Building Historical Worlds

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty brings the past to life in her tales of mythic adventure and medieval magic. In both The Daevabad Trilogy and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi , Chakraborty explores the experiences of women and people that historical documents often exclude alongside Islamic traditions of folklore and storytelling. Chakraborty is joined in conversation by UMN’s David Perry, author of The Bright Ages , for a discussion of the borderlands of history and fiction and our responsibilities to the past.

Event program

• 4-5 p.m - Pop-up exhibit, Andersen Library, Wallin Center 15K
• 5-6 p.m. - Program, Andersen Library, Room 120
• 6-7 p.m. - Book signing and reception with book sales, Library Atrium

About the pop-up exhibit

The pop-up exhibit will feature materials from the James Ford Bell Library and Special Collections and Rare Books that relate to the theme of world-building, and provide historical context for the lecture.

About the author

Shannon Chakraborty is the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Daevabad Trilogy and The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi . Her work has been translated into over a dozen languages and nominated for the Hugo, Locus, World Fantasy, Crawford, and Astounding awards. Find her online at her website or on Instagram.

Thank you to our sponsors and co-sponsors!

This event has been made possible by the UMN Libraries, the James Ford Bell Library, Special Collections and Rare Books, the UMN Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, UMN Book Club, UMN Department of English, UMN Department of History, and the Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine.