Washington, DC, 2003-04; United States State Department, Washington, DC, community liaison officer, 2004-06; U.S. Peace Corps, Washington, DC, marketing specialist, 2007-09; United States Customs and Border Protection, Office of Congressional Affairs, Washington, DC, writer-editor, 2009-11; American Red Cross, Washington, DC, 2012-15; Administration for Community Living, Washington, DC, writer-editor, 2015-16; Chemonics International Inc., Washington, DC, technical writer-editor, 2016-17; Mendez England & Associates, Washington, DC, writer-editor, 2017–. Also served as Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal.
WRITINGS
Contributor to websites and periodicals, including Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, the Washington Post, Foreign Service Journal, ADDitude magazine, and Brain, Child magazine. Contributor to anthologies.
SIDELIGHTS
The daughter of a U.S. Aid worker, Adrienne Benson spent much of her childhood and youth in Africa. With her mother and father, she lived in homes in Zambia, Liberia, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire. She came back to America when she was sixteen years old but remained a traveler, volunteering for the Peace Corps in Nepal and living in Ukraine and Albania. Benson, who studied literature, creative writing, and nonfiction writing in college, is a contributor to periodicals and websites. She is also a novelist whose debut, The Brightest Sun, follows three women who are mothers—two white American ex-pats and an indigenous Massai—in sub-Saharan Africa as they try to find a place for home and family.
Leona is an American anthropologist who gives birth to a baby girl while in a remote Massai village. Reflecting on her own troubled childhood and realizing that the baby is the result of a brief liaison, Leona is unsure of her role as a mother. As a result, she allows her friend Simi to adopt her baby, named Aida. For Simi, this is an answer to her own childlessness, which makes her somewhat of an outcast in her Massai community, where motherhood is the primary role of women. The third woman featured in The Brightest Sun is Jane, who ends up working for the Elephant Foundation in Kenya. Jane is attacked by poachers but subsequently falls in love with a diplomat. As a result, she lives in various places where her husband is posted and focuses her rather restricted life on her daughter Grace.
Although Leona let Simi adopt Aida, she ends up taking dual responsibility for the child in order to save Aida from the Massai tradition of circumcising girls. As a result, Aida ends up traveling back and forth from Nairobi, Kenya, to the Massai community where Simi lives. Meanwhile, Jane is struggling with the deep psychological effects of a coup that occurred during her pregnancy. This leads her to worry incessantly that the as of then unborn Grace may end up with a mental illness, much like her brother. When Aida and Grace are both thirteen years old, they meet while attending school in Nairobi. They form a friendship that ultimately leads them to search for the identity of Aida’s father, which has repercussions for both families.
“Benson’s depiction of motherhood across circumstances will please readers interested in stories about forging homes in other cultures,” wrote a Publishers Weekly contributor. Mary Ellen Quinn, writing in Booklist, noted that the novel’s African setting “gives an interesting spin to Benson’s exploration of themes related to motherhood, outsiderness, and emotional connection.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2018, Mary Ellen Quinn, review of The Brightest Sun, p. 24.
Publishers Weekly, January 15, 2018, review of The Brightest Sun, p. 34.
ONLINE
Adrienne Benson Website, https://adriennebenson.com (June 9, 2018).
My Peace Corp Story, https://mypeacecorpsstory.com/ (March 20, 2018), “Ep. #035: Adrienne Benson, Author of The Brightest Sun, Nepal 1992-1994,” includes podcast interview.
Adrienne Benson’s earliest memories include roasting green mangos over bonfires in Lusaka, Zambia; climbing walls to steal guavas from the neighbors; and riding in the back of a VW van for weeks on end, watching her mom and dad navigate African border crossings and setting up campsites among thieving monkeys and vocal lions. A US Aid worker’s daughter, she grew up traversing sub-Saharan Africa, finding homes in Zambia, Liberia, Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire. At sixteen, she made the hardest border crossing of all—the one that brought her “home” to America—a country she barely knew. She’s been a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, lived in Ukraine and Albania, slept in more airports than she can count and is now happily ensconced in Washington, DC, with her three kids. Her writing has appeared in Buzzfeed; Huffington Post; the Washington Post; Brain, Child; the Foreign Service Journal; ADDitude magazine; and several anthologies. The Brightest Sun is her first novel.
Ep #035: Adrienne Benson, Author of The Brightest Sun, Nepal 1992-1994
March 20, 2018
In beautiful, evocative prose, Adrienne Benson brings to life the striking Kenyan terrain as these women’s lives intertwine in unexpected ways in The Brightest Sun. As they face their own challenges and heartbreaks, they find strength traversing the arid landscapes of tenuous human connection.
