Saloma Miller Furlong, author and speaker, will discuss “Complicating Public Perceptions of the Amish” at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11. Free and open to the public, her Bluffton forum presentation will take place in Yoder Recital Hall.  

Miller Furlong was born and raised in an Amish community in Ohio. Driven by her desire for freedom and a more formal education, she broke away from her community. She graduated from Smith College in May 2007 with a major in German studies and a minor in philosophy. Her education has included research on the Amish with Donald Kraybill, author, lecturer and educator on Anabaptist faiths. 

The author of two memoirs about growing up Amish, Miller Furlong will examine the challenges in representing Amish culture “from the inside out” in public settings.