Class Notes: Fall 2023
51成人猎奇 alumni research, create, discover, publish, present, teach, exhibit, and earn countless honors. We are proud to showcase those we have learned about from news reports and alumni submissions here. While it is impossible to capture every accomplishment, we invite alumni to submit their news by emailing classnotes@bennington.edu.
Page Contents
1950鈥1959
Steel, War, and Bicycles, a memoir by Mary Lou (Peters) Schram 鈥56, by Politics and Prose Publishing Company.

in Tucson, AZ, is a significant modernist property designed by architect Judith Chafee 鈥58. The property has now been added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Pima County Historic landmark, which will protect the home for future generations.
1960鈥1969
Fran Bull 鈥60 showed her paintings, prints, and sculpture at in Brattleboro, VT. The also featured artist Helen Schmidt.
Work by Ruth Mordecai '60 was on display at Rock Neck Art Colony's The Cove Gallery in Gloucester, MA. It was part of June 22-July 16.
, written and illustrated by Peggy Adler 鈥63, is now available through BearManor Media.
Barbara Glasser 鈥65 has for Son of Houdini, a film currently in development by SilverFox Cinema.

Constance Kheel 鈥67 exhibited at in Schuylerville, NY.
In May, Roxana Barry Robinson '68 will receive for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community at the 31st Annual Authors Guild Foundation Gala.
reported that the archive of Maren Hassinger 鈥69 has been acquired by Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on 鈥69 and her evening-length dance, 鈥淭alking Circle,鈥 which had a run at San Francisco venue CounterPulse in May 2022 and presented in encore performances at the Oakland Theater Project in January 2023.
Choreographer Liz Lerman 鈥69 is of the prestigious 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship. She is among more than 100 Bennington-associated Guggenheim Fellows to have been awarded throughout both organizations鈥 histories.
1970鈥1979
Robert Frost scholar Phil Holland '71 and Director of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum Erin McKenny spoke with WSHU's about Frost's move to Vermont.
James D. Bloom 鈥72 has published , a researched account of Philip Roth鈥檚 preoccupation with wars around the world and wars at home. At their 2023 Commencement, Muhlenberg College awarded Professor of English Bloom its 2023 Paul C. Empie Memorial Award for teaching and service distinguished by the quest for meaning and value in learning.
by Star Bradbury '72 in March 2023.
Randie Denker 鈥72 works as an environmental attorney, educator, and activist along with her long-time partner, Dr. Steve Leitman, an environmental hydrologist. They are co-founders of Waters without Borders, which mediates water disputes and finds scientific and legal solutions to water apportionment problems, internationally, nationally and regionally. She is also the sole proprietor of Denker Law Office. She volunteers registering minority voters, serves on a variety of local boards, teaches English to new immigrants, and serves on the Sierra Club Legal Advisory Board. She has also worked with several NATO Science for Peace projects. Randie and Steve live in Tallahassee, Florida in a solar home that produces enough energy to even charge their EV. They are avid composters and grow about 60% of their own food in their organic garden. They share food with a network of other growers and sell some to the local food coop.
Harold Davis '73 exhibited botanical photographic prints at the San Francisco Botanical Garden .
Lori Barker 鈥74 exhibited in Naugatuck, CT during the month of May 2023. The exhibit of mixed media artwork 鈥渂lends nature and spirituality into an exploration of the rhythms of life.鈥
Former trustee and noted photography collector Bruce Berman 鈥74 and his wife Lea Russo have donated to benefit 51成人猎奇鈥檚 innovative Art for Access program.
Duet, a show including Work by Teri Malo and Leslie Parke '74, was on display at in Boston during the summer of 2023.
Let Your Heart Be Broken, Life and Music from a Classical Composer by Tina Davidson 鈥76 was published on March 14, 2023, by . The book juxtaposes memories, journal entries, and insight into the life of an artist鈥攁nd a mother鈥攁t work.
Visiting faculty member Colin Brant, former Bennington Writing Seminars faculty member Melissa Febos, and Michael Pollan '76 were recipients of the prestigious 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship.
Mel Watkin 鈥77 is the for a Southern Illinois University Museum showcase of women artists. She was a 2022 recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship.
, a legal thriller by A. X. Foster '78 is now available from Paper Raven Books.
Colorado College professor Claire Oberon Garcia '78 has been appointed the new .
by Peter Pochna 鈥78 is now available to purchase through Amazon.

