by Ursa Story Company
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
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🇺🇲
Publishing Since
6/6/2022
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March 5, 2025
Ursa Short Fiction is proud to present an original audio production of “Bitch Baby,” written by Halle Hill, from her debut collection, Good Women, and performed by Nytia Nikole. “Bitch Baby” is about two siblings, Celine and Reggie, in the aftermath of Reggie being beaten by police. This story is dazzling, messy, heart-wrenching, and beautiful. Hill tackles themes of racial tensions, queerness, religion, and family. Stick around at the end for Halle Hill, in her own words, discussing her writing journey. Support our work by becoming a member in Apple Podcasts, or at ursastory.com/join. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned “Bitch Baby” (Halle Hill, Oxford American, 2020) Good Women (Halle Hill, Hub City Press, 2023) “On paying attention to what works best for you: conversation with Kimberly King Parsons” (The Creative Independent, 2024) More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Story performed by Nytia Nikole Interview by Marina Leigh Ursa Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja About the Author Halle Hill is the author of Good Women (Hub City Press), which was named a 2023 Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, O Magazine, Electric Literature, Book Riot and Southwest Review. A finalist for the 2023 Weatherford Award for Appalachian writing, she is the winner of the 2020 Crystal Wilkinson Creative Writing Prize and the 2020 Oxford American Debut Fiction Prize. Her short stories have been translated into French and published in journals including Joyland, New Limestone Review, Atlanta Magazine, Ursa Short Fiction and The Oxford American, among others. A born and raised East Tennessean, she currently lives, works and teaches in North Carolina. About the Narrator Nytia Nikole comes from the culturally rich city of Boston. She’s an award-winning actress and director, an accomplished filmmaker, writer, and producer. She is best known for her lead role in Taboo 3, and supporting roles in Fractured, Fixation 2, Dexter Jackson's Guide to Dating, several other films as well as multiple tv roles to include Fatal Attraction, Murder Chose Me, and ATL Homicide, and Personal Injury Court to name a few. Nytia has experience in film, theatre, and voiceover performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
February 13, 2025
In this Member Bonus episode, Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton talk about what they’re reading, writing, watching, and what they’re celebrating. What books and anthologies should we be on the lookout for in 2025? What newsletters should we be following? Plus: Bonus writing prompts! Enjoy this free teaser, and become an Ursa Member in Apple Podcasts or at ursastory.com/join to get the full episode. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned James (Percival Everett) Colored Television (Danzy Senna) Caucasia (Danzy Senna) The Seven Daughters of Dupree (Nikesha Elise Williams; release date January 2026) Black Cake (Charmaine Wilkerson) Good Dirt (Charmaine Wilkerson) Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi) Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) Mateo Askaripour Little Movements (Lauren Morrow; release date September 2025) Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy, and Lettuce (Lonnae O’Neal; release date June 2025) Lonnae O’Neal in Andscape I’m Every Woman: Remixed Stories of Marriage, Motherhood, and Work (Lonnae O’Neal) “Ain’t I A Mommy” (Deesha Philyaw) Love, Rita (Bridgett M. Davis; release date March 2025) That’s How They Get You (Anthology Edited by Damon Young; release date June 2025) Damon Young Hanif Abdurraqib Mahogany L. Browne Wyatt Cenac Kiese Laymon Roy Wood Jr. Nicola Yoon You’ve Got A Place Here, Too (Anthology Edited by Ebony LaDelle; release date August 2025) Ebony LaDelle Elizabeth Acevedo Kai Harris Kennedy Ryan The Norton Introduction to Literature: Fifteenth Edition (Edited by Kelly J. Mays) “How To Make Love To A Physicist” (Deesha Philyaw; Barrelhouse) “Girl” (Jamaica Kincaid, The New Yorker, 1978) Bruce Holsinger Luis Alberto Urrea Alice LaPlante Judy Blume Brit Bennett Newsletters: SubMakk (Rebecca Makkai) Welcome to Writing, Wandering, Wondering (Deesha Philyaw) Yours, Inigo (Inigo Laguda) The Way Home (Yona Harvey) Naked Acts of Love (Bridgett M. Davis) The Querent (Alexander Chee) 52 Curate (Imani Perry) Witness (Robert Jones Jr.) The Audacity (Roxane Gay) Sinister Malefactor of Panglossian Expectations (Jane Friedman) Thot Pudding (Sarah Thankam Mathews) Channeling (J Wortham) Watch List: Shrinking Somebody, Somewhere Schitt’s Creek Severance Bookie More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
January 15, 2025
Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton interview Destiny O. Birdsong about navigating censorship in storytelling, respect from editors, and the intersections of religion and queerness in literature.
Unknown author
NPR
Traci Thomas
Longform
Zach Stafford, Saeed Jones, Sam Sanders
This American Life
WNYC Studios
NPR
NPR
The New York Times
WNYC Studios and The New Yorker
City Arts & Lectures
WNYC Studios and The New Yorker
David Naimon, Tin House Books
Symphony Space
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