Deesha Philyaw reads from her book "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies", with sound design and music composition from GLASYS. Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction, a finalist for The Story Prize (2020/2021), and longlisted for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Her work has been listed as Notable in the Best American Essays series, and her writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Brevity, dead housekeeping, Apogee Journal, Catapult, Harvard Review, ESPN’s The Undefeated, The Baltimore Review, TueNight, Ebony and Bitch magazines, and various anthologies. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a past Pushcart Prize nominee for essay writing in Full Grown People. GLASYS (Gil Assayas) is a pianist, synthesist, producer and vocalist who delivers intricate virtuosic keyboard parts, electronic soundscapes and impassioned vocals in one package that combines his many influences including Electronic music, Alternative Rock, Jazz and Classical music. This episode is brought to you by: Literati Kids is a try-before-you-buy subscription book club. Each month, Literati delivers five vibrantly illustrated children's books bringing the immersive magic of reading right to your home. Head to literati.com/storybound to find 25% your first 2 orders. This episode is brought to you by: Great Courses Plus is the premier video-on-demand service for lifelong learners. Storybound listeners get a month of unlimited access for free by going to thegreatcoursesplus.com/storybound. Betterhelp is a platform that provides affordable, private online counseling anywhere, anytime. Storybound listeners get 10% off your first month by going to betterhelp.com/sb. Storybound is hosted by Jude Brewer and brought to you by The Podglomerate and Lit Hub Radio. Let us know what you think of the show on Instagram and Twitter @storyboundpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices