AitN: December 17, 2018

Beau Willimon ’99, SOA’03 wrote the screenplay for the film Mary Queen of Scots, which premiered on December 7; starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie, it’s already receiving Oscar buzz. Dede Gardner ’90 was a producer of If Beale Street Could Talk, which was nominated on December 6 for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture – Drama category.

On December 7, President Trump announced his intention to nominate William P. Barr ’71, GSAS’79 for U. S. Attorney General. Barr served as Attorney General from 1991 to 1993, during the first Bush administration.

Melissa Mark-Viverito ’91

Former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito ’91, who is running for NYC public advocate, announced on December 6 a plan — called “Weed for Rails” — to legalize marijuana in New York State and use the tax revenue to fund the MTA.

Darryl Pinckney ’88 and Jamel Brinkley ’97, GSAS’07 were featured in The New York Times Style Magazine’s November 30 interactive feature “Black Male Writers for Our Time.” The piece recognizes black American male writers who are “producing literature that is essential to how we understand our country and its place in the world right now.”

Anita Lo ’88’s Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One was included in Grub Street’s roundup of the top cookbooks of 2018, coming in at the number seven slot.

Three alumni were named to the Forbes’ “30 under 30” list for 2019: Erica Dorfman ’11 (head of finance and operations at Tally Technologies, a software company that helps people manage credit card debt) in the finance category; Riley Jones ’17 (cofounder of BLOC, a coaching company that empowers young people of color to build fulfilling careers) in the social entrepreneurs category; and Jessica Schinazi ’11 (head of business development and branding for Amazon’s Luxury Beauty) in the retail and e-commerce category.