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Joan Barker on Muck Rack

Joan Barker

United States
As seen in: Newsweek, Miami Herald, Mother Jones, Orlando Sentinel, The Sacramento Bee, Kansas City Star, Lexington Herald-Leader, The Portland Press Herald, Military Times, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and

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Joan Barker’s Biography

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Focus on Afghanistan withdrawal and evacuation, 2021

Joan Barker’s Journalist Portfolio

We must demand accountability for interpreters left behind in Afghanistan | Opinion

We must demand accountability for interpreters left behind in Afghanistan | Opinion

OPINION AND COMMENTARY Fatigue pulled me in like the undertow. I hadn't slept in the nearly 15 days since Kab…

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Articles

Deep Water: ‘The Quiet,’ by Joan Barker

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By Joan Barker, Leslie Bridgers Verified
| The Portland Press Herald Verified
In this week’s poem, Joan Barker writes of coming to terms with an unexpected loss. I love this poem’s rich dream imagery, its clarion and candid sense of longing, and its beautifully tangible description of encountering a lost beloved. Barker is a teacher and writer who has worked in the Portland Public Schools, in rural Niger with the Peace Corps, on military bases in Afghanistan and with refugees in her own state of Connecticut.
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I Returned to the Gym After Bulimia. The PT Said I Wasn't 'Excellent'

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By Joan Barker
| Centre Daily Times Verified
"You're at 27 percent right now. That's 'Good.'" He pauses. "But don't you want to get here?" He slides his finger down the chart to where it says: "Excellent". "Hah," I scoff. He lets out a nervous laugh. "I can help you get here," he tries to offer, tapping his finger on an image of a slim body with a neon green halo around it. Not like the "Good" body which only has a yellow halo. Or worse, the "At Risk" one: Red halo.
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Congress hopefuls must strengthen faith in elections, not erode it | Commentary

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By Joan Barker
| Orlando Sentinel Verified
Last Thursday, Florida constituents watched as one-after-one, prospective congressional candidates answered a moderator-posed question as to whether or not they believed Joe Biden was the duly elected president of the United States.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

I worked as the Managing Editor for Providence College's student newspaper, The Cowl

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes, we had old school and mechanical type-writers at home when I was growing up.

What story are you most proud of writing or working on?

I am most proud to be writing and advocating for my Afghan friends and colleagues, demanding accountability from our nation's leaders.