Class Notes | 2000s

Hi, Class of 2009! So much news to report this time around. Below are some of the latest and greatest updates from your fellow classmates.

Wesleyan tennis superstars Matthew O’Connell (aka OC, aka Cash Money, aka Oye Tiooo) and Ania Preneta were married in Newport, R.I., on July 9. Many members of the Wesleyan community were in attendance including Casey Simchik ’10, Anika Fischer ’10, Alex Sirois, Matt Schaff ’11, Michael Frank ’08, Jaafar Rizvi, Graham Immerman, Alejandro Alvarado, Vincent Colangelo, Aaron Truchil, Lauren Cruz, Micki Stager Black, and Kwabea Osae-Kwapong.

Eugene “Geno” Wong and Caitlyn McCann were joined by many Wesleyan alumni as they got married at Memorial Chapel on Aug. 20. Applause is in order for their epic wedding hashtag #McCantgoWong.

Andrew Dermont married Elizabeth Wolff ’06 on Sept.10.

Daphne Schmon writes, “I moved to London and am directing a narrative short called All of Me. Through my company, Seek Films, I have also been filming promotional content in the Greek Islands. I am heading back to Mykonos in late October to film for a boutique hotel.”

Shane Heckstall reports, “My book titled Did You Create a Monster? is available on Amazon. This book focuses on the black-white achievement gap in higher education. This issue is unique for minorities going off to college. Even minorities who went through college can benefit from the scholarship of the book. I’m fortunate enough that my book is going to be used in a college class for teacher education. Also, I wrote an epic children’s book that doubles as a coloring book called The Romance of Lala, also available on Amazon. And lastly, I wrote a screenplay. If you are in a position to review my screenplay please reach out to me at seheckstall@wesleyan.edu. We all know by now that Wesleyan is deep into Hollywood, so don’t be shy.”

Jodie Rubenstein is engaged and will be getting married next September. Jodie and her fiancé, Alex, live in Logan Circle in D.C., and Jodie is beginning her second year as regional director at J Street, and her fourth year with the organization.

Asia Neupane writes, “Kevin ’08 and I are delighted to announce the birth of our son, Kieran Emerson Kromash. Born June 9—making him the Class of 2038 for when he continues the tradition of attending Wesleyan! He is an absolute joy and we look forward to introducing him to ,many of you soon enough!”

Sophie Reagan writes, “I’m living in D.C. My husband and I adopted a dog, which is not, as I’d previously assumed, just like having a large cat/house plant. Willie had a pretty rough puppy-hood, but I think he’s loving life with us in Georgetown. I’m working at Deloitte as a senior consultant in the federal human capital practice, primarily in the national security sector. Not at all what I saw for myself back in 2009 as an English major at Wes, but it’s been really great. I also had the pleasure of traveling to Greece with Jodie Rubenstein and Sophia Dumaine for the incredibly beautiful wedding of our dear friend, Emily Dine. The wedding was divine, and so was the feta.”

Annie Paladino and Eric LaMotte were married on June 11 in Washington’s Olympic National Park, a couple of months after celebrating 13 years together. Their ceremony was officiated by Gedney Barclay, with a reading by Miriam Krent, a reception emceed by Adam Black, hair/makeup/flowers/staging by Second Stage alumni, and many other classmates making the trek out to beautiful Washington State.

Rachel Berkowitz writes, “I’m living in Boston, where I completed my residency in ocular disease at the Boston VA. I am now an optometrist at the Lynn Community Health Center and a clinical assistant professor at the New England College of Optometry.”

Arthur Nazarian graduated with his MBA from Cornell and moved from the East Coast to Seattle with his girlfriend, Catherine Walsh, to work as a strategy consultant at Grant Thornton. He has enjoyed recent encounters with Wesleyan friends, including Silver Kim, Dustin Brockner, Wesleyan still-newlyweds Eric Weiskott and Sofia Warner, Paawan Punjabi, and Jermaine Lewis, who all helped him settle into his new home. While continuing to wait for his West Elm furniture delivery and to hit the jackpot, he is devising plans to move to the south of France to live on a diet of wine and homemade sourdough bread. It is unclear which event will happen first.

Nina Gonzalez-Sisson started a business, Dyer & Sparks, creating hand-painted textiles, clothing, and accessories. Find her online at dyerandsparks.com and facebook.com/dyerandsparks.

