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  • Book Talk

Ahmed Abdullah: A Strange Celestial Road

Ahmed Abdullah — jazz trumpeter and adjunct professor at The New School — will give a talk about his 2023 memoir reflecting on over two decades as a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra. His book, A Strange Celestial Road, is named after a 1979 album by Sun Ra and his Arkestra recorded in New York.

This event has already occurred

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February 5, 2026, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
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Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, sixth floor
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Open to the Public
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Hosted by: Kislak Center

Cover of the book A Strange Celestial Road featuring a performer onstage wearing a brightly colored, rainbow-hued cape and matching headpiece, standing with arms outstretched beneath stage lights.

Members of the Penn community who are interested in exploring Sun Ra and the history of jazz in more detail can also register for a related workshop held prior to this book talk.

Featured image: Book cover for Ahmed Abdullah, with Louis Reyes Rivera, A Strange Celestial Road (Brooklyn, NY: Blank Forms Editions, 2023)

 

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