Sahar Ishtiaque Ullah is a Ph.D. candidate in Arabic and Comparative Literature at Columbia University where she teaches and is completing her dissertation on the role of the erotic prelude in medieval Arabic-Islamic poetics. Her research interests also include the classical in contemporary Arabic literature and representations of Muslims in late medieval and early modern European literature. As a Public Humanities Fellow, Sahar will curate an interactive public arts project that includes the works of Muslim storytellers, poets, and visual artists with a special attention to North American minorities and immigrants with roots from regions largely portrayed as conflict zones in U.S. media outlets.