And last, but not least, Brittany Delany reports: “I am enjoying life and creative work in the Coachella Valley and desert region. It’s been fun to link up with Wesleyan alumna dancer and choreographer, Sue Roginski ’87, and participate in her programming.”

Thanks for all of your notes!

Alejandro Alvarado | ale.alvarado12@gmail.com

Anthony Albrecht writes, “I am happy to report that I have earned a second degree from Wesleyan—my MALS, with a concentration in humanities, this past May. I am still living in Middletown (this time in my own home with Kelly, my wife of almost six years!), and am going into my fourth year as a seventh grade language arts teacher at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, with the upcoming school year being my first as a team leader. It has been great being back on campus the past couple of years and I look forward to upcoming events that will bring me five minutes down the road to my alma mater!”

Lauren Goldman is living in Brooklyn, and working as the national coordinator for an anti-Trump campaign with Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Before starting this campaign, she did a one-month hike in Uttarakhand in the Himalayas, and visited Delhi, Agra, and Ladakh. Janie Stolar is thrilled to announce that her Facebook posts are doing well. Bex Allen was promoted to associate director of grants and strategic partnerships at the YMCA of Metro Chicago, where she manages corporate and private foundation grant funding.

Leah Weinberg writes, “This spring, following a lovely trip to New York, during which my husband, Scott Horowitz ’07, and I caught up with JJ DelSerra and Julia Cheng, I graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD in musicology. Over the summer, we also got to spend a long weekend in Minneapolis visiting more Wes friends, including Kat Aymeloglu ’07, John McNeil, Emily Marshall, and Will Matthews. Tasty food was consumed, artsy miniature golf was played, one uptight Minnesotan was annoyed by our cheerful revelry, and a good time was generally had by all.”

Jeffrey Stein published an op-ed in August in The Washington Post, confronting the widespread problem of law enforcement offices refusing to disclose officer misconduct information to the public. The op-ed is entitled, “What about police misconduct in your city? That’s confidential.”

Lyuba Azbel is doing her PhD at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Her research is in Kyrgyzstan on drugs, prisons, and HIV. She’s been living in Berlin for three years and writes, “[I] am in it for the long run so if any Wes folks are in town, give me a shout! I will soon have several couches to offer.” Sandra Manzanares moved to Brooklyn to start her grad school journey, creating her own master’s in the art and science of storytelling at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, while still playing a senior marketing manager by day. Downtime is usually spent hanging out with the usual lovely Wes heads.

Sally Rosen has worked at CBS News for many years, where she started as a page and worked up to the role of producer. She covered the recovery from the financial crisis, the Boston Marathon Bombings, the San Bernardino terrorist attacks, Election Night specials, and many less memorable moments in recent U.S. history that often caused her to cancel plans with little notice. In June, Sally took a job at WME | IMG, where she works as a senior coordinating producer in IMG’s Original Content group. She’s still committed to telling great stories through television, in both broadcast and digital platforms. She lives in Manhattan and sees her Wesleyan friends all the time.

Alicia Collen Zeidan | acollen@wesleyan.edu

Greetings Class of ’07! Can you believe it? Our 10th Reunion is just months away. Hope to see you all on campus next May! In addition to Wesleyan alumni, many classmates have added a new title to their résumé: parent. Megan Harrington writes, “My husband, Brian (Princeton ’07), and I welcomed our first child, Teddy Paul Harrington, in June. We’re looking forward to showing him around campus ASAP!”

Fellow ’07-ers have followed suit:

Katie Koerten says, “I’m living in western Massachusetts with my husband, Matt Valliere (Hampshire ’07). Since graduation I’ve been sharing my curiosity and wonder for nature with children and families as an environmental educator in Amherst. Matt and I welcomed a baby daughter to our family in March. We love living close to Grace Nowakoski, and her husband, Jeff!”

David Scardella and Jaime Wendel welcomed a son, Andrew Reed Scardella, on May 31. David, Jaime, Andrew, and their dog, Penny Lane, reside in Duxbury, Mass.

Kara Schnoes and Jeremy Brown ’08 made the trek west from New York this summer, settling in Eugene, Ore. Jeremy is an emergency physician for Sacred Heart Medical Center and Kara continues her consulting role remotely for Rosetta out of NYC. They happily welcomed their first child and daughter, Edia Rae, on Sept. 2 and are grateful that mom and baby are healthy. Abby Austin and Julia Mergendoller joined in the fun with a due date visit and celebration.