Before becoming an author, Adrienne served as a Peace Corps volunteer high in the mountains of Nepal. We talk about her service and her new book, The Brightest Sun.
On this Episode:
Having a water buffalo as a neighbor
How Adrienne Benson broke her leg and got Typhoid on the same day
The Brightest Sun, Adrienne’s new book
Photos from Adrienne’s Story
Me on the steps of my house with my downstairs neighbor, the family water buffalo. Me getting tikka, or a Nepali blessing that involves red paste being pressed to your forehead. Me with my newly-broken leg in it's cast.
Me and my dad (RPCV India, 1963-65) in my house when my parents came to visit me. Me (center, in orange) just outside the Kathmandu airport upon my groups (N-174) first arrival in Nepal.
Adrienne Benson’s Peace Corps Story
Where and when did you serve? What did you do?
I served as an English teacher and teacher trainer in Nepal, from 1992-1994.
What is one of your favorite Peace Corps memories?
Well, Nepal is a beautiful place, and I was lucky to live in a little village up in the Annapurna Himalaya foothills. The people were wonderful, and so I think my favorite memories are those day-to-day ones–sitting on my steps in the morning drinking tea and watching the fog lift off the valley below me, laughing and gossiping with the other women while we washed our clothes at the village tap, taking walks along the ridge line with my Nepali sister in the evenings and seeing the peaks of Machhapuchchhre in the distance. And the food. The food! It was simple, village food–rice and lentils twice a day and, when we were lucky, Water Buffalo milk to pour on top, but I developed a sever addiction, which I still wrestle with!
What is one of your least favorite Peace Corps memories?
Being sick. I had all the usual PC illnesses, plus salmonella, and typhoid, and then I broke my leg in three places. I had to make my way from my village to Kathmandu via a man carrying me on his back, then on horseback, then taxi to the airport, then luggage cart from airport to plane. It took two solid days. Actually, it’s kinda funny to remember now.
What do you miss about the Peace Corps?
I miss the luxury of time. I was there before cellphones (!) and so once I was in my village there was so much time to think and read, and just hang out talking to people. That’s something we just don’t get much of in the States.
What is something you learned in the Peace Corps?
That there is ALWAYS enough to share. It’s a trite, overused expression, maybe, but I learned the poorest of the poor are always offering what they have to others. That’s something all Americans should learn to embrace.
Do you have a favorite quote or local saying?
“Caasto duka cha!” In Nepali, it basically means, “Oh, what trouble!” and it’s used for everything–from doing homework being too much trouble, to terrible things like bad crops. I still use it in my daily life–when my kids ask for snacks and I’m feeling lazy (caasto duka cha), to taking the dog for a walk when its raining… It’s a great catch-all term for things that are kind of a pain in the a$$.
The Brightest Sun
I’m very glad to have had the opportunity to read The Brightest Sun before it was published. For anyone who has ever lived in sub-Saharan Africa or had a mother, I highly recommend this book. The Brightest Sun follows three women as they come to terms with their past and they try to make their future in Africa.
“The African backdrop gives an interesting spin to Benson’s exploration of themes related to motherhood, outsiderness, and emotional connection.”-Booklist
If in the DC area or elsewhere, support your local bookstore and pick up The Brightest Sun for your next read. If you can’t find it locally, you can buy it online here: http://amzn.to/2pmsRCd
For more about Adrienne Benson, visit https://adriennebenson.com or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.
I am an expert writer and an outstanding interpersonal communicator. I have managed web content and supported agencies and organizations in articulating policy in myriad ways and for a wide variety of audiences. I am extremely good at translating an organization’s message into a narrative ...
Adrienne Benson Author Site
Adrienne Benson Author Site
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Experience
Mendez England & Associates
Writer/Editor
Company NameMendez England & Associates
Dates EmployedSep 2017 – Present Employment Duration10 mos
LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area
Chemonics International Inc
Technical Writer/Editor
Company NameChemonics International Inc
Dates EmployedMay 2016 – Mar 2017 Employment Duration11 mos
LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area
• Review, write, and edit detailed, technical materials.
• Ensure appropriate messaging on outward facing materials.
• Evaluate preliminary drafts and suggest improvements for presentation of subject matter.
• Suggest and help develop visuals to enhance documents and clarify technical information.
• Copyedit and substantive edit all proposal materials to suit the audience and the type of information being shared.
Administration for Community Living
Writer/Editor
Company NameAdministration for Community Living
Dates EmployedOct 2015 – May 2016 Employment Duration8 mos
LocationWashington D.C. Metro Area
• Develop editorial content for web, digital, and hard copy publications, including ghostwriting blog posts for senior staff.
