“Publication” Class Notes

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.”