Tim Daly '79 returned to the in the world premiere of Still by Lia Romeo.
Director Lorca Peress '79 received an award from the at their March 2023 ceremony.
1980鈥1989
Diane Davis 鈥80 was among those named to , an advocacy group for women and playwrights over 40, at The Workshop Theater Spring 2023 Workshop Intensive.
Dr. Jennifer Mieres '82 offered tips to about how to get the most out of conversations with your doctors.
reported that Carrie Moyer 鈥82 is now being represented by Alexander Gray Associates, a contemporary art gallery in New York City and Germantown, NY.
Cellist Jared Shapiro MFA 鈥83 performed for the in North Bennington.
This spring, Matt Chinian 鈥84, Anna Rockwell 鈥94, Alicia Herrmann 鈥98 showed work in the inaugural Critical Forum Artist Exhibition at in Troy, NY. The show was organized by Critical Forum program director Taliesin Thomas 鈥98.
Michelle Matland '84, costume designer for the hit HBO show Succession, spoke to about crafting the show's fashion.
Will I Have Tomorrow?, a short film directed, edited, and filmed by Andrea Odezynska 鈥84, details the public health initiatives performed by HealthRight International on the ground in Ukraine. The film is now available to .
Dennis Warren 鈥84 was featured in a Seven Days article related to his participation in Burlington鈥檚 Undiscovered Jazz Fest. The delves into the music scene at 51成人猎奇 in the 1980s.
The Alta Vista Residence, designed by Alterstudio Architecture and Kevin Alter '85, has been featured in .
Author and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis 鈥86 released a fictionalized memoir, in 2023. He was featured in .
Joel Stillerman 鈥86 has published with Stanford University Press.
answered questions about The Secret History from online publication The Fussy Librarian in January. The book and its revival were also the subject of an online article in magazine.
Arjun Desai '88, co-founder of Desai Chia Architecture, has joined the jury for , which recognizes the architecture industry鈥檚 unsung creative heroes.
Brad Schlei 鈥88 premiered his latest film, , at the Woodstock Film Festival in September.
The Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta awarded an inaugural scholarship in honor of WSB-TV Atlanta news anchor . The first Jovita Moore HBCU Undergraduate Scholarship Award was given out during the organization's 14th annual Atlanta Achievement Awards in Atlanta in August. Moore had been the emcee of the event from 2010-2021. Moore died of brain cancer in 2021.
1990鈥1999
Amy Williams 鈥90, half of The Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, performed at the Deane Carriage Barn at 51成人猎奇 in September. They play contemporary works that challenge the notion of what is possible to play.

During her first Field Work Term, Lee Hunsaker '91 worked with at-risk young adults on the Flatlands Reservation in Montana. Since then, Hunsaker has "developed a reputation as a 'story midwife' who helps bring out the best in her storytellers," writes .
This spring, Matt Chinian 鈥84, Anna Rockwell 鈥94, Alicia Herrmann 鈥98 showed work in the inaugural Critical Forum Artist Exhibition at in Troy, NY. The show was organized by Critical Forum program director Taliesin Thomas 鈥98.
In July, the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, VT, Wendy Bordwell '96 as their new Event and Program Manager.
At the Hour Between Dog and Wolf, a novel by Tara Ison MFA '99, an Editors' Choice by the New York Times Book Review.
David Ryan MFA '99 has a short story featured in anthology of short stories, judged by Jenny Minton Quigley and Lauren Groff.
2000鈥2009
A poem by Leah Silverman, MFA 鈥00, "You'll Remember the Blood," has been published in the Winter 2023 issue of Passager.
the debut novel by June Gervais 鈥02, from Penguin Books, came out in paperback this summer.
Bill Macholdt 鈥02 exhibited at , where he also teaches, in January 2023. The show, 鈥,鈥 was exhibited at the Art Gallery at the College鈥檚 Branchburg campus in New Jersey.
Jessica Nadeau 鈥03, who received her MAT in Art education from Art of Education University in 2021, has been teaching art at a public school in Maine for 15 years. She was recently named the 2023 Maine Elementary Art Educator of the Year.
Ryan C. Tittle '05 won 2nd Prize in Blue Institute鈥檚 5th Annual Words on Water Writing Contest (Adult Poetry Category). The poem, 鈥淭he Rain Dance,鈥 is published digitally at .