Julie Edelman writes, “My husband, Oliver Broad, and I just welcomed baby #2 on Sept. 4: Lael Eve. Lael joins big sister Maayan Rose, who just turned 2. I’ve been living in Berlin, Germany for seven years this October! Would be thrilled to see any Wesfolks who pass through these parts!”

Wes grads have also been busy researching, studying, and making career moves. William Santiago moved from Florida to attend medical school at the University of Connecticut. He married Vladrose Santiago ’05 in 2008 and they have two girls: Lisette (5) and Natalia (18 months). William is proud that Lisette started kindergarten this fall and that Natalia has started speaking. He continues to enjoy poetry, dancing, basketball, and science.

Jon Pierowicz writes, “After graduating from the UCLA School of Law in 2015 and a brief stint in NYC, I returned to my hometown of Buffalo, where I work as an associate at Phillips Lytle LLP. I specialize in real estate development and environmental law.”

Matt Franco says, “I (finally) defended my PhD in the history of science at Johns Hopkins back in April. I am in the midst of settling my publishing contract with a university press, so maybe the book will be out by our 15th Reunion—ha! I had a bunch of interviews for professorships this year, but no offer, so I am still teaching as an adjunct professor at a small liberal arts school in Maryland. Hope to see you all at the 10th Reunion.”

Jessica Mack is headed back to Mexico City to do research for her dissertation on the history of UNAM, Mexico’s largest public university.

Rosa Cohen-Cruz married Elric Kline on June 18. The wedding was officiated by Jacqueline Rubinstein and was attended by several ’07 Wes alumni. Rosa left her job as staff attorney at Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, and is now an immigration attorney at the Bronx Defenders.

Grace Nowakoski reports, “I’m loving my new work as a birth doula. It’s such an honor to help families on the journey of welcoming a little one. It’s great living in the Pioneer Valley near dear Wesleyan friend Katie Koerten and spending time with her beautiful baby daughter as often as possible.”

Our class is also making waves in the art world. Scout James is entering his third year in the Juilliard drama conservatory. And Leon Hilton writes, “I received my PhD in performance studies from New York University in May and have been teaching at Occidental College in LA. This year I am a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Humanities Forum.”

Jennifer Celestin received her MFA in fiction this year from Queens College of the City University of New York. Additionally, a microfiction piece that she began in Writers’ Bloc was published as a part of Akashic Books’ noir online series. She has been invited back to the Queens Library to facilitate a creative writing workshop for adults. She spent Labor Day weekend at a Wes ’07 wedding and in Vermont with Kaitlyn O’Donnell’s new bundle of joy. She’s settling into her new position in Harlem at SUNY/CUNY. She feels like Claudine, with the grace through adversity that only Diahann Carrol can bring. Every morning, she dances down 125th street like Mary Tyler Moore.

Maude Bass-Krueger received her PhD in decorative arts, design history, and material culture from the Bard Graduate Center in New York this past May. She’s completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of history at the University of Tel Aviv and moving back to Paris as a research fellow at the Modern History Laboratory of the CNRS (IHTP/CNRS). In Paris, Maude will direct a monthly seminar on dress history and prepare the opening of an exhibit she is curating, Mode et Femmes, 1914 to 1918, opening at the Museum of the Bibliothèque Forney in February. If you’re in Paris, drop her a line to grab a drink and get a tour of the show!

Finally, our class agents, Eric Altneu, Estrella Lopez, and Liam McAlpine would like to remind everyone to mark your calendars for May 25 to 28, and stay tuned for Reunion updates. Eric adds that he’s back in Ohio and looking for Midwest friends!

As we gear up for the big 1-0, keep the updates and good news coming! Send submissions to wesleyan007@gmail.com, victoriapinsky@gmail.com, or megan.kretz@gmail.com.

Megan Harrington | wesleyan007@gmail.com

Victoria Belyavsky Pinsky | victoriapinsky@gmail.com

Congratulations to Willy Friedman, who is one of the producers of the hit HBO series, High Maintenance. The show follows a marijuana dealer  as he interacts with various clients around NYC. The show began as a popular Web series before transferring its clever brand of humor to a major network. The cast and crew are gearing up for season two. Willy and his wife, Jessica Smith, have a daughter, Ruby Max Friedman, who just turned 1.

