Aaliyah Bilal, author of the debut story collection Temple Folk

Aaliyah Bilal’s debut story collection, Temple Folk (2023), is a groundbreaking portrait of the lived experiences of Black Muslims—a community rarely featured in U.S. literature—as they grapple with the challenges of faith, family, and freedom in America.

Bilal, who grew up in a Black Muslim family outside Washington, D.C., presents a diverse cast of flawed, heroic, and memorable characters. Edward P. Jones said, “Temple Folk is more than a special literary accomplishment, it is a gift of glorious songs…. this gift should be praised from as many rooftops as possible.” A finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction, it was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Must-Read Books of 2023.”

Univesity at Albany Recital Hall (Performing Arts Center building)
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