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07/30/2024

Deesha and Kiese on Writing About Parents, Forgiveness, and Grief

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon discuss the complicated process of writing about family — specifically parents. They talk about the ways parents fail, how they disappoint, but why it is important, and necessary when writing about family and those we love, to give them grace, and allow them the room to make mistakes. They ask the question, What do we owe to those we write about? And they call for writers to be guided, first and foremost, by love. Deesha and Kiese talk about their own relationships with their parents, the processing and tending to those relationships, and how they moved through feelings of shame and anger while working through layers of grief. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned Heavy (Kiese Laymon) “Snap” (Deesha Philyaw, Pipe Wrench Magazine 2021) “How Can You Be Mad At Someone Who’s Dying Of Cancer?” (Deesha Philyaw, Full Grown People 2015) “Whiting” (Deesha Philyaw, Short Reads 2023) “These Are Your Memories” (Kiese’s mother’s letter, 2018) “If We Can Soar: What Birmingham Roller Pigeons Offer the Men of South Central” (Shanna B. Tiayon, Pipe Wrench Magazine 2021) More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
08/20/2024

What's Happening with Men?

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon discuss the “manosphere,” — specifically how Black men show up in the space of it, and how Black women respond to it. Deesha talks about a “de-centering of romance” and recognition that women have come to see that their lives are full and beautiful without being partnered with a man who does not listen to or respect them. They are interested in the deconstruction of the notions of masculinity, of repair and accountability, and of the homosociality/eroticism of the manosphere, as well as the pulling away of intimacy between cishet men. And they discuss what the work might look like. Therapy, radical change, deconstructing notions of masculinity, and possibly even retiring the terms “masculinity” and “femininity” altogether. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned “My Brush with the Black Manosphere” (Nicole Young, Elle 2022) Warsan Shire Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man (Steve Harvey) bell hooks Audrey Lorde “Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.” (Christine Emba, The Washington Post 2023) “How To Be A Better Man Right Now” (Jeff Gordinier, Esquire 2024) Listening List: Jokes On You (podcast hosted by Mel Mitchell and Talle) “The disappearance of men” (Christine Emba, YouTube 2024) Instagram Reel by Ari Jai More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10/24/2024 · Bonus

More from Deesha: Ursa Short Fiction, with Dawnie Walton & Deesha Philyaw

While we're on season break with Reckon True Stories, here's a sneak preview from Season Three of Ursa Short Fiction, Deesha's other podcast with author (and True Stories producer!) Dawnie Walton. Show notes: Follow Season Three in your favorite podcast app. Support the show with a membership or one-time contribution, and get access to bonus episodes: ursastory.com/join Read more about Dawnie Walton's next novel! Contact us via email: hello@ursastory.com Produced by: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
08/27/2024

Imani Perry: What Do We Owe of Ourselves as Black Writers?

On the latest episode of Reckon True Stories, Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon are joined by MacArthur Genius and National Book Award Winner Dr. Imani Perry to discuss genre, personal stories and the ethical commitment to those we write about, the utilization of craft to bring the reader close to the experience and the body, the body as political, Black women and silence, mobility, music, and mothering. They ask the question of what we owe of ourselves as writers — and particularly Black writers— to our audience, and they explore what it looks like to maintain boundaries, to self-preserve, and to rest. In Kiese’s words, he calls it learning “the art of not just no, but not now.” Kiese praises Dr. Perry on how she has never written the same kind of book twice, and in this episode, she talks about her inspirations, how she chooses what to write towards, and what questions she is consistently leaning into in her work. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned South to America (Imani Perry) Breathe: A Letter To My Sons (Imani Perry) Prophets of the Hood: Politics and Poetics in Hip Hop (Imani Perry) Looking for Lorraine: The Radiant and Radical Life of Lorraine Hansberry (Imani Perry) May We Forever Stand: A History of the Black National Anthem (Imani Perry) Percival Everett A Dangerously High Threshold for Pain (Imani Perry) Alice Walker Nikky Finney “She Changed Black Literature Forever. Then She Disappeared.” (Imani Perry, New York Times 2021) “‘Palmares’ Is An Example Of What Grows When Black Women Choose Silence” (Deesha Philyaw, Electric Literature 2021) Palmares (Gayl Jones) Robert Stepto Hazel Carby Zora Neale Hurston Katherine Dunham Moms Mabley 1000 Words (Jami Attenberg) Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against “The Apocalypse” (Emily Raboteau) How To Live Free In A Dangerous World: A Decolonial Memoir (Shayla Lawson) A Mercy (Toni Morrison) Listening List: Nina Simone Miles Davis “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” (Deborah Cox) More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) City Summer, Country Summer (Kiese Laymon & Alexis Franklin) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Season 1, Episode 1

