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This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library. The authors explore two influential women in Islamic history, Lady Fatima and Lady Zaynab, and demonstrate how they embodied courage, spiritual clarity and resistance against injustice.

In observance of Muslim Heritage Month this conversation between two scholars explores their recently published books on two of the most influential women in Islamic history. Through scholarship that blends history, moral philosophy, and reflection on the contemporary relevance of these women's lives, the authors demonstrate how a mother and daughter, Lady Fatima and Lady Zaynab, embodied courage, spiritual clarity, and principled resistance against injustice across generations. This event invites readers of all backgrounds to discover how their legacies continue to inspire global movements for dignity, truth and social transformation.

In Conversation:
Noor Zaidi is assistant professor of history at UMBC and a scholar of the Middle East and South Asia. She specializes in the history of gender, sectarianism, and Shi’a Islam in national and transnational spaces. Her current book manuscript analyzes how the seventh-century figure, Zaynab bint Ali, granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammed, has been used in 20th-century contexts, tracing the development and evolution of pilgrimage to two female shrines in Syria (the Sayeda Zaynab shrine) and Pakistan (Bibi Pak Daman) and prisons in Iraq as sites of memory and identity construction. Based on oral interviews, fieldwork and archival research in Syria, Pakistan, and Iraq, Prof. Zaidi’s work explores the physical and imaginative spaces in which identity is made and contested and shows how transnational narratives become embedded in local contexts.

Mahjabeen Dhala teaches Islamic studies and comparative theology at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where she served as assistant professor, director of the Madrasa-Midrasha Program, and chair of the Women’s studies in religion program. Dr. Dhala’s work focusses on the contributions and challenges of pre-modern Muslim women viz-a-viz Islamic understandings of faith, philosophy, and justice. Her interdisciplinary research features an integration of Islamic theological texts with feminist theories. She is committed to advancing interreligious and intersectional dialogue through her research, teaching, and mentoring, and through her global travels, presenting on topics such as Muslim diversity and leadership, religious and cultural understanding, women’s empowerment, and social justice.

Moderator:
Debbie Almontaser is an internationally recognized, award-winning educator, entrepreneur, speaker, authority on cross cultural understanding and author of, "Leading While Muslim: The Experiences of American Muslim Principals After 9/11." She is an influential community leader and the Founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group Inc., a for-profit business that provides professional development and coaching for companies, nonprofits, universities, firms, and K–12 education personnel. Dr. Almontaser was the founding and former principal of the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn, NY. A twenty-five-year veteran of the NYC Public School System, she taught special education, inclusion, trained teachers in literacy, and served as a multicultural specialist and diversity advisor. Dr. Almontaser is an advisor on cultural and religious diversity issues for Public Advocate Jumaani Williams, Borough President Eric Adams, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, the NYC Commission for Human Rights, and New York City Council members. She is also a member of the NYC Department of Education Diversity Advisory Board. Currently, she is the Board President of the Muslim Community Network (www.mcnny.org) and sits on the boards of the Yemeni American Merchants Association (www.yamausa.org), Therapy and Learning Center Preschool, and 21in21 (www.21in21.org).

Public Humanities programs and resources are presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This event was recorded on January 21, 2026.

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and Blue Ear Books. The author reads from and discusses "Where the Mithuns Are: Essays on War, Art and Beasts" her new book of inspiring essays.

About the Presentation:
Author/activist Edith Mirante presents her newest book, "Where the Mithuns Are: Essays on War, Art and Beasts." Subjects of her inspiring essays include the current war in Myanmar (Burma), ancient Indigenous Moundbuilders, land artist Micheal Heizer, the natural/cultural history of arctic muskoxen, and legendary Japanese-American labor firebrand, Manzanar internee Karl Yoneda.

About the Author:
Edith Mirante is the founder of Project Maje which distributes information on Burma (Myanmar) human rights and environmental issues. She is an artist and the author of two Burma books, "Burmese Looking Glass" and "Down the Rat Hole," as well as "The Wind in the Bamboo" about Black Indigenous Asians. She lives in the Pacific Northwest but grew up in New Jersey, with family ties to Princeton. Her latest book is "Where the Mithuns Are."

Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This event was recorded on January 15, 2026.

This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library. The author is joined by writer/editor Ken Jaworowski to discuss her debut murder mystery "The Gallagher Place," selected as the December 2025 Top Pick by LibraryReads.

About the Book (from the publisher):
A layered exploration of family secrets, sibling misconceptions, and an unsolved murder in this chilling debut set in New York’s Dutchess County.

When Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator living in New York City, returns to her family’s bewitching Hudson Valley home for the holidays, she discovers a body in the woods—a murder that draws her back into the haunting case of her teenage best friend’s disappearance two decades earlier. What happened to Nora?

As police descend on the sprawling Fisher property, Marlowe is pulled into an investigation that threatens to unravel the town’s fragile loyalties and expose the shadowed legacy of a weekend home steeped in secrets. Marlowe must confront the fallibility of her own memory and the feeling that everyone—including her brothers—is hiding something if she’s to uncover the shocking truth about her lost friend. In this gripping debut, Julie Doar delivers a chilling mystery that explores the corrosive power of silence and the tension of family secrets.

About the Authors:
Julie Doar grew up in New York. As a child, she loved to imagine the abandoned barns and rolling countryside of the Hudson Valley were haunted. She attended Rice University for undergrad and studied English. She's worked as a cold-calling Sales Rep, a Starbucks barista, and a romance novel ghostwriter. Currently, she is a middle school English teacher.

Ken Jaworowski is an editor at The New York Times. He graduated from Shippensburg University and the University of Pennsylvania. He grew up in Philadelphia, where he was an amateur boxer, and has had plays produced in New York and Europe. He lives in New Jersey with his family.

This event was recorded on January 11, 2026

This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library. Nicol Nicola explores current economic trends and data-driven forecasts to help businesses, job seekers and others make informed strategic decisions in a rapidly evolving economy.

Gain a competitive edge with insights into today’s economic landscape and tomorrow’s market opportunities. This session explores current economic trends, emerging challenges, and data-driven forecasts to help businesses, job seekers and others anticipate change, identify growth sectors, and make informed strategic decisions in a rapidly evolving economy.

From the presenter:
Dr. Nicola is the Director of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) at the New Jersey Department of Labor (NJDOL), leading a team of approximately 50 economists, analysts, and survey specialists. Under her leadership, EDR collects, analyzes, and disseminates vital data on employers, employees, wages, occupations, and population demographics to inform policymakers, businesses, nonprofits, and researchers nationwide. EDR also conducts fiscal impact analyses on various policy initiatives. In addition to her role at NJDOL, Nicol is an Adjunct Professor at The College of New Jersey, where she teaches business statistics to undergraduate students. She is also a dedicated mentor, currently guiding two Ph.D. students at Northeastern University and mentoring five colleagues at NJDOL. Additionally, she leads a leadership training program focused on helping participants refine their management style, leadership strategies, and team engagement skills. She is also a co-author of short leadership articles, written in collaboration with colleagues and published by New Jersey Institute of Technology and the Council for Community and Economic Research. Nicol’s expertise and leadership extend across several national boards and committees, where she contributes to advancing labor market research and workforce development.

This event was recorded on December 17, 2025

This recording is presented in partnership by Princeton Public Library and Princeton Federal Credit and Labyrinth Books. The author presents and discusses his collection, "And to Think We Started as a Book Club..."

About the book (from the publisher):
What can Leonardo DiCaprio, Bernie Sanders, Greta Thunberg, and Elon Musk all agree on? That Tom Toro's cartoons belong in their social media feeds. Now, with this debut collection by one of The New Yorker's contemporary stars, everybody can enjoy the timeless witticism and thigh-slapping wisecracks of Toro's cartoons without needing to go online.

In Tom Toro's hilarious world, the Grim Reaper binges television while Superman shops for health insurance. The collection features original chapter art that sets the perfect tone for these brilliant cartoons and what they reveal about the absurdity of modern life, all drawn in the author's wry and winsome style

Showcasing hundreds of Toro's greatest hits from his fifteen-year career at the New Yorker, as well as previously unpublished cartoons that we shouldn't shy from calling "undiscovered masterpieces," this book is sure to delight readers—if not outright corrupt them.

