GCC Library and Learning Commons will launch the first of a series of five discussions entitled “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys” on Tuesday, September 24. This series is free and open to the public.

The “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys” series is funded by a $4,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA). Gateway’s Library and Learning Commons is among 125 libraries across the country chosen to participate in the project, which seeks to familiarize the public with Muslim people, places, history, faith and cultures around the world.
 
The September 24 reading and discussion, led by Prof. Youness Elbousty of Yale University’s Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department, begins at 6:30 p.m. in the GCC Library with the exploration of Arabian Nights, translated by Husain Haddawy. The discussion is complemented by a special performance by the contemporary North African/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean band SWIRL in the college’s Fairway, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
 
Subsequent discussions, led by experts from Yale University and Gateway Community College, are scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, and on Feb 11, and April 15, 2014 and will focus on the theme of literary reflections. Titles include Conference of the Birds, Snow, Dreams of Trespass, and Minarets. The discussion books were chosen as a part of the Bridging Cultures Muslim Journeys series with the help of several renowned scholars in anthropology, world history and religious studies.

The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf is a project of NEH, conducted in cooperation with the ALA Public Programs Office, with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York. The SWIRL concert appearance is made possible through the Esther Haseltine Schiavone Endowment Fund, established in 2006 through the Gateway Community College Foundation by Schiavone’s daughter, Jennifer, in her mother’s memory--to support arts programming at Gateway Community College.
 
The “Let’s Talk About It: Muslim Journeys” series is an ongoing event that takes place over the next two semesters. The series will take place in GCC’s Library & Learning Commons at 20 Church St., New Haven on the second floor of the south building.  For details or to register for these free public discussions, please visit http://gwcc.libcal.com/event.php?id=364359, or contact Dr. Clara Ogbaa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Professor Renee Gaines at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Professor Susan Chenard at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..