Friendship, Ambition, Dreams
Hear from authors Lynda Loigman, Nancy Johnson, and Carole Hopson as they discuss coming-of-age stories, the role of friendship and family, how ambition shapes identity, and the potential costs of pursuing dreams.
Where: | Koffler Room 216 (Seats 89, Wheelchair accessible) |
When: | Sat, Mar 15, 4:00 pm - 4:55 pm |
Signing area: | Sales & Signing Area - UA Campus Store Tent (following presentation)
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Genre: | Fiction / Literature |
Moderator: | Mary Ellen Flynn |
Sponsor: | Session made possible courtesy of The Stonewall Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona |
Panelists
Carole HopsonCarole Hopson is a Boeing 737 captain for United Airlines, based in Newark, New Jersey. After a 20-year career as a journalist and executive for iconic brands like the NFL, Foot Locker, and L’Oréal, Carole followed her dream to become a pilot....
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Nancy JohnsonA native of Chicago’s South Side, Nancy Johnson worked for more than a decade as an Emmy-nominated, award-winning television journalist at CBS and ABC affiliates nationwide. A graduate of Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she lives in downtown Chicago and manages brand communications for a large nonprofit....
Lynda LoigmanLynda Cohen Loigman is the bestselling author of "The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern," "The Matchmaker’s Gift," "The Wartime Sisters" and "The Two-Family House." She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard and a J....
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Books:

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
A Novel
Lynda Loigman
Fiction / Literature
St. Martin's Publishing Group
October 2024
ISBN 9781250278104
Hardcover, 320 pages
Buy nowThis heartwarming story explores how love and healing can be found in unexpected places—and how a bit of magic in each can go a long way.
When it comes to heartbreak, is time the best cure?
On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.
As a teenager in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies, Great Aunt Esther moves in, and Augusta is drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to an array of potions.
As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.
Sixty years later, Augusta is still haunted by her past mistakes. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late? More/less
People of Means
A Novel
Nancy Johnson
Fiction / Literature
William Morrow
February 2025
ISBN 9780063157514
368 pages
Buy now
A Pair of Wings
A Novel
Carole Hopson
Fiction / Literature
Henry Holt and Company
August 2024
ISBN 9781250347213
432 pages