As Pia Silva Wasterval continues to build her company, Worstofall Design, she is also traveling the country for speaking engagements and is publishing her first book, Badass Your Brand, about branding for small businesses. Worstofall Design has been featured in Complex Magazine and continues to be known as a top-notch branding company.

Rachel Bleshman practices law in Delaware, as of earlier this year. She is doing immigration work for victims of violent crimes and domestic violence with Community Legal Aid Society, Inc.

Maggie Elliot received her PhD in human development from Tufts this May. She is a research associate at CUNY’s Institute for State and Local Governance on a large jail reduction initiative (the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge).

After getting a master’s degree in cello performance in 2009, Psyche Cassandra Dunkhase has stuck around the beautiful mountains of Colorado, teaching cello at Boulder Suzuki Strings. Her youngest student just turned 3! She has also performed and collaborated on projects ranging from a hip-hop band to folk singers to regional orchestras.

Hayley Stokar is a professor of social work at Purdue University Northwest. In July, she married Alexander Fullam, with Celia Reddick and Dana Raviv by her side as bridesmaids. In her spare time, Hayley is one of the Chicago regional representatives for the Wesleyan Alumni Association with Johanna Russ ’03.

After three years as an emergency room attending physician, Risa Cyr has made plans to spend some quality time with her wonderful son, Atticus, who turned 4.

Belated congratulations to Adrienne Naomi Santiago and Andrew Aprile, who married after a five-year romance that began when they met at the Fifth Reunion and vaguely recognized one another from their volunteer work at Traverse Square. They were married in a NYC park, under a sun-filled gazebo, by Leora Abelson ’07. Adrienne spends her days at NYU researching the role of interneurons in early emotional development, while Andrew maintains a relatively lighter schedule, adjunct teaching at various CUNY schools and teaching music in early childhood settings.

Zach Strassburger had an article, Medical Decision Making for Youth in the Foster Care System, published this fall in the John Marshall Law Review. Zach’s wonderful son, Samuel Benjamin Strassburger Jenkins, will soon be celebrating his first birthday! Zach continues to teach at Winona State University in rural Minnesota.

Congratulations to Katey Rich and her husband, Michael Baltus, who welcomed their first child, Charlie. Katey is the deputy editor of Vanity Fair’s website. And congratulations to Kimberly Lippman and her husband, whose child, Joseph Maxwell Koziara, celebrated his first birthday. Joe’s favorite pastimes are putting random objects in his mouth and swatting at Chief, their surprisingly tolerant dog.

Mike Butterfield and Leila Russell welcomed their first boy, Maxwell David Butterfield, Aug, 23. He is eight pounds and five ounces of love and they are extremely proud.

Calvin Cato | catocals@gmail.com

Katie Walsh is living in LA, where she is a film critic for the Tribune News Service, LA Times, and The Playlist.

After five long, glorious years at The Jerusalem Post, Niv Elis has taken a position as the opinion editor for the Asia Times (he’s still based in Tel Aviv, though). He’s hoping to recruit some of the very best Wesleyan opinions, so if you have something to say get in touch!

Elizabeth Langston Isaacs and Noah Isaacs ’06 celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary on Sept. 8. The most exciting thing to happen to them so far in their decade-plus relationship has been the birth of their daughter, Vivienne Langston Isaacs, on March 5. Vivi is breaking hearts all over Brooklyn, where she is regularly doted upon by a large contingent of Wesleyan alumni. Elizabeth is an appellate public defender at the Legal Aid Society and Noah is an innovations project manager at ICL, an NYC mental health/social services nonprofit.

Jennifer Mariaschin-Rudin is living and working in NYC as a behavioral health integration LCSW and supervisor for a community health organization. She loves her work serving adults and youth in a community health setting. Jenny is always happy to meet and hear from other Wesleyan alumni interested in social work and mental health!

Doro Globus has just started as managing director of David Zwirner Books. Whilst she is based in London, the position will include more regular travel to David Zwirner’s two gallery spaces in New York, as well as to Hong Kong, as the gallery is opening a space there soon. She and her husband, Gavin, have been enjoying time with their 1.5-year-old son, Tristan—yes, he has red hair!

After spending a year as a visiting assisting professor in anthropology at Wes, Melissa Rosario is moving to Puerto Rico to launch a living-learning project, CEPA, which fosters cooperative economies and eco-social futures amidst the current fiscal crisis. The beta space—charco hogar—will feature short-term rentals and residencies to fund free and sliding-scale workshops to a broad public. Learn more at decolonizepr.com.

