Muslim Journeys: Let's Talk About It: Muslim Journeys

Limited numbers of copies of book discussion texts will be provided on a first come, first serve basis. Please let us know you're interested in participating by completing the registration form below.

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Book Discussion Series

Broken Verses

March 6, 2014
4:00-5:00 pm
King 320

Fourteen years ago, famous Pakistani activist Samina Akram disappeared. Two years earlier, her lover, Pakistan's greatest poet, was beaten to death by government thugs. In present-day Karachi, her daughter Aasmaani has just discovered a letter in the couple's private code-a letter that could only have been written recently. Aasmaani is thirty, single, drifting from job to job. Always left behind whenever Samina followed the Poet into exile, she had assumed that her mother's disappearance was simply another abandonment. Then, while working at Pakistan's rst independent TV station, Aasmaani runs into an old friend of Samina's who gives her the rst letter, then many more. Where could the letters have come from? And will they lead her to her mother? Merging the personal with the political, Broken Verses is at once a sharp, thrilling journey through modern-day Pakistan, a carefully coded mystery, and an intimate mother-daughter story that asks how we forgive a mother who leaves.

Oxford Islamic Studies Online 
features reference content and commentary by renowned scholars in areas such as global Islamic history, concepts, people, practices, politics, and culture, and is regularly updated as new content is commissioned and approved under the guidance of the Editor in Chief, John L. Esposito. Encompassing over 5,000 A–Z reference entries, chapters from scholarly and introductory works, Qur'anic materials, primary sources, images, maps, and timelines, Oxford Islamic Studies Online offers a multi-layered reference experience designed to provide a first stop for anyone needing information and context on Islam.

The American Library Association and NEH recently awarded the Miami University Libraries two grants – “Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys” and “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys.”  These grants provide support for library programming "seeking to provide opportunities for informed discussion in their communities about the histories, faith, and cultures of Muslims around the world and within the United States."

To kick off our programming, the Libraries will be hosting a symposium on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from 1:00-4:00 pm in King 320. The symposium, “Muslim Journeys: American Stories,” will begin with a keynote lecture by Shakila Ahmad from the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati entitled "What Do We Mean by 'American Muslim?’” Following the keynote there will be two moderated panel discussions.

Additionally, we will be hosting a film series:

October 15, 2013, from 6:30-8:30pm, King 320: Koran by Heart
October 22, 2013, from 6:30-8:30pm, King 320: Inside Mecca
October 29, 2013, from 6:30-8:30pm, King 320: Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World
November 12, 2013, from 6:30-8:30pm, King 320: Prince Among Slaves

And book discussion groups:

December 5, 2013, from 4:00-5:00pm, King 320: In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar
January 30, 2014, from 4:00-5:00pm, King 320: Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
February 13, 2014, from 4:00-5:00pm, King 320: House of Stone by Anthony Shadid
March 6, 2014, from 4:00-5:00pm, King 320: Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie
April 17, 2014, from 4:00-5:00pm, King 320: Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi

If you would like additional details about Muslim Journeys programming on Miami's campus, please contact outreach@lib.muohio.edu. If you would like additional details about the Muslim Journeys grants, please see the American Library Association's Muslim Journeys website.

We realize that parking on campus can sometimes be difficult, so we want to mention several options.

1. On-street Parking:
   There are 10 hour metered parking spots on Walnut Street (block south of High Street), 2 hour metered parking on Campus Ave and free parking (if you can find a spot) on Collins across from the drive behind the library
2. Parking Garage:
   You can also park in the Campus Avenue Garage. It is located on South Campus Avenue between the Campus Avenue Building and the Recreational Sports Center. The hourly rate is $1.00 for the first hour and $.50 for each additional hour.

Katie Gibson
gibsonke@miamoh.edu

Jenny Presnell
jenny.presnell@miamioh.edu