Nationally acclaimed writer Aaliyah Bilal will read from her new story collection Temple Folk (2023), 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.”
4:30 p.m. — Craft Talk, Standish Room (3rd Floor), Science Library. See map.
7:30 p.m.— Reading / Conversation, Recital Hall, UAlbany Performing Arts Center. See map.
Both events at University at Albany, 1400 Washington Ave., Albany
Free and open to all
“Temple Folk is more than a special literary accomplishment, it is a gift of glorious songs. The people in the nation of Islam have not appeared very often in literature. Now, Aaliyah Bilal arrives with a splendid and grand collection of 10 stories that, with sensitivity and insight and skill, give us a world of people, our loved ones, and neighbors, who decided that life might be better in the nation. We have long needed these stories, these songs, and this gift should be praised from as many rooftops as possible.” —Edward P. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Known World
“Obviously a student of history, and even more so, a student of the human heart, Aaliyah Bilal lays bare the interior lives of Black Muslims in these ten extraordinary stories. Across decades, generations, and continents, Bilal’s finely wrought and unforgettable characters grapple with religion, culture, family, desire, and most compellingly, themselves. Every story was an eye-opener for me. Bilal is a gifted storyteller, and Temple Folk is quite simply a masterpiece.” –Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Life of Church Ladies
“Aaliyah Bilal is a gifted storyteller who understands how to build a world that feels both particular in its contours and universal in the challenges, triumphs and yearnings of its characters. The stories that make up Temple Folk explore love, faith, loyalty and disillusionment while offering up gorgeous langauge and unforgettable imagery. Temple Folk feels like no collection I have read before and announces Bilal as a literary talent worth championing.” –Angela Flournoy, Author of The Turner House
“A beautiful and vivid collection of stories. Aaliyah Bilal is the truth. Grateful for her voice in the world.” –Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author
“Temple Folk is a remarkable debut that does many things at once. It opens the door to a people we barely know, yet opens our eyes to the struggles that make us all human. People surprise and they disappoint. They stumble spiritually and soar morally. They love with all they have and lose all they’ve got. Put between faith and family, duty and self, Temple folk live through all the ties that bind and break.” –Marlon James, Winner of the 2015 Booker Prize
Cosponsored by the English Department’s Creative Writing Program and Young Writers Project.
By the Way Berkshires is a digital magazine exploring creative life and community — art and performance, food and the outdoors — and I’m writing it for you, with local voices, because I’ve gotten to know this rich part of the world as a writer and journalist, and I want to share it with you.
If you’d like to see the website grow, you can join me for a few dollars a month, enough for a cup of coffee and a cider doughnut. Members get access to extra stories and multimedia, itineraries a bookmark tool. Let me know what you're looking for, and we’ll explore together.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Igor Simões (State University of Rio Grande do Sul / Clark Fellow) explores the absence of Black Brazilian artists in the international debate on art and the history of Afro-Diasporic art.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join Mass MoCA museum educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
In this two-part class, botanist Ted Elliman will focus on the wildflowers that grow in Berkshire County’s spring woods.
The Clark screens classic films — Manhatta, inspired by Walt Whitman, and Rien que les heures, showing the life of Paris from dawn to dusk.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
First Fridays @ Five brings a new festival to downtown Pittsfield, with fire dancing with Opal Raven Cirque at Persip Park, a makers market and beer garden, live ceramics and more.
May’s First Friday comes to North Adams with Flower Power — with live music, food trucks and vendors, openings and events focused on starting fresh.
Founded by singer-guitarist Sean Walsh, The National Reserve blend R&B, Laurel Canyon lyricism, New Orleans funk, late night soul, and bluesy rock ‘n’ roll.
This four-part class will revisit trees through the seasons and witness their unique characteristics with and without leaves.
Tom Ingersoll and Melissa LeVangie-Ingersoll look at trees in the Spring season and witness their unique characteristics with and without leaves.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Berkshire Botanical Garden will hold a workshop in creating and using herbal infused oils — lip balms, skin salves, and roll-on perfume/bug repellent.
Milne Public Library celebrates books and the people who read them, with two staged readings of The Book Club Play, a comedy by Karen Zacarias — held at Sweetwood.
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s 90th outdoor season opens with the their annual community celebration steeped in history and tradition.
