“Publication” Class Notes

Michael Pillow (COL ’79 CM) has published his second novel, Summer Brush Men. The novel tells parallel stories of a younger man and an older man “coming of age” in their own ways. Michael has retired from his day job and lives with his partner Stephanie in Crozet.

Natasha Saje (Col ’76) published Terroir: Love, Out of Place (Trinity UP, 2020), a memoir-in-essays that was a finalist for Pen, Lambda, CMLP, and Indie Book Awards, and was awarded first prizes for the essay by Foreword Reviews and IPPY/ebook.

Lorisa Bates (Col ’91) has published Benita Renee Jenkins 2: Boxing Rings and Cages, the second edition in the Benita series. It is is an action-packed page-turner filled with intrigue, romance, and twists – a perfect read on those crisp cool fall and winter nights! An entertainment veteran and author, Bates has always had a zest for telling stories. As a young child, while children her age were playing with dolls, she was developing characters and writing short stories. As she got older, her love for  writing only grew. With a career in the media industry spanning over two decades, her talents have expanded to include development, writing, producing and editing for film and television. Benita Renee Jenkins 2: Boxing Rings and Cages and Benita Renee Jenkins: Diva Secret Agent and are available everywhere books are sold.

Betty Lou Roberts (Nurs ’53) has published her fourth book, Still Climbing, a combination of biography and fiction, featuring 13 short stories. She would love to hear from classmates.

David A. Cook (Grad ’71) published A History of Three-Dimensional Cinema with Anthem Press, London, in September 2021.  This is a companion volume to his A History of Narrative Film (New York:  Norton, 1981, 1990, 1996, 2004, 2016), W. W. Norton’s longest running publication, translated into eight languages, and one the world’s best-selling film history textbooks.  He also wrote Lost Illusions:  American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979, Volume 9 of the History of American Cinema series (New York: Scribner’s, 2000, and Berkley: University of California Press, 2002).  After teaching in the Purdue and Emory University English departments, 1971-1985, he served as Program Director and Chair of the Emory’s Film Studies Department, 1986-2007, which he also founded, and then served as Head of the Department of Media Studies, 2007-2012, at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where he still teaches and does research.

Suzanne Miller (Engr ’60) has published I Am An American: Is America Racist? It uses the stories of her ethnically-mixed heritage (English/Scot/Native American/West African Black) to tell the story of America, and their place in that story. Carefully researched, the book contains or cites a substantial amount of relevant documentary evidence. The goal is to give readers a sound factual basis to form their opinion on this topic of current national importance. Many will may learn quite a few things about America that are not widely known, such as: Where did the phrase “all men are created equal” come from? Why were the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution written as they were? How were colonists with little military training able to defeat the most powerful military force on the planet at that time, the British Army? How and why did racism take root and develop in America? What does the very concept of “race” really mean? It is available as both an e-Book and paperback through Amazon, Apple Books and Barnes & Noble.

Lynda Marie Rozell (Col ’84, Grad ’86, Law ’88) recently published a bestselling non-fiction book Journeys with a Tin Can Pilgrim: from corporate attorney to Airstream nomad, finding joy in everyday life with st. john’s press.  Three years ago, Lynda retired from her position as project manager and in-house counsel with a non-profit in northern Virginia, sold her home, bought an Airstream travel trailer and a RAM 1500 truck, and hit the road full-time.  She writes a travel blog about shrines, religious sites, and areas of natural beauty.  Her book chronicles how she came to be a nomad ministering to the people she encounters on the road.  Based on her personal experience, the book shares entertaining stories and tips for how to live and travel in an RV.  Lynda’s travels take her all over the United States (except Hawaii because, although an Airstream resembles a submarine, it does not float!).  Lynda currently is on a book tour and has been interviewed in podcasts, radio stations, and publications listed on the media page of her book web page.  She frequently speaks at churches, RV parks, and community events.  On occasion, she rolls into town in Fairfax, Virginia to visit her grown children and spends several months each year visiting friends in Florida.  Previously Lynda served as Attorney Advisor to two sequential Commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. and worked in private practice for Hunton & Williams.

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.