TN Writers TN Stories: While We Were Burning

Parasite meets Such a Fun Age in a scorching debut that is as heartbreaking as it is thrilling, examining the intersection of race, class, and female friendship, and the devastating consequences of everyday actions. After her best friend’s mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith’s picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control—so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth’s life, almost like she belonged there from the start. Soon, the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend’s death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it.

Sara Koffi is a writer and editor from Memphis, Tennessee, with a B.A. in English from Whittier College. As a writer, she strives to explore the nuances of “unlikable female characters” and humanize Black women by giving them space on the page to breathe. While We Were Burning is her debut novel.

Jeremy Finley is an internationally-published novelist whose books have been featured in People Magazine, the New York Post and NPR, and a working investigative journalist who has won twenty-one Emmys and four Edward R. Murrow awards. He is the recipient of a national Headliner award, a two-time winner of the IRE award (recognizing the best in investigative journalism) and a national Edward R. Murrow award. He is also the Emmy-nominated co-host of the public affairs program, A WORD ON WORDS, which profiles authors and their novels on Nashville Public Television.

This event is part of our TN Writers | TN Stories series. Readings and discussions take place in the Digital Learning Center at the Tennessee State Museum. All events include an opportunity to purchase books through the Museum store and get them signed by the author. If you show your Eventbrite ticket you will recieve a 10% discount on your book purchase in the Museum Store. For more information on the TN Writers | TN Stories series, visit: https://tnmuseum.org/tnwriterstnstories.

Host or Publisher Tennessee State Museum