Fantasy novel by John Wiswell '05 will be available through DAW in early 2024.
Cosmo Whyte 鈥05, a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, was featured on . The article touched on his recent work, including works from his second solo exhibition at Anat Ebgi in Los Angeles.
Modesto Flako Jimenez 鈥06 was named by the as one of five Hodder Fellows for 2023-2024. During Jimenez鈥檚 fellowship, he will conduct research on the science of dementia and the resources currently available to African American and Latin American communities in dealing with issues of mental health and caregiving. He will also begin developing a series of instructional caregiver videos in Spanish and English.
On March 25, Matt Scott '06 and Sam Clement '08, bandmates in Beard & Glasses, took to the stage as part of the . reviewed Born at the Wrong Time, the group鈥檚 debut album. Reviewer Chris Farnsworth wrote, 鈥淪cott and Clement are so completely in control of their sound that they wield the different genres like carpenters do a tool belt.鈥
Britten Traughber 鈥06 recently gave an artist talk at the Medium Photography Festival in San Diego. 鈥淴 marks the Spot鈥 highlighted the combination of her long running documentary portraits, self portraits, and performance art in Burlesque under the stage name 鈥楤ea Trouble鈥. Britten has served as the Oral History Coordinator for the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas and is the founder of Tucson Tease Burlesque, a quarterly burlesque review voted 鈥淏est Burlesque in Arizona鈥 in 2023.
Early in 2023, Sean Adams 鈥08 published , a hybrid satire/thriller from William Morrow. He joined the podcast to discuss the book, which was the official January pick of .
Princeton Makes, a Princeton-based artist cooperative, and Ragged Sky Press, a local publisher focused on poetry, in New Jersey, welcomed MFA 鈥08 for its series in September.
Fantasy of Loving the Fantasy, a poetry collection by Jennifer Funk '08 was published in June by .

Daydrielane Osorio 鈥08 spoke to the about her photography and the magic of the carbon transfer process.
Tod Goldberg MFA 鈥09 will be featured on . The Zoom presentation is a program of Alta Journal, a quarterly publication for anyone seeking an insider鈥檚 take on California and the West.
Sitting in Bars with Cake, based on the 2015 novel by Audrey Shulman 鈥09, is now streaming on . The story is based on and dedicated to Shulman鈥檚 close friend Chrissy Osmulski, who used to work in Bennington鈥檚 Office of Admissions.
2010鈥2019
We Arrive Uninvited, the debut novel by Jen Knox MFA 鈥10, was released by in March 2023. The book won the Steel Toe Books Prize for Prose and the Winter Goose Publishing Award.
interviewed Safiya Sinclair 鈥10 about her work and lessons learned from her mentor, the poet Rita Dove. In addition, an excerpt from Sinclair鈥檚 memoir, , was featured in in July.
Theory of Colors, a screenplay by Shehrezad Maher '11, has been selected for 22nd Annual Screenwriters Lab, which will pair rising screenwriters with established screenwriters, directors, and creative-producers for a weekend of one-on-one mentoring sessions.
Amanda Phillips de Lucas 鈥11 has published her book (Island Press). The book is an outgrowth of her dissertation research on highway building and activism in Baltimore and an essay series published on The Metropole in 2021.
In the Lobby of the Dream Hotel, a novel by Genevieve Plunkett '11, was published in August 2023 by . She joined with faculty Michael Dumanis and Mary Rueffe for a at the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in September.
On May 1, 2023 Tender Machines by J. Mae Barizo MFA '13 was published by .
"Gentle or Not," a poem by Laura Crest茅 '13 originally published in American Poetry Review, was featured on on February 5, 2023.
Bronwyn Maloney 鈥13, an animator and sound designer, was featured in .
The second season of New Hampshire Public Radio鈥檚 podcast, hosted by Jason Moon 鈥13, is now available. The podcast has been recognized in the , the , and , among others.
51成人猎奇 welcomed Alison (Young Eun) Cho '14 is the new Associate Director of International Students and Scholar Advising.
Fran, a band led by frontwoman Maria Jacobson 鈥14, has released , a sophomore album that is 鈥渁ngular, precise and filled with melodic entanglement.鈥
The convened five notable translators who bring literature from other languages into English to discuss the of the job, including Visiting Faculty Member Bruna Dantas Lobato '15, who translates Brazilian literature. Lobato鈥檚 translation of St锚nio Gardel's The Words That Remain was shortlisted for the . Works by Lobato have been longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize, the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and won the 2023 English PEN Translates Award. Lobato's next book, , is anticipated in the fall of 2024.
