Anand Prahlad is a professor, poet and authority on African American folklore. His memoir, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie, discusses growing up in the South with autism spectrum disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, which was eventually diagnosed when he was 57. Prahlad received his MA and PhD in folklore studies and sociolinguistics at UC Berkeley and UCLA. He curreently teaches folklore, film, creative writing, and diability studies in the English department at the University of Missouri, Columbia where ha has been a professor since 1990. His published work includes: African American Folklore: An Encyclopedia for Students; Reggaie Wisdom: Proverbs in Jamaican Music; The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore, 3 volumes; and the poetry collection As Good As Many. His memoir, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie is published by University of Alaska Press.