“Publication” Class Notes

Derek Baxter (Col ’95) published his second book, The Forgotten World War: Exploring the Secret History of the American Revolution, from Spain to India and Back Again. In it, he tells the story of the Revolutionary War not only as a colonial uprising, but as a vast war fought across four continents. He traveled to many of these places around the world where the war was fought, showing how deeply interconnected America’s story was with events unfolding across globe. This follows his first book, In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

Suzette Bishop (Grad ’87) recently published three poetry chapbooks, “Eyes of Some Robbers,” “Unbecoming,” and “Were-Jag.” Bishop has an MFA from UVA and a Doctor of Arts from the State University of Albany.

Ellen Morris Prewitt (Col ’79 CM) released When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women, a New Orleans-based fantasy, whose protagonist, Etoile, inadvertently calls forth a prince, a saint and her three ancestral grannies. Etoile enlists her grannies to help return the prince to his own time, but turning to three murderous women might not be her best idea. Prewitt, who weaves her Southern life — and family secrets — into her writing, was named to Salvation South‘s “Best of 2025” list for an Honorable Mention on her essay “Granddaughter of the Instigator.”

Mimi Montgomery (Col ’14 CM) will publish her debut novel, Murder Bites, with Penguin Random House on August 4. Murder Bites is a charmingly quirky and clever murder mystery about a death that happens on the set of a reality TV show about dogs. It was named one of Lit Hub’s most anticipated books of 2026, as well as one of GoodRead’s buzziest debut novels of 2026. Montgomery lives in Washington, D.C., where she’s a reporter at Axios.

James M. Thunder (Grad ’74) and co-author K. Chris Todd wrote United States Attorneys for the District of Columbia, 1801-2024, published by the Historical Society of the D.C. Circuit in April. The book is a compendium of 49 biographies, including Francis Scott Key, and UVA alumni Morgan H. Beach (Law 1884), David G. Bress (Col 1928), Stanley S. Harris (Com ’51, Law ’53), Roscoe C. Howard Jr. (Law ’77), Kenneth L. Wainstein (Col ’84), and Channing D. Phillips (Col ’80). Thunder and Todd thank Anne C. Causey, Randi Flaherty (Grad ’08, ’14), and Cecilia Brown of UVA Special Collections for their assistance in researching the book.

Lara Call Gastinger (Col ’98 CM) will publish her book, A Perpetual Journal Practice, with Timber Press on June 23, 2026. The book guides readers through the transformative practice of the perpetual journal—a forgiving, incremental, long-term approach to connecting with the natural world through drawing. This book will feature the philosophy behind the perpetual journal, introductory techniques, and the 52 spreads from Gastinger’s own perpetual journal. Some of Gastinger’s first botanical sketches were in the gardens at UVA. Gastinger will give a book talk at the CODE Building in Charlottesville on June 27.

Larry Good (Col ’61) has released a new children’s book, The Tree of Ticket Leaves, about the fantastical adventures of a girl, a “deputized question mark,” a tackling dummy, and a buffalo unicorn. Good is a former high school teacher and school librarian.

Christopher D. Stanley (Com ’76) retired in 2022 after 30 years as a professor and author focusing on the social and religious world of early Christianity and Judaism. In addition to his academic publications, he recently released the final volume of his historical fiction trilogy, A Slave’s Story. He and his wife Laurel Stanley (Nurs ’77) live in southern California.

Page Nelson (Col ’76) and co-translator Leonid Gornik have published Osip Mandelstam: Selected Poems with Carrsbrook Press. Nelson and Gornik’s translation is the most comprehensive offering of Mandelstam’s verse in English currently in print.

Tammy Stempler Priest (Col ’91 CM) has written Jerusalem Calls, to be released in August. Part memoir, part biblical history, Jerusalem Calls tells the story of her faith journey—which took an unexpected turn during her time at Virginia—with the rich tradition of Judaism and the Old Testament pilgrimage feasts, from Sinai to Jesus’ ministry to today.

James Currie (Grad ’69, ’75) published his fifth book, Missouri Mule: How Harry Truman’s Stubbornness and Determination Helped Win World War II and Led Him to the Presidency, with Academica Press. It is primarily the story of how Harry Truman went from being in Franklin Roosevelt’s political doghouse to being Roosevelt’s running mate in 1944. Secondarily, it exposes the actions of some of our country’s largest corporations, notably US Steel and Standard Oil of New Jersey, who placed shareholder profits ahead of furnishing appropriate and contracted-for materiel that was used in the World War II fight against Germany and Japan.

Steve Huntoon (Col ’78, Law ’82 CM) published his 100th trade press column on the electric power industry. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Wilmington, Delaware, and Boston, near their grandchildren, and in Miami Beach during the winter. He will be co-hosting a celebration of the Declaration’s 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026, at Jefferson Hall, West Range, on Grounds.

