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*All event times are Eastern unless otherwise noted.
"All That Life Can Afford" by Emily Everett
May 22-July 24
The third book for the 2026 Virtual Alumni Book Club is "All That Life Can Afford" by Emily Everett.
A taut and lyrical coming-of-age debut about a young American woman navigating class, lies, and love amid London’s jet-set elite.
Anna first fell in love with London at her hometown library—its Jane Austen balls a far cry from her life of food stamps and hand-me-downs. But when she finally arrives after college, the real London is a moldy flat and the same paycheck-to-paycheck grind—that fairy-tale life still out of reach.
Then Anna meets the Wilders, who fly her to Saint-Tropez to tutor their teenage daughter. Swept up by the sphinxlike elder sister, Anna soon finds herself plunged into a heady whirlpool of parties and excess, a place where confidence is a birthright. There she meets two handsome young men—one who wants to whisk her into his world in a chauffeured car, the other who sees through Anna’s struggle to outrun her past. It’s like she’s stepped into the pages of a glittering new novel, but what will it cost her to play the part?
Sparkling with intelligence and insight, All That Life Can Afford peels back the glossy layers of class and privilege, exploring what it means to create a new life for yourself that still honors the one you’ve left behind.
The reading period is May 22-July 24. Click here to read a summary and reviews for it. Join the Virtual Alumni Book Club by signing up at www.pbc.guru/winthrop.
"Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?" by Terri-Lynne DeFino
July 31-Oct. 2
The fourth book for the 2026 Virtual Alumni Book Club is "Didn't You Use to Be Queenie B?" by Terri-Lynne DeFino.
Regina Benuzzi is Queenie B—a culinary goddess with Michelin Star restaurants, a bestselling cookbook empire, and multimillion-dollar TV deals. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous and curvaceous, with cascading black hair and signature red lips. She had it all. Until she didn’t.
After an epic fall from grace, Queenie B vanishes from the public eye, giving up her husband, her son, and the fame that she’d fought to achieve. Her shows are in rerun, her restaurants still popular, but her disappearance remains a mystery to her legions of fans.
Local line cook Gale Carmichael also knows a thing or two about disaster. Newly sober and struggling, Gale’s future dreams don’t hold space for culinary stardom; only earning enough to get by. Broke at the end of the week, he finds himself at a local soup kitchen in one of the roughest parts of New Haven, Connecticut. But Gale quickly realizes that the food coming out of the kitchen is not your standard free meal—it is delicious and prepared with gourmet flair.
Gale doesn’t recognize Regina, the soup kitchen’s cranky proprietor, whose famous black mane is now streaked with gray. It’s been more than ten years since Queenie B vanished into her careful new existence. But she sees Gale’s talent and recognizes a brokenness in him that she knows all too well. The culinary genius in hiding takes him under her wing.
Teaching Gale, Regina’s passion to create is reignited, and they both glimpse a shot at the redemption that had always seemed out of reach. When Gale is chosen to compete on the hit cooking show, Cut!, it’s a turning point for them both.
It’s Gale’s time to shine. And that means Queenie B might just have to come out of hiding…
The reading period is July 31-Oct. 2. Read a summary and reviews for it here. Join the Virtual Alumni Book Club by signing up at www.pbc.guru/winthrop.
Thursday, July 16 │6 p.m.
Zoom
Emily Everett, author of the current Virtual Alumni Book Club read, "All That Life Can Afford" will host a live Author Talk on Thursday, July 16 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. "All That Life Can Afford" sweeps us across the Atlantic into an exciting world of luxury and wealth among the elite upper class. Emily Everett draws back the velvet curtain, revealing both the charm of this world and the effort it takes to keep it all from slipping away. This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from Everett about the inspiration behind the novel and the process of bringing this story to life. Register here for the Author Talk!
Thursday, July 16 │6-8 p.m.
Dilworth Bar and Grille
Charlotte-area alumni are invited to welcome our newest alumni, the Class of 2026, to the area with a Welcome to the City social on Thursday, July 16 from 6-8 p.m.! Catch up with old friends and connect with recent graduates over drinks and food at Dilworth Bar and Grille. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided by the Winthrop Alumni Association.
RSVP here by Monday, July 13. For questions, contact Brandon Partyka, student and young alumni program coordinator, at partykab@winthrop.edu.
Thursday, July 23 │6-8 p.m.
Savage Craft Ale Works
Columbia-area alumni are invited to welcome our newest alumni, the Class of 2026, to the area with a Welcome to the City social on Thursday, July 23 from 6-8 p.m.! Catch up with old friends and connect with recent graduates over drinks and food at Savage Craft Ale Works. Light appetizers and beverages will be provided by the Winthrop Alumni Association.
RSVP here by Monday, July 20. For questions, contact Brandon Partyka, student and young alumni program coordinator, at partykab@winthrop.edu.
Homecoming and Reunion 2026
November 13-14
Save the date for Homecoming and Reunion 2026, Nov. 13-14! We look forward to welcoming alumni back to campus! If your class year ends in '6 or '1, you are celebrating a milestone reunion. 2026 Class Reunion registration and Homecoming event registration will open in August.
