Episode #9 with Deesha Philyaw: A Literary Icon on Creating a Positive Platform

Today’s guest is the award-winning author and literary queen Deesha Philyaw. Her debut short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is also a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). Her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman, is forthcoming in 2026. Deesha has been featured in the 1455 Author Series, and been a repeat speaker at the 1455 StoryFest, and she’s been busy and productive since she and Sean last spoke on air. In addition to her writing and travels, Deesha has established herself as an indispensable voice for writers, using her growing platform to find positive and effective ways to help authors (especially under-represented voices) find publication. Deesha and Sean discuss what being a true literary citizen entails, and why championing the work of individual writers creates momentum for all creatives. Deesha provides detail about what it’s like to find success later in one’s life (after having written diligently for many years) and why a breakthrough book like Secret Lives served as both validation and motivation for more writing. No one can read Deesha’s words without being moved (and quite possibly changed, for the better), and no one will listen to her speak without being entertained, amused, and inspired.

 

Find out about everything Deesha is up to these days at https://deeshaphilyaw.com