New Black femme books: ‘Black Girl Autopoetics’ & ‘Temple Folk’

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH Special to the AmNews

Black women are the crux of our culture. Our voices, imaginations, and individualistic musings on the intricacies of navigating any pursuit or endeavor—such as art, literature, corporate culture, math, science, motherhood, singledom, marriage, and so on—creates a powerful tapestry of experience, wisdom, and invaluable contributions to our global, technological culture, and emotionally potent world views. Literature has been a way for Black women to humanize, and create change and garner empathy for our great plights since the beginning of all Black (diasporic), American and colonized nations. It’s always exciting to introduce and preview upcoming books from intelligent and deserving writers who continue the tradition of Black women storytelling, from those who make strides in creating roadmaps into digital technology. Ashleigh Wade Greene’s “Black Girl Autopoetics,” and Aaliyah Bilal’s new novel “Temple Folk” are books that every bookshelf should have, due to their colorful uniqueness and boldness in nonfiction and fiction literary exploration.

Black Girl Autopoetics by Ashleigh Wade Greene, Ph.D. (Duke University Press)

Ashleigh Greene Wade, Ph.D., assistant professor of Digital Studies, Media Studies and African American Studies at University of Virginia, writes a fascinating book exam- ining the intersection of Black girlhood and digital arts. She argues that Black girls who express themselves creatively in the digital sphere are exposed to the trauma of cyberbullying and harassment as they become hyper-visible, yet at the same time, seldom receive credit for their digital intellectual property and are rendered invisible. What is described as a “double bind” is carefully and thoroughly explored as she breaks more ground in the conversation of Black girls in STEM.

Temple Folk by Aaliyah Bilal (Simon and Schuster)

In this collection of ten short stories, author Aaliyah Bilal writes thoughtful and insightful accounts of Black Muslim life in America. Each story is penetrating and compassionate in its complex, and at times humorous, illustrations of how religion, moral balance, human failure, and frailty are all prevalent in the lives of a culture of people that are quite overlooked in the American literary market. Therefore, “Temple Folk” is refreshingly necessary to help bring a full spectrum of the Black experience in the United States.

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