Overwhelmed by grief? Aaliyah Bilal '04 captures a raw moment of vulnerability in her debut short story collection, 'Temple Folk,’ that reminds us of our humanity. “I wanted to scream, to send all the birds on the nearby tree limbs scattering in the twilight air, then run off into the darkening woods, but Jabril had disarmed me and I was reduced to heaving cries... I fell into his embrace and he held me tight, rocking me back and forth.” Bilal visited Oberlin last week for a fantastic reading and discussion with students. Want to know more? Check out the story linked in our bio that highlights her 2023 National Book Award nomination. Excerpt From: Bilal, Aaliyah. “Temple Folk.” Simon & Schuster, 2023-07-04. @aaliyah.muneerah.bilal