James Rufus Agee (1909-1955) was one of America’s most gifted writers. Only six when his father died in an automobile accident, he later wrote about the tragedy in the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Death in the Family, set in his hometown of Knoxville. One-third of Agee’s short years were spent in East Tennessee.

In a Brown Bag Lecture on Wednesday, July 10, Paul F. Brown will give us a more in depth look into the life of one of Knoxville’s most famous citizens. Brown draws on journals and correspondence to produce a compelling account of Agee’s formative years.

Paul F. Brown is an independent researcher and author of Rufus: James Agee in Tennessee. He has published articles and lectured on James Agee at various forums and is a consultant for a forthcoming documentary on Agee. Brown teaches music at Coalfield School in Morgan County, Tennessee. Books will be available for purchase and signing following the program.

The lecture is sponsored by the Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel and Crematory and is free and open to the public. It will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville. Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture. Soft drinks will be available. For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824 or visit the website at www.EastTNHistory.org.