An Athens audience received National Book Award finalist Aaliyah Bilal for a reading of her work Thursday night.
Known for her exploration of the lives of Black Muslim Americans, Aaliyah Bilal received a warm welcome at Avid Bookshop in Athens. She read from her acclaimed short story collection Temple Folk and discussed both her writing process and the Islamic traditions that influence her work. After the event, she encouraged young authors in Athens to understand writing not only as a way to leave a mark on history, but as a very personal act.
“I think it’s important to understand that whenever we’re writing we imagine an audience, but really you’re writing to your own life. Writing well is an act of self-respect. It’s a way of saying I was here, and I mattered, and I saw things my own way.”
She also offered very practical encouragement to those discouraged by the current political moment—to seek beauty through being brave.
“I think beauty is a worthy pursuit. Not superficial beauty, not the kind of ephemeral beauty of the external appearance, but inner beauty. If we want to be beautiful, it’s very important to cultivate some courage.”
Bilal is a native of Prince Georges County, Maryland, and a graduate of Oberlin College, as well as the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies
Thursday’s event was sponsored by the University of Georgia Institute for African American Studies alongside The Georgia Review, Avid Bookshop, and the Athens-Clarke County Library.