Kate Mitchell left her nonprofit job of six years to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain, make quilts with her mother, and become a public school teacher in North Carolina.

After launching her novel, From Now On Everything Will Be Different, at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Asia-Pacific Writers and Translators Summit, Eliza Vitri Handayani toured Australia from August to September, appearing at the Melbourne Writers Festival as well as in Sydney and Adelaide. The launch of her novel at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival last October was canceled due to police warnings, and she protested by wearing t-shirts printed with excerpts from the novel to the festival. Copies of her novel were sold out at many events.

Marcella Winearls | marcellawinearls@gmail.com

NEWSMAKERS | 2000s NEWSMAKER MOSAH FERNANDEZ GOODMAN ’04 Mosah Fernandez Goodman ’04 was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Omahans (“TOYO!”), exemplifying community ideas and exhibiting extraordinary leadership. Active in the Omaha community, Goodman serves on the board for the Child Saving Institute, has served on the metro area board for TeamMates, is a co-founder of 24HoursofImpact.com, and is a graduate of Leadership Omaha. A theater major as an undergraduate, he also earned an MALS from Wesleyan, as well as a JD/MBA from the University of Iowa. Currently serving as counsel at Gavilon, he has managed the construction of the company’s downtown headquarters, supported many business development efforts, and has worked on a variety of legal and compliance issues.

Congratulations are in order for David Whiting. David reports, “My wife and I have a beautiful baby boy! Aksel Smythe Whiting was born on Sept. 6 and everyone is happy and healthy. We are still living in Brooklyn and I am still working with the communications marketing firm, Edelman, as a senior vice president in the public affairs division.”

More great news. Robbie Roose and Katie Zackin ’10 were engaged in August after a romantic proposal at Cannon Beach, Ore. The couple had been living together for the last couple years in the Boston area and relocated to Portland, Ore. They will get married next August in western Massachusetts. Katie graduated from MGH in the spring and is a pediatric nurse practitioner. Robbie runs corporate development and investor relations for Avid Technology.

Brian Hennessey writes, “I’m still working for a multinational telecom company in Paraguay. Work is great and living in Asuncion continues to be fun. Any Wes folks visiting the country should find me on Wesconnect and say ’hi.’ It would be my pleasure to show you around or recommend things to do.”

Lauren Kelly writes, “I have good news. I graduated in May from Columbia University with a PhD in English education. In August, I began a postdoctoral research fellowship with Boston University’s School of Education. I look forward to reading and sending you more updates in the future.”

Jenina Nuñez | jenina.nunez@outlook.com

Meeghan Whooley Ward | meeghan.w.ward@gmail.com

Congratulations to Michael Lewis, who recently got engaged to David Scott.

In March, Jacob A. Bennett and his wife, Charlotte, welcomed baby Eloise into the world, just a couple of months before Charlotte completed studies in a speech-language pathology master’s program. They then moved from Philadelphia to the University of New Hampshire’s education PhD program, where Jacob accepted a role as a graduate assistant, concentrating on higher education policy. Charlotte is now a speech pathologist; Jacob is completing the transition from English professor to education student; and Eloise is cutting teeth and starting to crawl.

Alison Criscitiello, who was awarded the Mugs Stump Award for alpinism this year, is headed this fall to the Garhwal region of the Indian Himalaya to attempt a first ascent on Brahmasar II.

Joey Wender and his wife, Lauren, welcomed their first child, Sam, into the world on Aug 11.

Anna Christensen and husband Gabe welcomed their first child, Maya, in April.

Gabriela Herman and her husband, Tyson Evans, welcomed their first child, Emilia, on June 30 at the Martha’s Vineyard hospital. All enjoyed a memorable summer on-island before heading back home to Brooklyn.

Juliet Werner directed her first feature documentary, The Laughter Life. The film looks at a group of young Mormon comedians with their own sketch comedy TV show. It premiered at the Middlebury New Filmmakers Film Festival, co-founded by Lloyd Komesar ’74, P’07.

Amy Tannenbaum | atannenbaum@wesleyan.edu

I can’t believe it’s almost time for our 15th Reunion already! Excited to see you all there! On to the notes:

Congratulations are definitely in order. First, to Lin-Manuel Miranda for his multiple Tony Award wins this year for Hamilton. His takeover of the world continues! And I am personally excited to hear his contributions to the Disney animated flick, Moana, out Nov. 23!