The Business of Publishing, Part One: Submitting Stories

Ursa Members, thank you for supporting our show! On this special Member Exclusive episode of Ursa Short Fiction, Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton offer a comprehensive guide to the business of publishing – from submitting short stories to literary magazines, to navigating rejection, and finding an agent. Deesha and Dawnie also share their own personal stories about the process, including working with editors and ultimately getting their books published. But before any of that, there’s the question of how a writer should think about the creative process vs. the business side of selling your work. Episode transcript. Ask Us Anything Send Deesha and Dawnie your questions! Email us at hello@ursastory.com or leave us a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/ursa Episode Links and Reading List: Poets & Writers: Literary Magazines Database Chill Subs (another great magazine database) “The High Shelf,” by Dawnie Walton (Oxford American, 2021) “Dr. Sandman,” by Deesha Philyaw (Oxford American, 2021) Other People’s Rejection Letters, by Bill Shapiro (2010) We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo (2014) Author Debra Dickerson In West Mills, De’Shawn Charles Winslow (2020) More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton
09/10/2024

Season One Finale: Samantha Irby on the Art of Comedy Writing

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon chat with the hilarious and multitalented Samantha Irby, author of multiple wickedly funny essay collections, as well as writer for multiple television series. Samantha talks about her own confidence and how she’s able to write guiltless memoir pieces. She distinguishes between the experiences of watching what she’s written versus reading what she’s written. Has she bougie-ed out of her past? And, of course, what are the ins and outs of comedy-writing? Can it be taught? What are the industry-wide issues with gatekeeping? And who do you write to? Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned bitches gotta eat! (Samantha Irby blog) “My Mother, My Daughter” (Samantha Irby, The Rumpus 2012) We Are Never Meeting In Real Life (Samantha Irby) Meaty (Samantha Irby) New Year, Same Trash (Samantha Irby)\ Wow, No Thank You (Samantha Irby) Quietly Hostile (Samantha Irby) Watch List: Shrill And Just Like That: Sex and the City Tuca and Bertie Atlanta Mea Culpa Paul Mooney Mike Epps Mo’Nique Shirley Hemphill Nell Carter Listening List: “Upgrade U” (Beyoncé) More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
09/03/2024

‘The Work You Do, The Person You Are,’ by Toni Morrison

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon dig into a classic essay by Toni Morrison, “The Work You Do, the Person You Are,” published in The New Yorker in May 2017. They talk about labor and self-identity — how our feelings of worth can become so closely tied to the work we do, in ways that can become unhealthy, both in the corporate world and in the art we create. Kiese Laymon: “Without labor and work, I don’t know who I am. And I think that’s terrifying.” Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned “The Work You Do, the Person You Are” Toni Morrison (The New Yorker, 2017) Daddy Was a Number Runner (Louise Meriwether, 1970) “On Writing and the Business of Writing” (Carmen Maria Machado, 2022) Playing in the Dark (Toni Morrison, 1992) "The Cask of Amontillado" (Edgar Allan Poe, 1846) More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) City Summer, Country Summer (Kiese Laymon & Alexis Franklin) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
08/13/2024

Minda Honey On Being ‘Shameless’ in Telling Your Story

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon sit down with Minda Honey to discuss her recently published memoir, The Heartbreak Years, and the role that Honey’s own experiences, and the stories told to her by family, have had on shaping her work. With her debut, Honey — who also edits Black Joy at Reckon — was praised for her ability to linger in the body and the desires of a Black woman while also seamlessly moving through not just place, but time. As Kiese Laymon says, “I actually thought what Minda was doing was like a new kind of travel writing. And so I was just so excited when everybody got to read it.” Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned The Heartbreak Years (Minda Honey) “The Reality of Dating All Men When You’re Black” (Minda Honey, Gawker 2014) “Woman of Color in Wide Open Spaces” (Minda Honey, Longreads 2017) Black Joy at Reckon Cheryl Strayed's Dear Sugar Sari Botton Sweet Valley High Series (Francine Pascal) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred D. Taylor) Milk Blood Heat (Dantiel Moniz) “On Being Black in Kentucky and Charles Booker’s Historic Run for Senate” (Minda Honey, Salon 2020) Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghost (Crystal Wilkinson) Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) “Writing for the Bad Faith Reader” (Susie Dumond, Melissa Febos, BookRiot 2023) Danielle Buckingham “A Farewell to F******s in the Age of Consent Culture” (Minda Honey, Longreads 2018) Listening List: “Doo Wop (That Thing)” (Lauryn Hill) More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
07/23/2024

