Studio960 by CudaziWelcome to Barbara's online portfolio, live from Lima.

Barbara Drake is an American writer, editor and occasional news producer who has lived in Peru since 2007.  She teaches English in the translation & interpretation program at UPC, where she was recently named her department’s “Teacher of the Year.”  

Check out her articles and short stories, learn about her award-winning blog An American in Lima, and view some of the videos she helped produce for U.S. news teams.

Contact Barbara to say hello or to hire her for your next project.

Opinion Pieces & Essays

Two Sisters, Pucarumi, Mt. Ausangate by Barbara Drake 2008

Deadly Negligence — Peru’s Red Cross & Cold Deaths in Andes

More than 500 children in the Andes died of extreme cold last winter, but the Peruvian Red Cross refuses to ask for much-needed international aid (An American in Lima)

Opinion Pieces & Essays

photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

Confessions of a Redhead in the Callejón

Bullfighting is gory, morbid & frequently tedious. So why did I want to jump in the Acho bullring last November? Huffington Post, Feb. 23, 2010

Multi-media, Videos

Joran Van der Sloot, center, is escorted by Peruvian police officers at the police headquarters in Lima, on Saturday; photo by Pilar Olivares / Reuters

Official: Van der Sloot confesses to killing

Joran van der Sloot confessed to slaying a 21-year-old woman in a Lima hotel room, a Peruvian official told NBC News. (TODAY Show/NBC News video, June 8, 2010)

Multi-media, Photo Stories

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Peru’s Disappearing Holy Glacier

A glacier in the Andes worshipped since pre-Columbian times is disappearing due to rapid climate shifts, taking with it ancient rituals tied to the earth. (MSNBC photo story)

Articles

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Escaping the U.S. Credit Nightmare

It took moving to a developing country for me to tune out the American mantra of "Spend, spend, spend" (Miami Herald, Oct. 12, 2008)

Opinion Pieces & Essays

heart is a muscle

The Heart Is a Muscle

I used to think France was the most food-obsessed nation on earth. Then I moved to Peru. (An American in Lima, Sept. 8, 2009)

Articles

Anti-taurino outside Plaza de Acho; photo c. Jorge Vera 2008

Battle Over the Bulls

In recent years, bullfighting in Peru has been attacked by activists who call it "cruel and barbaric." So why is it becoming more popular? (Miami Herald, Nov. 21, 2008)

Multi-media, Videos

Jorge Recharte, director of the Andes Program, Mountain Institute

“Peru’s future depends on mountains”

Jorge Recharte of the Mountain Institute explains why glaciers are essential for the survival of Peruvian culture. (MSNBC.com video, Dec. 8, 2009)