Aaliyah Bilal Explained

Aaliyah Bilal is an American writer. She is best known for her debut collection of short stories, Temple Folk,[1] which tells of the lives of Black Muslims living in America in the 1970s, including their participation and interaction with The Nation of Islam. The book was a finalist for the 2023 National Book Award for Fiction[2] and the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize.[3] She also received the 2024 Whiting Award.[4] She was subsequently named one of the 10 Whiting Prize recipients for 2024.[5] In May 2024, it was announced the book received the 17th annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence.

Bilal grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. to a middle class Sunni Muslim family.[6] She attended Oberlin College where she earned degrees in African American studies and Spanish, and the University of London where she earned a master's degree.[7] Bilal has cited Toni Morrison, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Edward P. Jones as literary influences. Her previous writing has also appeared in The Chicago Quarterly Review and The Rumpus.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2023-06-08 . Temple Folk . 2024-04-28 . . 2024-04-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240428011541/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/aaliyah-bilal/temple-folk/ . live .
  2. Web site: National Book Awards 2023 . 2024-04-28 . . 2024-01-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240130192701/https://www.nationalbook.org/awards-prizes/national-book-awards-2023/ . live .
  3. Web site: Schaub . Michael . 2024-03-14 . Aspen Words Literary Prize 2024 Finalists Revealed . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240315001112/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/aspen-words-literary-prize-2024-finalists-revealed/ . 2024-03-15 . 2024-04-28 . . en.
  4. Web site: 10 writers win 2024 Whiting Awards for emerging authors . 11 April 2024 . NPR . 10 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240410234540/https://www.npr.org/2024/04/10/1243662343/10-writers-win-2024-whiting-awards-for-emerging-authors . live .
  5. Web site: 10 writers win 2024 Whiting Awards for emerging authors . 2024-04-11 . . 2024-04-10 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240410234540/https://www.npr.org/2024/04/10/1243662343/10-writers-win-2024-whiting-awards-for-emerging-authors . live .
  6. Web site: Harris . Elizabeth A. . 12 October 2023 . She Didn’t Even Have an Agent. Her Debut Is a National Book Award Finalist. . 2024-04-28 . . 2024-04-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240405183604/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/books/aaliyah-bilal-temple-folk.html . live .
  7. Web site: 2023-10-09 . Aaliyah Bilal ’04 Named National Book Award Finalist . 2024-04-28 . . en . 2024-01-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240113043158/https://www.oberlin.edu/news/aaliyah-bilal-04-named-national-book-award-finalist . live .
  8. Web site: Woman In Niqab By Aaliyah Bilal . 2024-04-28 . The Rumpus.net . 2023-10-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231014183452/https://therumpus.net/woman-in-niqab-by-aaliyah-bilal/ . live .

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