The Michigan Humanities Council named Northern Michigan University history professor Alan Willis as one of eight resource scholars for the 2017-18 Great Michigan Read, a biennial statewide literary program.

The Great Michigan Read title is X: A Novel. According to Willis, when a library reading club, school or other group wishes to put together a program on the book, they can invite one of the scholars to visit. Scholars indicate areas of expertise related to the book, with Willis’ being Malcom X and religion.

“When I last spoke to the coordinators they indicated that it is frequently difficult to get scholars to visit groups in the northern reaches of the state, so my being selected will hopefully increase participation in Great Michigan Read in the region,” he said.

Willis is the author of All According To God’s Plan: Southern Baptist Missions and Race, 1945-1970 and numerous articles, including entries in The Encyclopedia of Malcom X. He recently wrote about M. C. Allen, a religious black nationalist within the Christian tradition whose views were similar to those of Malcom X.

To schedule an appearance, contact Willis at awillis@nmu.edu. Learn more about the Great Michigan Read at http://www.michiganhumanities.org/2017-18-great-michigan-read/.