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Jalen Alexander is living in Brooklyn, New York, and celebrated five years at MDRC, a leading policy- research think tank, in May. Jalen also serves as the president of Social Policy Workers United (SPWU), the staff union at MDRC. The nearly 200-person unit represents researchers, IT staff, and administrative staff across the organization. On August 15, SPWU voted to ratify their first contract after over two years of bargaining. Jalen’s excited to have a bit of extra time to reconnect now that the contract fight is over. “Please reach out if you’re in NYC!”
InMayof this year, Julia “Jay” Benedith earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Sustainability from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. In August, she got engaged to her longtime partner, Representative Benjamin Williams (D.C. State Board of Education). What a wonderful summer!
Julius Bjornson writes, “I recently released some live videos with my group, Earl & Thor. One is an adaptation of the classic Jean Ritchie song, Jubilee, and the other is a contemporary Appalachian tune. They can both be seen on our website: www.earlandthor.com.”
Ella Dawson celebrated the publication of her first novel in June. But How Are You, Really is a coming-of-age story about an anxious millennial who attends her five-year college reunion. All similarities to Wesleyan are purely coincidental! Her favorite moment from the book tour was doing a sold-out event at Kansas City’s romance bookstore with Gabe Rosenberg ’16, who lovingly roasted her as only a college best friend can. She’s grateful to all of the Wes alums who have supported the book and helped spread the word!
Adam Freed gives a quick update: “I got married on June 1 in Santa Cruz, California! My wife is not a Wes alum (we met in graduate school at the University of Michigan), so I don’t know if this is still newsworthy, but figured I’d pass this along.”
Jana Heaton will be officiating Frank Fineis ’13 and Alyssa Bonneau’swedding in October. Jana askes that you “let her know in advance if you have any objections. Thank you.” She also adds that “the wife and I recently had a baby. She’s very cute but incredibly short. I guess a normal size for a baby. But babies are super short and nobody’s talking about it.”
Two new chapbooks by Joshua Krugman,Unexpected Breakfast and If Something Good Happens, I’ll Be There Soon, are now out from Paradise Copies, and an essay about Bread & Puppet Theater’s play, The Hope Principle: Citizens’ Shame and Hope in the Time of Genocide (2024), is forthcoming in the fall 2024 issue of The Drama Review.
Haley Weaver has left NYC, where she spent eight years working as a book editor for “Big Five” publishers Simon & Schuster and Hachette Book Group, and has started her own editorial business, Woven Word Editorial, in beautifully rainy Seattle. When not busy helping prospective authors land literary agents or finessing manuscripts to be self-published, she has been enjoying getting more into Seattle’s coffee culture and exploring the city with fellow Wes alum and seasoned Seattleite, Anya Morgan.
Chris Delaney | Christopher.Delaney@wellsfargo.com
Chelsie Green | ctgreen@wesleyan.edu