Upcoming lecture features Muslim Journeys Bookshelf collection

Christopher Wise, a professor of English and comparative literature at Western Washington University, will present "Leo Africanus In Timbuktu: The Askiyas of the Songhay Dynasty," hosted by Western Libraries, as the winter 2013 Reading Series program from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in Wilson Library 4 Central Reading Room.

Wise's talk will compare and contrast early images of Timbuktu during the era of the Askiyas, as documented in Leo Africanus' extant writings, Amin Maalouf's Leo Africanus, as well as writings of Timbuktu chroniclers from the era of the Askiyas, especially Al Hajj Mahmud Kati, author of the Tarikh al fattash.

This free program for public audiences features some of the resources in the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys, a collection of materials from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association.

The program aims to familiarize public audiences with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world. The Muslim Journeys Bookshelf includes both books and DVDs organized by theme: American Stories, Connected Histories, Literary Reflections, Pathways of Faith, Points of View, and Art Architecture and Film.

For information about these new materials, please visit http://library.wwu.edu/ or contact Jeanne Armstrong at 360-650-7667 or jeanne.armstrong@wwu.edu; Margaret Fast at 360-650-3174 or margaret.fast@wwu.edu; or Leza Madsen at 360-650-7583 or leza.madsen@wwu.edu.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf: Muslim Journeys is a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducted in cooperation with the American Library Association. Major support for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.