In conversation:
Tom Toro is a cartoonist and award-winning children's book author & illustrator whose work has been a popular feature of the New Yorker for over a decade. His drawings also have appeared in the New York Times, Playboy, the Paris Review, and many other publications. He is the creator of the comic strip Home Free with Andrews McMeel. Tom’s books include "How to Potty Train Your Porcupine," "A User's Guide to Democracy," "I'm Terrified of Bath Time" and "Back to School, Backpack!" in collaboration with Simon Rich, and "Tiny Hands." "I'm Terrified of Bath Time" is the recipient of the 2023 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award and the 2024 Kentucky Bluegrass Award.

Tom was a finalist for the 2019 and 2022 Reuben awards for gag cartoonist of the year. He serves as the current chair of the Northwest Chapter of the National Cartoonist Society. Tom has been profiled by NPR, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Huffington Post. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, kid and cats.

Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the award-winning, beloved comic strip MUTTS, celebrated internationally for its artistic excellence and advocacy for animal welfare. Charles Schulz called it "one of the best comic strips of all time." Patrick’s love for storytelling also extends to children’s literature. His books include the Caldecott Honor-winning "Me...Jane" (a biography of Jane Goodall) and "The Gift of Nothing," both New York Times bestsellers. These books have both been adapted for the stage at the Kennedy Center.

In 2024, Patrick released "Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story," inspired by one of the most newsworthy and poignant storylines in MUTTS. Patrick has also collaborated with "His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Heart to Heart," a book about the environment, animals, and compassion; with Eckhart Tolle on "Guardians of Being;" and with poet Daniel Ladinsky on "Darling I Love You," a book of haikus centered on the MUTTS characters. "The Super Hero's Journey," inspired by Patrick’s childhood and his love for the Marvel super heroes, was released in 2023 and was honored to be on 11 lists for best graphic novels of the year. His large-scale paintings have been exhibited in solo painting shows such as "Side Effects: Paintings by Patrick McDonnell" and "The Super Hero’s Journey," which have been showcased at Ohio State University’s Urban Arts Space and the Arts Council of Princeton, respectively.

This event was recorded on December 07, 2025.

This recording is presented by Princeton Public Library. The author is joined by Amy Jo Burns to discuss her most recent release, "The Sequel," which continues the story begun in her 2021 novel "The Plot." Book signing to follow.

About the Book (from the publisher):
Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business. That is to say, she’s taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. Now she is living the contented life of a literary widow, enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity, but for the second time in her life, a work of fiction intercedes, and this time it’s her own debut novel, The Afterword. After all, how hard can it really be to write a universally lauded bestseller?

But when Anna publishes her book and indulges in her own literary acclaim, she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. That it does means something has gone very wrong, and someone out there knows far too much: about her late brother, her late husband, and just possibly… Anna, herself. What does this person want and what are they prepared to do? She has come too far, and worked too hard, to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story. And she is, by any standard, a master storyteller.

About the Author:
Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of nine novels, including "The Sequel," "The Latecomer," and "The Plot" (the latter two in development for film or limited series), "You Should Have Known" (adapted as HBO’s 2020 limited series, "The Undoing," by David E. Kelley and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant) and "Admission" (basis for the 2013 film starring Tina Fey). "The Plot" was featured on The Tonight Show as the Fallon Summer Reads 2021 pick. She lives in New York City with her husband, Irish poet Paul Muldoon.

About the Moderator:
Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir "Cinderland" and the novel "Shiner," which was a Barnes & Noble Discover Pick and an NPR Best Book of the year. Her latest novel, "Mercury," is a Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick, a Book of the Month Pick, a People Magazine Book of the Week, and an Editor’s Choice selection in The New York Times. Amy Jo’s next novel, "Wait for Me," is coming March 3, 2026. You can find her on Instagram at @burnsamyjo.

This event was recorded on November 20, 2025.