Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction. Her latest novel, releasing September 29th, will be The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman.
Deesha Philyaw joins Rainbow Rowell for a discussion on the perils of perception and the allure of a second chance. Both authors deliver humorous and rich stories of women faced with crumbling reputations and the opportunity to find freedom in the truth. Moderated by author Kristen Arnett, this conversation promises a rumination on identity, truth, and the desire to be known.
Deesha Philyaw reads from her new novel at Portland Art Museum in the Black Art and Experiences Gallery.