Scott Lambridis (Col ’99) will publish his debut novel, St. Ulphia’s Dead, with Regal House Publishing in July. A literary novel with a speculative edge, St. Ulphia’s Dead follows two researchers investigating an outbreak of apparent possession on a remote island, where the boundary between science and belief begins to erode. Lambridis, a former neurobiology student, lives in Washington state and earned his MFA from San Francisco State University.

Pamela Norsworthy (Col ’80 CM) published her second historical fiction novel, The Florentine Entanglement, in January. The Florentine Entanglement is a thriller involving the U-2 incident during the Cold War. Norsworthy previously received a nomination for Georgia Author of the Year for her debut novel War Bonds. Both books earned “Get It” tags from Kirkus Reviews. Norsworthy turned to fiction writing after many years as a journalist, with stints at CNN, WVIR-TV in Charlottesville, and other outlets. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Cameron Gray Norsworthy (Col ’79), a retired Presbyterian pastor, musician and poet.

L. Flick Hatcher (Col ’77 CM) has published his second novel, Romancing Normal, with Bookbaby Press. A work of fiction that is alternately light-hearted and heart-breaking, the story follows Drew Carter’s quest to date gay away by finding the woman who so captivates his heart that his lust  for men is obliterated, leaving him free to fulfill “The Plan”: a great job, beautiful wife, 2.5 kids, white picket fence and Ford Country Squire station wagon. Maybe a pony. Set primarily at a fictionalized University of Virginia, the story follows Drew from straight to gay to grey. He discovers the joy of living authentically, fulfilling a plan even greater than he’d hoped for, proving that nice guys don’t finish last.

Lynn Rivera (Engr ’83) has written Love in the Time of Autism: A Memoir, a collection of haibun essays about raising her son who has been diagnosed with autism. Sometimes funny, sometimes painful, her stories run the gamut of human emotion as she searches for answers to the questions of parenting a son on the autism spectrum. Though she offers little advice, she describes implicitly the transformation of her family, the growth of understanding and patience, and ultimately, the power of love.

Neil Liebowitz (Col ’78 CM) wrote his first novel, Deception: A psychiatrist’s stolen journal, under the pseudonym Aaron Riley. It follows two early career psychiatrists in their journey to balance the needs of their patients with their own needs. Liebowitz is a retired psychiatrist and founder of the Connecticut Anxiety & Depression Treatment Center. He has also written a memoir, Psychiatry in Techno colors: A psychiatrist’s memoir of lessons learned.

Stacy Landis Hackney (Law ’01) will publish her debut adult mystery, The Primrose Murder Society, with HarperCollins on March 3, 2026. Set in Richmond, Virginia, the novel follows Lila Shaw, a newly single mom who moves into a luxurious retirement building with her crime-obsessed daughter and reluctantly agrees to investigate a decades-old murder in the building. When another resident is killed and Lila becomes the prime suspect, she must team up with her elderly neighbors to catch a killer.

Nancy Hudgins (Law ’78 CM) will release a biography, Books Good Enough for You, the Storied Life of Ursula Nordstrom, Editor of Extraordinary Children’s Books, with Abrams Books on March 24, 2026. Nordstrom, the 20th century editor at Harper & Brothers, edited Goodnight Moon, Charlotte’s Web, Where the Wild Things Are and Harold and the Purple Crayon, among many other children’s classics. Books Good Enough for You, recommended for children ages 10-14, tells the story of Nordstrom’s life and her advocacy for children’s right to read.

Charles Garrettson (Col ’75, Grad ’86) wrote A Stroke of Luck: an Exercise in Meaning, about his experience with a stroke. Garrettson wrote it on his iPhone, using the index finger on his non-dominant hand. A Stroke of Luck draws from the philosophy of Viktor Frankl, whose book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Garrettson credits with transforming his life from one of crisis to opportunity.

Allison Geller (LaMothe) (Col ’12) published her debut crime novel, Dirty Metal, with Flatiron Books in February. Dirty Metal, set in New York City in 1992, features crime reporter Parker Snow as she investigates the Russian mafia and a string of women’s murders. Kirkus Reviews called it “a bold debut befitting its bold heroine” in a starred review, while CrimeReads named her “a startling and original talent” in its 2026 “Most Anticipated” list.

Anna Kovatcheva (Col ’12) will publish her debut novel, She Made Herself a Monster, with HarperCollins Mariner on February 10, 2026. The novel, set in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, follows a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—in truth, a traveling con artist—who joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons. The novel is a story of female community, fortitude, and rage set against a backdrop of Slavic vampire folklore, inspired in part by the course on Dracula and other representations of the vampire that Kovatcheva took in the Slavic studies department at UVA with Dr. Jan Perkowski in 2009.

