Grand Rapids Community College's library hosted an evening with SalAdin Ahmed, an award-winning science fiction-fantasy author.

Ahmed's presentation — "Writing Muslim American Fantasy: A Reading and Talk" — starts at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 in the second floor of GRCC's library, 143 Bostwick Ave. NE. A question-and-answer session with refreshments will follow the talk, where Ahmed's book will be available for purchase.

Ahmed grew up in Dearborn and has a bachelor's degree in American culture from the University of Michigan and master's degrees in creative writing from Brooklyn College and in English from Rutgers. He has taught writing at universities and colleges for more than 10 years. He won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Crawford, Gemmell, and British Fantasy awards.

Ahmed's appearance is part of Grand Rapids Community College's Muslim Journeys Bookshelf initiative. GRCC was one of 842 U.S. libraries and state humanities councils selected for the Muslim Journeys Bookshelf, a project of the National Endowment for the Humanities' Bridging Cultures initiative. GRCC received a collection of books, films and other resources designed to broaden understanding of the complex history and culture of the Muslim people.