Hanif Abdurraqib on Basketball, Ohio, and the Art of the Playlist

Deesha and Kiese welcome acclaimed writer, poet, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, author of There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. They talk about music—the significance of music to their youth and their lives now, their listening practices, and Abdurraqib’s process of creating playlists. They also discuss basketball and what is so special, so singular, about Columbus in terms of high school basketball. Deesha admits how she’s had to challenge her own notions of Ohio in regards to sports and to politics, and Abdurraqib talks about the joys and the frustrations of place, of community, and of notions of home. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned Hanif Abdurraqib Yona Harvey Brian Broome Hanif Abdurraqib Blog (Medium) There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension (Hanif Abdurraqib) “Nicki Minaj’s ‘Pink Friday’ Sequel is Pure Spectacle” (Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker 2023) Diane Seuss Greg Tate Wanda Coleman Terrance Hayes Listening List: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nirvana) “Funkytown” (Lipps Inc.) “Nothing from Nothing” (Billy Preston) “Kung Fu Fighting” (Carl Douglas) Parliament Funkadelic Hot Buttered Soul (Isaac Hayes) Celia Cruz Miriam Makeba Whitney Houston “Basketball” (Kurtis Blow) “Shoot Pass Slam” (Shaquille O’Neal) “(I Know I Got) Skillz” (Shaquille O’Neal) “Soul in the Hole” (3rd Bass) (7L & Esoteric, The Handle ft. Sadat X) “Hit ‘em High” (Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, Method Man) “Let’s Go Crazy” (Prince & The Revolution) “Human Made” (Kid Cudi) “The Pink Seashell” (Fall Out Boy, Ethan Hawke) African-American Sound Recordings BLK ODYSSY “Yellow Brick Road” (Lo Village) Flood City Trax (Nondi) Black Rainbows (Corinne Bailey Rae) Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (McKinley Dixon) Pink Friday 2 (Nicki Minaj) Allison Russell Read more from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
08/06/2024

Alexander Chee on Storytelling, Motivation, and Money

Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon chat with writer Alexander Chee, author of Edinburgh, The Queen of the Night, and How to Write an Autobiographical Novel. The three writers talk about their journeys in the publishing industry, and what success has meant to each of them, specifically in regards to money. They discuss Chee’s essay, “My Inheritance Was My Father’s Last Lesson To Me,” where he writes about his relationship to money, how it changes over time, and what the relationship between anxiety, money, and body looks like. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays (Alexander Chee) “How to Unlearn Everything” (Alexander Chee, Vulture 2019) Edinburgh (Alexander Chee) The Queen of the Night (Alexander Chee) Other Peoples’ Husbands (forthcoming by Alexander Chee) “When Horror is the Truth-Teller” (Alexander Chee, Guernica 2023) “My Inheritance Was My Father’s Last Lesson To Me, And I Am Still Learning It” (Alexander Chee, Buzzfeed 2018) Damon Young “Storycraft: Point of Telling” (Junot Diaz, StoryWorlds 2023) Jesus’ Son (Denis Johnson) The Children's Hospital (Chris Adrian) The War: A Memoir (Marguerite Duras) Sarah Schulman The Book of Love (Kelly Link) Enter Ghost (Isabella Hammad) Notes from an Island (Tove Jansson) The Moomins and the Great Flood (Tove Jansson) Same Bed Different Dreams (Ed Park) Listening List: Luther Vandross Favorite Albums of Each Year (Hanif Abdurraqib, Medium, 2016 - 2023) CCFX Lil Nas X Yeah Yeah Yeahs Omar Apollo Billie Eilish Nicki Minaj Japanese Breakfast Angel Olsen U.S. Girls Wet Leg More from Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) Long Division (Kiese Laymon) How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays (Kiese Laymon) Ursa Short Fiction podcast (Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company in partnership with Reckon. Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Kiese Laymon Show Producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Reckon Editor In Chief: R.L. Nave Reckon Deputy Editor: Michelle Zenarosa Audience Director: Katie Johnston Creative Strategist: Abbey Crain Sr. Social Producer: Sid Espinosa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We love short stories. Join authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) for author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive short stories. We celebrate storytelling from some of today's most thrilling writers, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices. (Photo credits: Vanessa German / Rayon Richards) Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

3.8 (220)

Books
Ursa Story Company presents The Business of Publishing — a compilation of episodes from authors Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton on how to navigate the publishing industry as an emerging writer. Episodes are from the show Ursa Short Fiction, compiled here for easy listening.

5.0 (1)

Books

We're celebrating short fiction from some of today's most thrilling writers, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices. Join acclaimed authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) as they geek out on their favorite short stories of the past and present, with author interviews, book club chats, and immersive audio stories. (Photo credits: Vanessa German / Rayon Richards)

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Top Shows

Deesha and Kiese on Writing About Parents, Forgiveness, and Grief

What's Happening with Men?

More from Deesha: Ursa Short Fiction, with Dawnie Walton & Deesha Philyaw

Imani Perry: What Do We Owe of Ourselves as Black Writers?

The Business of Publishing, Part One: Submitting Stories

Season One Finale: Samantha Irby on the Art of Comedy Writing

‘The Work You Do, The Person You Are,’ by Toni Morrison

Minda Honey On Being ‘Shameless’ in Telling Your Story

Hanif Abdurraqib on Basketball, Ohio, and the Art of the Playlist

Alexander Chee on Storytelling, Motivation, and Money

Get exclusive episodes, help fund future seasons.

Member Exclusive: Friday Black Book Club

Member Exclusive: The Business of Publishing—After the Debut

Member Bonus: ZZ Packer on the Life and Work of James Alan McPherson

Member Bonus: Ask Deesha and Dawnie Anything!

[Member Bonus] First Chapters: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton

Member Bonus: What Deesha and Dawnie Are Reading Right Now

Member Exclusive: The Business of Publishing, Part One

Member Exclusive: Deesha’s 7-Figure Book Deal, Listener Questions

Member Exclusive: Ask the Agents! PJ Mark and Danielle Chiotti on Getting Published

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