On Feb. 21, Oglethorpe University's book club, the Petrel Page Turners, hosted "A Night of Enchantment: A Gatsby-Themed Gala" in Lowry Hall in collaboration with the OU Tower, Alpha Psi Omega, the Philip Weltner Library, and the Core and English and Comparative Literature departments.
According to Kaelyn McKinley, president and founding member of the Petrel Page Turners, the club's officers "feel really good about how the night went," with roughly 100 students in attendance.
The gala began at 6:30 p.m. with a welcome address from McKinley and a keynote address from Senior Core Lecturer Dr. James Iredell. In his address, Iredell mentioned the importance of hosting events like the gala before sharing a collection of playful text messages filled with 1920s slang, setting the tone for the night.
From there, guests enjoyed a variety of "The Great Gatsby"-themed activities and entertainment, including poetry writing and costume contests, live performances from Alpha Psi Omega, poetry readings from the OU Tower, tarot card readings, and a photo booth. Oglethorpe Catering also provided dinner for the event, along with themed mocktails.
Iredell said, "Students came out dressed to impress, it was nicely catered, and everyone seemed to be having a good time."
Iredell also emphasized how the gala brought together students, saying, "Events like the gala are great ways to foster this feeling of community and connection. It's especially important right now when we can seek out each other in the face of a scary world."
Second-year student and member of the Petrel Page Turners, Elizabeth Parker, enjoyed the gala, stating, "It was really nice to see all of these clubs working together to create an event that would bring together the student body."
To McKinley, bringing together the student community was one of the event's primary goals. However, she also highlighted how, through the gala, the book club aimed to excite students about reading. "We love to get people to read with us or talk about books that we're reading,” said McKinley. “So, the main event was student engagement for sure, but also to have a night where we appreciate a really good book.”
The idea for the gala began last fall semester when it was suggested by the Petrel Page Turners' secretary, Ivy Nganga. Then, in early January, the officers began to plan for the event. Preparation included contacting the Philip Weltner Library to secure a space for the event, University Events, other student organizations, and the academic departments involved.
McKinley said the lead-up was "really stressful" for the team. "We just wanted it to be up to par," she added. "We had big ideas, and we wanted to reach them."
Despite the stress beforehand, McKinley said the planning she and the other officers did helped the night go smoothly, and she was proud of how the event turned out. However, most of all, she was "really proud of the executive team" and grateful for their hard work.
McKinley also emphasized how thankful she was for the support of the other student organizations involved in the gala. "The Tower really went above and beyond in helping us,” she said. “They were so willing to participate, and then, they spoke at the end, and it was awesome.”
According to McKinley, when the group began planning, they hoped to make the event annual. After its success and the team's fun planning of the gala, they aim to host another large-scale event and collaborate with other student organizations in the coming academic year. The event will be themed after a different book but will have the same goals of fostering student community and love of literature.
Parker stated, "I would love to go to an event that brings together different student groups like this again."
Student engagement and connection through books was one of McKinley's main motivations in starting the book club in 2023, during her first year. Before the Petrel Page Turners, Oglethorpe did not have a book club, but McKinley "loved reading and was looking for a place to talk to people who also love reading and to hopefully make friends because freshman year can be really scary."
Now, the Petrel Page Turners meet in the Juvenile Reading Room of the Philip Weltner Library every Wednesday and have 15 active members.
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