Why 12 more names were added to the Central Library atrium

Driving the news: The second phase of the Central Authors Project finished late last month with a renovation of the glass-enclosed public space.

• Prior to the project's launch, the Central Library walls housed the names of 83 esteemed figures throughout history, with the first names engraved in 1917 and additions made in 2007.

Yes, but: Just five of the people included were women, and none were people of color.

Flashback: Planning for the Central Authors Project began in 2021 when Indianapolis native and longtime library patron Michael Twyman encouraged the IndyPL to make the lineup more inclusive and provided funding to make it happen.

• Phase one added the names of 10 Black American authors to the library walls in spring 2022.

What they're saying: "Public libraries have the power to shape our community's cultural and intellectual life by curating, sharing and telling stories," Twyman said in a statement. "I am so proud to have been part of this historic project to increase the diversity of authors represented in Central Library's architecture."

How it works: Authors were nominated by library visitors and the Indianapolis community at large.

Zoom in: Here are the 12 names engraved during phase two:

• Chinua Achebe (1930–2013)
• Gloria Anzaldúa (1942–2004)
• 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)
• bell hooks (1952–2021)
• Audre Lorde (1934–1992)
• N. Scott Momaday (1934–2024)