Kovatcheva will appear in conversation with Professor John Casteen (Col ’93) at New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville on February 13, 2026, to discuss the book.

Jianyi Lee (Col ’08, Grad ’13 CM) and Kevin Mo (Engr ’09 CM),along with their two young sons, published Portugal: A Kid’s Travel Adventure through Kindle Direct Publishing in September. Inspired by exploring the world together as a family since the COVID-19 pandemic, the book is told from the perspective of their children and blends real-life travel experiences with history, geography, food and cultural discoveries. They are excited to share this first project with the alumni community and hope it inspires families and children to nurture curiosity and a strong sense of adventure. The family lives in Summit, New Jersey.

Jen Shoop (Col ’06 CM) will publish Small Wonders: A Field Guide to Life’s Small Joys, a collection of essays, musings and list poetry on the art of paying attention, on April 14. The book is an extension of the writing she has become known for on her daily blog, Magpie by Jen Shoop, and is organized around themes that include the dance of motherhood, inheritances and intimacies, the natural world and the wide world of language.

Mark Christhilf (Col ’70) has a forthcoming book that answers one of the most pressing questions of science and philosophy: what is human consciousness? The Tenant in the Mind: Consciousness and Its Imperatives, will be published by Iff Books (UK) on February 3, 2026. An emeritus professor at Eastern Illinois University, Christhilf has also published a book of literary criticism and a book of poetry, as well as articles, reviews and poems in numerous journals, including The Yale Literary Magazine. He lives in New Jersey.

Justin Humphreys (Col ’01) contributed to Sophia by Eisenstaedt, the collector’s edition book of photographs of actress Sophia Loren by the great photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.

Christopher Jamison (Col ’07) released his ninth studio album, Altered Ego, continuing a career marked by thoughtful songwriting and national recognition—including praise from The Austin Chronicle, which once dubbed him “the Paul Simon of Texas.” Now balancing life as a musician, educator and father of two with his wife, Meg Williams (Arch ’06 CM), Jamison credits his formative Wednesday nights playing at The Virginian as a core UVA experience that shaped both his musical voice and sense of community. Altered Ego will be available on Bandcamp beginning December 21.

Kimberly Behre Kenna (Col ’79) will publish her latest novel, Lola Gillette and the Summer of Second Chances, on March 3. The middle-grade adventure, the third installment in her Brave Girls Collection, follows a 13-year-old grieving the loss of her twin sister while spending the summer in her quirky agoraphobic uncle’s unique castle home. Part of the proceeds from book sales will benefit Friends of Gillette Castle State Park and The Cove Center for Grieving Children in Connecticut.

Grace Elizabeth Hale, Commonwealth Professor of American Studies, received a Whiting Nonfiction Grant for Works-in-Progress for her upcoming book, They Don’t Own Us: Harlan County, Kentucky and the Past and Future of American Works. The grant gives contemporary nonfiction authors $40,000 to aid their projects, as well as publicity guidance. They Don’t Own Us examines labor struggles in the changing political social and economic climate of the 60s and 70s, and reflects on how this period impacts our labor climate today.

Clifton W. Potter Jr. (Grad ’64,’70 CM) published Yankees in the Hill City, The Union Prisoner of War Camp in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1862-1865 with McFarland and Company, Publishers, Inc. It is the first comprehensive study of the rarely-mentioned transit camp that existed in Lynchburg from June 1862 until April 1865. Using the diaries of soldiers who were held there, as well as extant manuscripts and burial records, Potter fashions the story of a POW camp unlike any other in the Confederacy. He is professor of history emeritus at the University of Lynchburg.

Adam Kadlac (Grad ’07) published his second book, The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life, with Polity Press in November. In it, he argues that Disney theme parks are a remarkably fruitful environment in which to reflect on the human condition. He reflects how a day out at the Magic Kingdom can prompt parks-goers to ruminate on all sorts of important topics and questions: authenticity and pleasure; what it means for corporations to play such a large role in our culture; whether nostalgia is always bad; and, of course, princesses (so, so many princesses).

George Coussoulos (Educ ’65 CM) wrote his third book of historical speculative fiction, The Unknown, Surprising, and Fascinating Life of Jupiter Evans: Thomas Jefferson’s Personal Valet Tells His Story, released in October.

Emily Goodson (Educ ’09) will release her debut memoir, Dating Disability: 15 Stories of Dealing with the BS and Building Confidence on December 9. Goodson experienced a brain bleed at age 8, which resulted in partial paralysis on one side of her body. In this book, she invites readers into intimate stories about growing up, navigating relationships and building confidence in a world that often fails to talk about disability. Now 40, with a plethora of adventures (and misadventures) to draw from, she openly shares her realities and takeaways in Dating Disability. A Kirkus Review said that the book is “A cheerful chronicle of bravery and self-compassion that encourages all readers looking for love.”