And congrats to Dawn Papacena for running the TCS New York City Marathon on Nov. 6! She says “I would have never made it this far (and to the finish line) without the support of my Wesleyan family cheering me on: Nina Laing, Anthony Rosario, Carlos Rojas, Steve Gray ’01, Emy Rodriguez ’01, and Korin Mills ’01.”

Speaking of Anthony Rosario, he has a new job as a community outreach associate at Achievement First Charter School. He helps manage student recruitment, the lottery process, and elected official engagement for a portfolio of schools in Brooklyn. He lives with his partner of four years and their amazing dog, Randy, in Bushwick.

Lots of new children in our Wes world: On Jan. 5, Lara Everly, with her husband David, welcomed a baby boy, Leo Kahlil, into the world. He came two months early, but is quickly growing “into a huge dude.” Lara’s been touring film festivals with her documentary, Free to Laugh, about the power of comedy after prison. She continues to act and direct, focusing on female-driven comedies.

Lily Lung has a baby daughter, Ethel, born in February. Lily published two pieces of choral compositions this summer: one by Boosey & Hawkes and the other by BriLee (Carl Fisher). She was accepted to the online DMA program for music education at Boston University and began this fall. She is still teaching music full-time in the Glastonbury Public Schools in Connecticut.

Diana Pasquali welcomed her second child, Noah, to the family earlier this year, and her daughter just turned 2. She is back to work, doing nonprofit consulting in Oakland with national progressive organizations on training and grassroots strategies.

Brandon McBeth and his wife, Sharmin, had a baby girl, Mikayla Asha McBeth, born on Apr. 27.

Kimberly Nelson moved with her husband to Boston from Seattle in August 2014 after she received a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. Since then, she has been promoted to an assistant professor position in the psychiatry department at Brown University. She has a baby boy, Jules Nelson, born on Aug. 3!

And we had a lot of our classmates on the move! Paul Smaldino moved to central California in July with his wife, Emily, and their 2-year-old daughter, Lyra. Paul is the assistant professor of cognitive and information sciences at the University of California, Merced. This summer he trekked up to Alaska to visit Micah Allen, who is pursuing his MFA at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Paul Kim celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Mirjam. The couple moved to Brooklyn from Evanston, Ill. And Ben Allen earned his PhD in political science from UC, Berkeley in May 2015, moved to D.C., in December, got married this past February, and joined Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore as a microfinance programs researcher in September.

Julia Matsudaira is back in San Francisco, and is loving the Bay Area more than ever (“even though SF proper is a bit nuts!”). She works in wealth management, focusing on philanthropy and impact investing strategies for clients. On the fringes, she is helping Leah Ralph check off items from her SF bucket list before making the move across the pond next year, “all in celebration of 18 years of friendship and life since move-in day at Wes!”

Sasha Martin is a 2016–17 research fellow at the University of Tulsa through the Center for the Humanities. Her research will center on expressions of peace at the global table, culminating in a poetry and art show this spring. More details at globaltableadventure.com/2016/08/23/a-fellowship-of-food.

In other news: Hilary S. Jacqmin reports, “In the years since Wesleyan, I earned my MA from Johns Hopkins University and my MFA from the University of Florida. I live in Baltimore where I work as an associate production editor at Johns Hopkins University Press, and where I was married in October 2015. My first book of poems, Missing Persons, will be released by Waywiser Press in March (look for it on the Ides of March).

Lauren Gottlieb Lockshin lives in NYC with her husband, Noam Lockshin, along with their 2-year-old daughter, Abigail, and 6-month-old daughter, Elisheva. She is finishing her PhD in European Jewish History at Yale.

Peter March recently married and is working as a dentist north of San Diego in Carlsbad, Calif.

That’s it! See you all on campus in May!

Justin Lacob | justinlacob@gmail.com

Class secretary, Mara, writes for this issue. Sarah Levin writes, “I graduated from Naropa University in May with a master’s in counseling psychology/art therapy, along with my classmate, Regina Rooney ’84. I am living in the tiny and quirky mountain town of Nederland, Colo., and working at a Denver-based agency as a therapist for adults at risk of psychiatric hospitalization due to severe mental illness. It was great to catch up with my old roomie, Katharine Davis Reich, a few months ago.”