Every first Sunday of the month, Pete Toigo and Dave Bartley bring a morning of music — soulful jazz and blues with Pete on bass and Dave piano and vocals.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Inspired by May's First Sunday Free theme, 'Giddy Up!' , the Clark offers a free display of works on paper in the Manton Study Center for Works on Paper.
Hancock Shaker Village welcomes visitors to meet their newest farm babies – lambs, piglets, calves, chicks and kid goats, and enjoy events and activities throughout the Village.
In this Research and Academic Program lecture, Michael Gaudio (University of Minnesota / Clark Professor 2023–2024) explores Native burial mounds.
On the day of each new moon — believed by many to be a time of rebirth — visitors to Like Magic at Mass MoCA are invited into Grace Clark’s 'In a new light (Healing Dirt).'
Inspired by the open jams from the formative era of jazz, Band leader Luke Franco and host Brian Kantor will hold a monthly evening of music.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Hoffmann Bird Club will lead a weekly spring bird walk along the River Walk in Great Barrington, looking for returning birds in migration season.
Each supper at Hancock Shaker Village offers authentic Shaker recipes prepared by a local chef and served communal style followed by a Shaker focused program.
Northshire partners with Yaddo to present an evening with Adam Moss, the former editor of New York Magazine, on his new book, The Work of Art.
Canoe Meadows' beautiful grounds are ideal for spotting migrant species, especially colorful wood-warblers, orioles and thrushes.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden holds their 47th Annual Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale will on May 10 and 11, curated by BBG’s horticulture staff.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Works on Paper invites artists of all experience and skill levels to work closely with thematic selections of drawings from the Clark’s collection.
Joseph Bruchac, a citizen and member of the Elders Council of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, and an award-winning writer, poet, musician, and traditional storyteller, celebrates his beloved novel.
Pleasant Valley's beaver ponds, wetlands, woods, and meadows are perfect places to see warblers, tanagers, orioles and more during spring migration and nesting season.
The market returns with fruits and greens and cheeses, locally roasted coffee and brewed cider — popsicles, mushrooms, Berkshire Mountain Bakery sourdough bread, fresh berries ...
Locally roasted coffee, native plants or gently herbed hand cream ... the regular Pittsfield Farmers Market welcomes in farmers and artisans together.
The Berkshire Botanical Garden holds their 47th Annual Plants-and-Answers Plant Sale will on May 10 and 11, curated by BBG’s horticulture staff.
Wing and a Prayer offers a Tea & Scones in the Garden Amy Pulley's native plant nursery, for a sneak preview of the plants and the spring season.
Naumkeag's annual Spring Celebration returns for its 5th year, as the eight acres of gardens bloom with bulbs to celebrate spring in the Berkshires.
Naumkeag will celebrate Mother’s Day weekend at the Daffodil and Tulip Festival with a tea in the gardens — with sweet pastries and traditional english scones with jam.
Working with the BBG’s vegetable garden, chef and farmer Miriam Rubin will harvest from the garden, then head into the kitchen to make a multiple-course meal.
Decorate a token of appreciation for the mothers and maternal figures in your life at the Clark’s card-making station, listen to a free chamber music concert and more.
This year's Lenett Fellows, Ricardo Mercado Ruiz and Destini Ross (Williams College M.A. Class of 2024), present the work they have produced during their fellowship.
Mass Audubon will explore Edith Wharton's historic home, including its woods, wetlands, and meadows, to find birds by sight and sound.
The Clark invites visitors to look contemplatively as a way to engage with works of art from the museum’s collection.
Dewey Hall holds storytelling events with a group discussion exploring themes, similarities and contrasts within the stories as a whole
Hoffmann Bird Club will lead a weekly spring bird walk along the River Walk in Great Barrington, looking for returning birds in migration season.
Jean Vigo’s film exposes the seedier side of life on the French Riviera, contrasting the labor of low-paid workers with the idle tourists as the city prepares for carnival.
Elizabeth and the Catapult, Autumn Nicholas and Monica Giraldo offer an intimate evening of songs and stories unbounded by tradition, pre-conceptions and expectations.
Farmers, food producers, artists and artisans will gather in the expanded parking lot at the end of Spring Street every Saturday in summer and fall.
Chocolate peanut butter cookies, fresh flowers, jams and pickles and cheeses ... the North Adams Farmers Market returns weekly with more than a dozen farmers and makers.
