FSU PANAMA CITY TO HOST NOVELIST WHO EXPLORES LIFE IN NAZI DEATH CAMPS

Florida State University Panama City will host women’s literature author Jennifer Coburn for a special luncheon presentation at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in the Holley Academic Center’s lecture hall.

Drawing on meticulous wartime research and inspired by the astonishing true story of the Nazi “show” camp, “The Girls of the Glimmer Factory” is an illuminating tale of resistance and the dangers of propaganda. The novel is newly published by Sourcebooks Landmark, which released it on Jan. 28, one day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“Of course, I can never truly understand the horrors prisoners experienced, but I wanted to get as close as I possibly could to provide readers with a carefully researched novel that honors the victims and survivors of the Shoah — and spotlights the dangers of dictators using propaganda to turn a democracy into a cult of hate,” Coburn said.

Coburn’s presentation will include a luncheon catered by Grits of Panama City Beach, featuring a delicious assortment of soups and salads paired with mimosas. The cost is $50 per person, which includes including lunch and a signed copy of the novel.

Checks can be made to the FSU Foundation and delivered by mail to 4750 Collegiate Drive, Panama City, FL 32405, or payment can be made via cash or check on the day of the event. To reserve a ticket, RSVP to eventbrite.com/e/1143104368939.

Coburn is also the author of “Cradles of the Reich,” a historical novel about three very different women living at a Nazi Lebensborn breeding home at the start of World War ll. She also published a mother-daughter travel memoir, “We'll Always Have Paris,” as well as six contemporary women's novels. Additionally, she has contributed to five literary anthologies, including “A Paris All Your Own.”

Coburn lives in San Diego, where she volunteers with So Say We All, a live storytelling organization, as a performer, producer and performance coach. She is also an active volunteer with Reality Changers, a nonprofit that supports low-income high school students in becoming the first in their families to attend college.