Hyunjoo and Don Kim welcomed a daughter, Maddie, in December of 2015.

From Ethan Schapira: “I am living in Brooklyn and have been teaching chess to kids in a few NYC public schools, basically since we graduated! In April, my wife, Dacia, and I were thrilled to welcome our first child, Owen, into our lives.”

Eric Bliss, Elizabeth Collins Bliss, and their son, Nathaniel, 4, celebrated the arrival of Finnley Albert, on March 26. The Bliss clan now resides in southern Maine, where Eric is a veterinarian at a small animal hospital. Liz works for the New York State Migrant Education Program.

Ben Spatz was selected as a UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (England’s equivalent of the NEH) leadership fellow with a project to develop decolonial Jewish song-action through a revised laboratory theater methodology. Instead of trying and failing to explain this myself, I’ll direct you to the website at urbanresearchtheater.com.

In 2011, Lisa Weinert launched her own consulting company, Lisa Weinert Consulting (LWC), after working at the Knopf Doubleday Group at Random House as a publicist and editor for eight years and spending one year working on digital marketing campaigns with e-book start-up, Open Road Integrated Media. She has published and promoted a range of authors focusing on topical nonfiction and literary fiction, with a special interest in narrative medicine, women’s leadership, social advocacy, health, and spirituality.

In 2015, she cofounded a new publishing imprint, ARCHER, with LA-based independent publisher, Rare Bird, where they provide full-scale global distribution and top-of-the-line publicity for a range of authors. Motivated by the healing and transformative power of storytelling, in June she created the debut annual narrative medicine program at Kripalu, an immersion with doctors, yogis and literary writers exploring the use and impact of storytelling and compassionate listening in the healing process. She teaches restorative yoga and curates workshops in yoga and storytelling called “StoryFlow” in NYC and is creator and host of a new podcast, Narrative Medicine with Lisa Weinert. Her next program at Kripalu is confirmed for July 9-14.

Mike Homolka’s debut poetry collection, Antiquity, was published by Sarabande Books in July of this year to favorable reviews in Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. He is teaching critical reading and creative writing to first-generation high school students in NYC.

Lisa Kagan launched a new website for her business, Family Heirloom Arts (familyheirloomarts.com), in honor of her business’ 10-year anniversary. Family Heirloom Arts is dedicated to helping individuals and families celebrate their life stories and significant life milestones through the creation of illustrated heirloom books. Lisa also offers life storytelling presentations, workshops and retreats through the Pacific Northwest. Inspired by the birth of her son Julius in 2012, Lisa has expanded her business offerings to include the Art of Motherhood program, designed especially for mothers of young children. The Art of Motherhood program focuses on supporting and nurturing mothers of young children to connect with themselves and a community of moms by engaging in the creative process of sharing their stories through art and writing. The Art of Motherhood program offers monthly workshops, as well as publication opportunities for mother artists and writers through the online Art of Motherhood Community Gallery.

Here in Boston, Baby Andreas’s recent hobbies include tentatively engaging in conversation with inanimate objects, squealing in delight, and laughing at our cats, Hazel and Vinnie—who, to his credit, are pretty funny.

Fondly,

MARA VOUKYDIS | maravee@gmail.com

ARYN SPERANDO | arynsperandio@yahoo.com

Zachary Hurwitz writes, “My wife of five years and I welcomed our first son, Ilan Mateo, in January 2016. We both found new jobs in the D.C. area, where we’ve been living since 2015, after two moves from Oakland, Calif., and Austin, Texas. We’re grateful to have reconnected with Eric Hoover and family, and Chris Saenger ’01 and family, and hope to do so again soon.“

Molly Bruce Barton writes, “In 2014, I taught a course at Wesleyan, the senior seminar in the Writing Certificate program. I left my role as global digital director at Penguin Random House to found Serial Box (serialbox.com), the HBO of reading. Last year, I married television and film producer, Jack Turner, at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden in Staten Island, N.Y. And this year we had our first child, Clyde Lucien Turner. He was born on March 30, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces, measuring 22.5 inches. Tall boy.”

Keefe Murren writes, “This year I started as managing director of FilmAid International. I’m really interested in getting the Wesleyan community involved with our work. E-mail me at keefemurren@gmail.com.”

Avery Esdaile | wesleyan2000@gmail.com