INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Public Library is honoring the legacy of 12 influential authors by memorializing their names in the Atrium at Central Library. This renovation is the second phase of the Central Authors Project, an initiative to shine a light on the literary contributions of authors and writers from diverse backgrounds.
Before the launch of the Central Authors Project, the walls of Central Library displayed the names of 83 esteemed scientists, philosophers, writers, and thinkers. These names were first engraved in 1917, with additions made in 2007. Only five of the individuals included were women, and none were people of color.
A lifelong Library patron and Indianapolis native, Dr. Michael Twyman encouraged the Library to showcase a more inclusive group of authors on the walls of Central Library. In 2021, after conversations with the Library and the Library Foundation, a plan was developed to display a more representative group of author names.
The first phase of the Central Authors Project, unveiled in March of 2022 in the Simon Reading Room near the entrance to the Center for Black Literature & Culture, featured the names of ten Black American authors whose literary contributions span history, culture, and genre.
This second phase of the Central Authors Project, which was unveiled on April 22, 2025, celebrates 12 authors who represent a vivid literary tradition across the globe. By widening the scope of authors for this phase, Library visitors will be introduced to names and works that span across a wide range of countries, cultures, and languages. Their names will invite the public to explore humanity’s deep, rich tradition of storytelling.
Names include Chinua Achebe (1930–2013), Matsuo Bashō (c. 1644). Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), Ralph Ellison (1913–1994), Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948), Gabriel García Márquez (1927–2014), Nikki Giovanni (1943–2024), Alex Haley (1921–1992), and bell hooks (1952–2021)