Kelly Sather MFA '15 is the 2023 winner of the , one of the most prestigious awards for a collection of short stories. Sather's debut book, Small in Real Life, was selected by author Deesha Philyaw and will be published by The University of Pittsburgh Press in October.
recently published 鈥淢essages with the Supplicant,鈥 a short story by Visiting literature faculty member Nicolette Polek 鈥16. a poem by Polek, has been featured in The Atlantic.
Sydney Bradley 鈥18 has received the from Columbia University for the short fiction she wrote her first year as an MFA student. Bradley has been published in the Bennington Review, the Harvard Advocate, Washington Square Review, and other literary journals.
Ashby Combahee '18 was highlighted in for February's Library Lovers Month feature on 鈥14 Badass LGBTQ Librarians You Should Know.鈥 Ashby is the head of the in New Market, TN, and started as a music librarian during their time at 51成人猎奇.
The band of Dana Foote 鈥18, , created an album using her senior work, which propelled her .
All Classical Portland promoted a concert by pianist and 45th Parallel Universe in January 2023 at the Roger O. Doyle performance studio.
Dani Robbins 鈥18 show 鈥溾 combines theater, wrestling, and dance and has been performed at the Portfringe Festival in Portland, Maine, in 2022 and at RVK Fringe Festival, in Reykjav铆k, Iceland, in the summer of 2023.
"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," a poem by Matthew Tuckner '19, was featured on .
Asad Malik 鈥19 was interviewed on Irish Tech News鈥檚 Money Never Sleeps podcast about his for your phone.
Kyanna Sutton MFA '19 published a review of "," for The Lighthouse | Black Girl Projects.
2020鈥2023
Luciana Arbus-Scandiffio '20 has been awarded the in creative writing at Stanford University.
"Speaking Their Language: My Dual Roles as an Arabic Learner and an ESOL Teacher," an essay by Katie Hibner '20, has been published by .
In March and April 2023, Aaron Landsman MFA '20 featuring David Guzman '21 and choreographed by Hilary Clark MFA '20, at The Chocolate Factory Theater in Long Island City, NY.
Art Gets What it Wants, a play by Christiane Swenson '20 and directed by Delaney Circe '21, was in October. It follows two artists high on ego and short on stability who embark on a doomed collaboration that destroys their friendship and the fabric of the universe.
Ahmad Yassir 鈥20 took first place for his work as digital sales and marketing specialist at the annual in May.
A Very Happy Woman, a documentary written by Tamar Giligashvili '21 as her advanced work at Bennington, was awarded at Women's Voices Now 2023 Film Festival.
Andreea Coscai 鈥22 of Her Time Romania welcomed guest Gloria Steinem to a about gender equality worldwide on the platform.
Five poems by Ashley D. Escobar 鈥22 were published in , and Escobar鈥檚 poem "Nighttime at the Plastic Factory," first written in a workshop taught by faculty member Michael Dumanis, in A Gathering of the Tribes. She recently curated a poetry reading for the Brooklyn Rail, featuring Edwin Torres, Filip Marinovich, Julien Poirier, Matt Proctor, and Escobar. Watch the archived show . Escobar was recently mentioned by poet Eileen Myles in an interview with Cultured. Escobar is 鈥
Stephanie Sellars MFAW '22 recently published her essays, "" and "," in Hobart Pulp and Defenestration, respectively. Earlier versions of the essays were part of Sellars's MFAW thesis.
Srichchha Pradhan 鈥22 was crowned after defeating 23 other contestants in the pageant's grand finale.
51成人猎奇 Shipping and Receiving Clerk Cass Skarka '22 inspired her 51成人猎奇 colleagues as she undertook and coordinate delivery to those affected by severe flooding in Vermont.
In , Lika Torikashvili '22 writes about helping to establish an E-Learning platform that provides internet, digital resources, tech hardware, and college courses to Afghan girls who are forced to meet in secret to access their education. Read our story here.
Poet Shane McCrae has selected the poem "Whales" by Xiao (Smile) Ma '23 as the winner of this year's Academy of American Poets Prize Competition out of 93 poems submitted by 31 Bennington students. In recognition, Xiao Ma will receive $100 and publication on the .
"The Point of Articulation" by Car Simione '23 has been published in .