June 14, 2013 Humanities Tennessee, host organization of both the Southern Festival of Books and Chapter 16, has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association to coordinate a five-part reading and discussion program titled Muslim Journeys: Points of View.
The series seeks to familiarize public audiences with the people, places, history, faith, and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world. Each discussion in the series will be facilitated by a scholar and will include the following books: In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, House of Stone by Anthony Shahid, Broken Verses by Kamila Shamise, and Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi. “We are pleased to partner with public libraries to provide a program that uses the art of writing and storytelling as a means for Tennesseans to share perspectives and learn about one another,” said Tim Henderson, Humanities Tennessee’s executive director.
The series will take place in Nashville every other Thursday, September 12-November 7, at Edmondson Pike Branch Library, 5501 Edmondson Pike, with facilitator Kari Neely, Assistant Professor of Arabic & Middle East Studies at Middle Tennessee State University. The Knoxville series is hosted by the Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive, and will occur every other Monday, January 13-March 10, 2014. It will be facilitated by Douja Mamelouk, Assistant Professor of Arabic & French at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Humanities Tennessee is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing a sense of community through statewide educational humanities programming. Founded in 1973 with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Humanities Tennessee provides grants, produces original programming, and partners with organizations across the state to promote discussion and understanding among all Tennesseans.
For more updates on Tennessee authors and literary events, please visit Chapter 16’s News & Notes page, here.
