“Publication” Class Notes

Kim Harrison Greer (Col ’89 CM) published her first novel in September 2021. Masked Intent: A Modern-Day Morality Play blurs the lines between contemporary romance and literary fiction, blending thoughtful prose with pointed observation, insights, and drama. The story arc follows the new, shaky romance between a divorced mom — who happens to be a UVA alumna — and a younger college professor. Told through a series of seemingly disconnected vignettes, the book examines our tenuous relationship with the truth and each other in a world where honesty and authenticity take back seat to the power of influence.

Michelle Jones Coles (Col ’02 CM) has written a debut young adult historical fiction novel called Black Was the Ink about the collapse of the Reconstruction Era. It will be published by Lee and Low Books on November 2, 2021. 

Thad Long (Law ’63 CM) has written a sequel to his first book, The Impossible Mock Orange Trial, which was released in 2020 and received composite 4.6 of 5-star reviews. The sequel is entitled The Vow: Ted Born’s Last Trial.  Released in August 2021,  it is also being well-received in early reviews.  Though the books fall under the category of “legal thrillers,” Long intends them to go beyond that, in exploring justice in America’s courtrooms.  Both are available in hardback, paperback and eBook formats.

William Darwin Prillaman (Arch ’76 CM) published Richmond In Watercolor -dining out + drinking in, an effort to help restaurant workers displaced by the pandemic by donating the profits to their cause. Plein air paintings of over 30 Richmond restaurants are featured, along with thumbnail sketches and recipes. The project began in the winter of 2020, when closures prompted him to decide to help the industry by sharing his art. His watercolor skills were honed by Professor John Ruseau (Arch ’56), while he was a teaching assistant in the Master of Architecture program. The book may be virtually viewed online at boprillaman.com.

Gary Alexander (Col ’64 CM) has published Poems For Your Pandemic, a light-hearted look at the way we lived in 2020. The book contains poems such as “My Wife’s My Barber!”, “Line Up, Line Up, Its For The Test!”, “Why Is Toilet Paper So Hard to Find?”, “I’ve Lost My Mask!” and many more. For more details, visit www.downtimewithme.com.

Gary’s love of history started at the University. It was the only subject he did well in, he says. Included in the book are  humorous poems written more than a century ago by Americans struggling with the Spanish Flu. As Gary observes, it’s pretty amazing how history repeats.

Gary hopes everyone stays safe and takes time to look back and marvel at how our lives have changed.

Richard Rannellone (Engr ’68) has published a novel,  Auslander (German for foreigner). The story deals with a World War II German soldier, who is captured in  North Africa by the American army.  After spending his captivity at  a POW camp in Texas, he returns to war-ravaged Germany, but is disillusioned by the dismal state of the country and the lack of professional opportunities for him, a degree holder in aeronautical engineering.  He longs to return to the U.S. and finally achieves that goal. Life in the U.S. presents a new array of opportunities and challenges that he must confront.  

Michael Widener (Col ’72 CM) has digitally published a novel, Fishbein, Ascending, now available, together with his non-fiction writings, at https://widenerites.com. Mike retired from law practice and public officialdom in 2021, and divides his time between Arizona’s deserts and the hills of Middle Tennessee with his wife Peggy.

Rod MacDonald (Col ’70 CM) published his 13th compact disc of songs, Boulevard, and second novel, The American Guerillas, in 2021. The CD is a collection of his first songs, written when he was a graduate student in New York City, living on upper Broadway. Though released on the independent label Blue Flute Music, the CD made the top twenty in national folk & roots music charts. The novel, a story of a man on the run who ends up on a remote desert American Indian reservation, was published by Archway Publications in April. MacDonald lives in South Florida and is a “geezer dad”, with two teenage children. He works full-time, as a performer, as co-producer of the monthly Greenwich Village Folk Festival, and as Music Americana instructor in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University, where he was named Distinguished Faculty Member in 2012. 

Justin Humphreys (Col ’01) appears on two recent BluRay video releases: he recorded an audio commentary for Flight to Mars and wrote and narrated a documentary included on The Brotherhood of Satan. 

Robert Graboyes (Col ’76) interviewed Eric Topol (Col ’75) on the podcast “Healthcare’s Reluctant Revolution.” The two discussed artificial intelligence, the doctor-patient relationship, medical ethics, mRNA vaccines, CRISPR, telehealth and other topics—including a personal experience at UVA Student Health in the 1970s. Graboyes is a senior research fellow and healthcare scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and a former clinical professor at the UVA School of Nursing. Topol is founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of molecular medicine at the Scripps Research Institute and a senior consultant at the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases at the Scripps Clinic.

Geoffrey F. Weiss (Engr ’91 CM), a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, will publish first book, The New Art of War: The Origins, Theory, and Future of Conflict in September.

Marcia Thompson Friedman (Col ’89) recently published her second cookbook, The Essential Jewish Cookbook. The book includes a brief history of Jewish culinary traditions along with 100 recipes. Her first cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls: Recipes and Reflections from a Jewish and Italian Life, was published in 2013. In June 2021, she received the honor of membership in Les Dames d’Escoffier, a prestigious international culinary organization.

Craig W. Sampson (Col ’90, Law ’93) has coauthored Family Law: Theory, Practice, and Forms, 2021 ed. (Vol. 9, Virginia Practice Series). Sampson is a shareholder at Barnes & Diehl P.C. in Richmond and parent of Sabrina Sampson (Col ’21).

Anna Caritj (Col ’12) published her debut novel, Leda and the Swan, in May 2021. The book follows Leda, a sorority girl in her third year at a Southern university. Leda’s crush, Ian, is implicated in the disappearance of a fellow classmate, Charlotte Mask. As the campus rouses itself to respond to Charlotte’s disappearance, rumors swirl, suspicious facts pile up, and Leda’s obsession with Charlotte grows. She soon finds herself reassessing her commitment to Greek Life and all that it entails. Her allegiances and motivations begin to blur. The novel examines contemporary youth culture and the dynamics surrounding sex, consent, risk, regret and power.

Andrew Taylor-Troutman (Grad ’11) has published a new book. Hope Matters: Churchless Sermons in the Time of the Coronavirus is a collection of weekly editorials he wrote for the local newspaper over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Part memoir, part social commentary, he draws on biblical interpretation and theological reflection to make connections with a reading audience beyond my faith community in a time in which we were all tested. One hundred percent of the profits support a food assistance ministry in his community that began during the pandemic: the church partners with a local farm and restaurant to provide nutritious meals to people living with special needs.