Aaliyah Bilal was born and raised in Maryland. After graduating from the University of London with a degree in African studies, Bilal published several fiction and non-fiction stories. Most of Bilal's stories connect Afro-Diasporic people and Chinese. The Michigan Quarterly Review and the Rumpus published most of Bilal's short stories and essays. Some of Bila's fiction stories include Janaza (2020) and Woman in Niqab (2016), published by The Michigan Quarterly Review and The Rumpus, respectively. Bila's first short story collection is Temple Folk, a literary fiction published on 4 July 2023.
Temple Folk (2023) novel is about Black Muslims' experiences in the United States of America. The collection has ten short stories, all focusing on the Black Muslims’ deliberation and sincerity about their faith, race, sexuality and political influence in the United States of America. The stories in this collection show how Black Muslims have managed to resist the influence of conventional civilization on their faith. Despite many Black Muslims being born in the United States of America, they have strictly managed to observe their religious traditions.
Immediately after its publication, Temple Folk (2023) received a positive reception. According to Kirkus Reviews, Temple Folk (2023) novel is a marvelous, meticulous, and well-balanced collection of short stories that give an insight into the Black Muslims’ experiences in the United States of America. Temple Folk has been nominated by the National Book Foundation to rival Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars in the 2023 fiction category award.