• Develop messaging; translate agency priorities to public and media through digital and traditional formats.
• Translate scientific and technical language into plain language for all audiences.
• Collaborate with subject matter experts to develop content for external and internal audiences.
• Develop content for social media venues — Facebook, Twitter, etc.
American Red Cross
Creative Specialist
Company NameAmerican Red Cross
Dates EmployedJul 2012 – Sep 2015 Employment Duration3 yrs 3 mos
LocationWashington, DC
• Prepare content for sales sheets, proposals and sales decks.
• Edit fundraising content for grammar, content and cohesive voice.
• Assemble and create power point presentations, sales proposals and other marketing collateral.
United States Customs and Border Protection, Office of Congressional Affairs
Writer/editor
Company NameUnited States Customs and Border Protection, Office of Congressional Affairs
Dates EmployedAug 2009 – Aug 2011 Employment Duration2 yrs 1 mo
Copyedit and substantive edit all CBP reports to congress
Write, edit, coordinated content for the OCA web pages on the CBP and DHS websites.
Research, draft and edit oral and written testimony for presentation before Congress
Copyedit and rewrite all congressional correspondence.
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Education
George Mason University
George Mason University
Degree NameMA Field Of StudyNon-fiction Writing
Dates attended or expected graduation 1999 – 2001
• Thesis: A Childhood In-between: The Global Nomad Life. A memoir/research project about children growing up outside of their passport culture.
Lewis and Clark College
Lewis and Clark College
Degree NameBachelor of Arts Field Of StudyLiterature and Creative Writing
Dates attended or expected graduation 1988 – 1992
The Brightest Sun
Mary Ellen Quinn
Booklist.
114.11 (Feb. 1, 2018): p24+.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
The Brightest Sun. By Adrienne Benson. Mar. 2018. 336p. Park Row, $26.99 (9780778331278).
After a one-night stand, Leona, an American anthropologist, gives birth in a remote part of Kenya.
Reluctant to take on parenting, she is perfectly happy to let her friend Simi adopt her baby, Adia. The
arrangement suits Simi as well, since her own inability to bear a child makes her a village outcast. But
Leona is forced to take some responsibility for her daughter to spare her from the Masaai tradition of
circumcising girls, so Adia grows up with two mothers, Leona in Nairobi and Simi back in the manyatta.
Another American woman, Jane, comes to Kenya to work for the Elephant Foundation and, after being
attacked by poachers, meets and falls in love with a diplomat. Through years of different foreign service
postings, Jane pours all her energy into her daughter, Grace. Adia and Grace meet in school in Nairobi when
both are 13, and their friendship has consequences that change everyone's lives. The African backdrop gives
an interesting spin to Benson's exploration of themes related to motherhood, outsiderness, and emotional
connection --Mary Ellen Quinn
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Quinn, Mary Ellen. "The Brightest Sun." Booklist, 1 Feb. 2018, p. 24+. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527771800/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4837bf53.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A527771800
5/17/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1526578969965 2/2
The Brightest Sun
Publishers Weekly.
265.3 (Jan. 15, 2018): p34.
COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
The Brightest Sun
Adrienne Benson. Park Row, $26.99 (366p) ISBN 978-0-7783-3127-8
Set in 1990s Kenya, this expansive debut from Benson follows the lives of five women over two
generations that interconnect in extraordinary circumstances. Leona is an anthropological researcher living
among the rural Maasai near Narok. After becoming pregnant during a capricious fling, Leona has her child
in the isolated Maasai village and feels eerily disconnected from the baby. In her confusion, she turns to her
Maasai friend, Simi, who provides her stability. Unable to have children, Simi adopts baby Adia to fulfill
her dream of being a mother and to restore her identity and prestige in the strongly maternal Maasai society.
In Liberia, Jane, a diplomat's wife who used to live in Narok, grapples with fear: a violent coup during her
pregnancy has deeply affected her psyche, and she is consumed by the worry that her brother's mental
illness will appear in her unborn daughter, Grace. Years later, teenaged Adia and Grace become friends after
meeting in class and decide to track down Adia's father, which opens up many old wounds for all five
women. Though the characters are intriguing, strong women, much of their personalities are delivered in
chunks of exposition that slow the plot. Benson's depiction of motherhood across circumstances will please
readers interested in stories about forging homes in other cultures. (Mar.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"The Brightest Sun." Publishers Weekly, 15 Jan. 2018, p. 34. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A523888866/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=bf646f2d.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A523888866