Prahlad is a Curators Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of English at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He is a scholar, poet, essayist, and musician. His critical books include Reggae Wisdom: Proverbs in Reggae Music, and the edited three-volume set, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of African American Folklore. His creative works include three collections of poems: Hear My Story, As Good As Mango, and Dreaming of Endangered Species; an award-winning memoir, The Secret Life of a Black Aspie; and a music CD, Hover Near. Prahlad is currently working on a second CD, a fourth collection of poems, a community memoir about the plantation where he grew up, and a scholarly book on disability and the imagination.