The Writing Out Loud author series continues with Prof. Edward Curtis IV. Professor Curtis is a publicly-engaged scholar of Muslim American, African American, and Arab American history and life. His thirteen books have been called “essential,” “exemplary,” “approachable,” “groundbreaking,” “must-read,” “wonderful,” and “a model of clarity.” Muslims in America: A Short History (Oxford, 2009) was named one of the best 100 books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly, and his two-volume Encyclopedia of Muslim-American History was deemed one of the “best reference works of 2010” by Library Journal. Curtis’ most recent works include Muslims of the Heartland: How Syrian Immigrants Made a Home in the American Midwest (New York University Press) and Arab Indianapolis (Belt Publishing). Dr. Curtis is William M. and Gail M. Plater Chair of the Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

Writing Out Loud was created in 1984 with a grant from Indiana Humanities. Since then, more than 140 authors have appeared at the library. Programs are supported with funds by the Patrons of Writing Out Loud, Michigan City Public Library Endowment Fund and Friends of the Library.