Rachel Beanland presented her historical novel named, “The House is on Fire”, based on the tragic Richmond, Virginia’s theater fire in 1811. The story unfolds through four points of view of people present at the fire that she aimed to represent the diverse population of Richmond at the time; which was composed of 50% white and 50% black. Through her research she became particularly interested in trying to piece together the events of the incident, as the full story was broken apart when recorded; such as the accounts of women in the fire which were left ignored until years later. To elaborate, Rachel explains that although most of the deaths in the fire were women, all the published accounts on the media were from the “heroic” point of view of the men present at the fire. Years later, ancestors of women at the fire who passed down letters and diary entries, discovered the unseen truth of why there were so many more women casualties. Through chaos, the theater erupted into “every man to themselves” leaving vulnerable women in comparison to the stronger men in threat to be trampled while in attempt to escape. This novel touches on not only the social hierarchy of the racially divided south, but also the overarching nature of human greed when it comes to survival. Rachel engaged the audience with her passionate tone and ability to eloquently convey her writing process. Inspired by her own town's rich history, Rachel creates a novel with a historical richness as well as seamlessly incorporating four very different characters that experience complex emotions. Her ability to portray the complexity of the human spirit creates a connection between readers and the characters, who truly seem to come to life. Rachel also explained her research process which she was lucky to have access to at her own back doors of her very own town. This helps highlight the forever duality and lasting legacy of history, even when it seems far away. -Saint Edwards Student