1990

There's no other word for it, friends, the class of'90 is producing. Whether it be books, films, real estate, weddings, babies, or impressive initials after your name, we're all moving and shaking, as the mail pile on my desk proves.

Benjamin Kwakye, now an attorney in Chicago, has written his first novel. The Clothes of Nakedness, set in his native Accra, Ghana, portrays relations between the rich and poor. In a sentence, which can never do a novel justice but is nonetheless offered by book publicists everywhere: Gabriel Bukari, an honest, faithful, unemployed taxi driver, meets Mystique Mysterious, the man who introduces him to money, liquor, and all kinds of corruption and temptation. The paperback is part of the African Writers Series published by Heinemann. Michael Lowenthal has also written his debut novel, although he has already published short stories and essays and edited five books. The Same Embrace is a story about twin Jewish-American brothers who choose radically different adult paths and then move toward reconciliation. Along the way they explore sibling rivalry, family relationships, personal and sexual identity, the Holocaust, and AIDS. Michael's hardcover is published by Dutton. Michael also sent a note saying that he recently visited with Amy Lasser, who lives in an amazing hilltop house in Los Angeles, where she writes and works on films.

Dan Mayland has earned the admiration of many residents for his efforts to revive six buildings on South Main Street in White River junction, Vt. Mayland, who is a novelist living in Philadelphia, has said he plans to make weekly trips for a year to the WRJ to oversee the renovation. In a July 7 Valley News article, Mayland is portrayed as one of the lead engines for change in a town that is seeing its biggest employers, like Catamount Brewery and Agway market, leave. "I'm optimistic that everything is going to go fine. It just requires a great deal of time investment," he was quoted as saying.

A quarter of the world away, John Christmas is staking his claim to a real estate empire in Latvia. He sent me a note to say that he quit his Chicago banking job to move to Riga, where medieval castles are nestled among old Soviet work farms. But John believes this is the right time to take advantage of new favorable laws and the breakdown of the Soviet Union. To contact him, e-mail .

And now...weddings! Lauren Kares married John Chun last April. She and John received their J.D. degrees from Cornell University and work at Seattle law firms. Avra Jordano will have married Steven Alter in September. Both are doctors: Avra is an ob-gyn now working at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City, and Steven will be a fellow in hand surgery at Tufts University in Boston. Wendy Silverstein married Simon Richmond last August and moved to Sydney, Australia, her husband's homeland. She is working at an employment agency in information technology recruitment and encourages classmates to call her. Contact her at . And don't forget, Wendy adds, the Olympics will be in Sydney soon.

Last, but certainly not least, our London friend M.J. Lytle and his wife, Naomi, have just had twins, Esme and Jonah, born last April. To see pictures of the cute little ones, and even better, one of their proud and buff dad, check out .

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Dan Mayland has earned the admiration of residents by reviving six buildings in White River Junction. JEANHEE KIM '90