The market returns with fruits and greens and cheeses, locally roasted coffee and brewed cider — popsicles, mushrooms, Berkshire Mountain Bakery sourdough bread, fresh berries ...
Locally roasted coffee, native plants or gently herbed hand cream ... the regular Pittsfield Farmers Market welcomes in farmers and artisans together.
Families with children up to 6 years old are invited to join Mass MoCA museum educators for a storytime and related exploration in the galleries.
A Clark educator leads a thematic tour of highlights of the Clark’s Impressionist art collection by artists like Renoir, Monet, Pissarro and Cassa.
Clark educators lead a free program with slow engagement with nature and art — a mindful walk in the woods to engage your senses and an experience with art in the galleries.
Conceived by performer, composer and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) member Keir GoGwilt, Zarabanda Variations bring together a group of visionary composers, improvisers and performers.
People living with dementia and their care-partners can join the museum on select Mondays for open-ended conversations about art.
Mass Audubon will explore Edith Wharton's historic home, including its woods, wetlands, and meadows, to find birds by sight and sound.
The West Stockbridge Farmers Market offers fresh produce — fruits and vegetables in season, eggs, meats and cheeses, breads and baked goods, fudge and jams and more.
Hoffmann Bird Club will lead a weekly spring bird walk along the River Walk in Great Barrington, looking for returning birds in migration season.
David-Jeremiah, the artist of I Drive Thee, this year’s public spaces installation at the Clark, celebrates the launch of the exhibition publication.
The Lenox Farmers Market returns on Friday afternoons with organic produce, sweets, fresh-baked breads and more.
The Sheffield Farmers Market returns outdoors with some 20 vendors — from pickles, seasonings and garlic, to Naji’s Mediterranean Cuisine, baked fresh wheat-free breads, local meats, honey and maple syrup and more.
Farmers, food producers, artists and artisans will gather in the expanded parking lot at the end of Spring Street every Saturday in summer and fall.
Chocolate peanut butter cookies, fresh flowers, jams and pickles and cheeses ... the North Adams Farmers Market returns weekly with more than a dozen farmers and makers.
The market returns with fruits and greens and cheeses, locally roasted coffee and brewed cider — popsicles, mushrooms, Berkshire Mountain Bakery sourdough bread, fresh berries ...
Locally roasted coffee, native plants or gently herbed hand cream ... the regular Pittsfield Farmers Market welcomes in farmers and artisans together.
A Clark educator will lead a tour of the permanent collection galleries to talk about the Institute's history and work.
Of Words and Music explores creative pairs of works with the same text settings by Tallis, Haydn, Biebl, Lauridsen, Barber, Bloch, and Burleigh, among others.
Mass Audubon will explore Edith Wharton's historic home, including its woods, wetlands, and meadows, to find birds by sight and sound.
Naturalist and wild edibles enthusiast Arianna Alexsandra Collins from the Hoosic River Watershed Association and Offerings for Community Building leads a foraging walk
The West Stockbridge Farmers Market offers fresh produce — fruits and vegetables in season, eggs, meats and cheeses, breads and baked goods, fudge and jams and more.
Hoffmann Bird Club will lead a weekly spring bird walk along the River Walk in Great Barrington, looking for returning birds in migration season.
The Lenox Farmers Market returns on Friday afternoons with organic produce, sweets, fresh-baked breads and more.
The Sheffield Farmers Market returns outdoors with some 20 vendors — from pickles, seasonings and garlic, to Naji’s Mediterranean Cuisine, baked fresh wheat-free breads, local meats, honey and maple syrup and more.
Farmers, food producers, artists and artisans will gather in the expanded parking lot at the end of Spring Street every Saturday in summer and fall.
Chocolate peanut butter cookies, fresh flowers, jams and pickles and cheeses ... the North Adams Farmers Market returns weekly with more than a dozen farmers and makers.
The market returns with fruits and greens and cheeses, locally roasted coffee and brewed cider — popsicles, mushrooms, Berkshire Mountain Bakery sourdough bread, fresh berries ...
Locally roasted coffee, native plants or gently herbed hand cream ... the regular Pittsfield Farmers Market welcomes in farmers and artisans together.
Hancock Shaker Village offers an outdoor yoga class ... with goats. Goats roam freely as you strike your poses with a certified yoga instructor.
Every first Sunday of the month, Pete Toigo and Dave Bartley bring a morning of music — soulful jazz and blues with Pete on bass and Dave piano and vocals.
