Dear friends,
This week we have a new Member Bonus episode of Ursa Short Fiction for you: Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton talk about what they’re reading, writing, watching, and where we’re looking for joy and community. What books and anthologies should we be on the lookout for in 2025? What newsletters should we be following? Plus: Bonus writing prompts!
If you’re already an Ursa Member, you can access the full podcast episode in your Member Account, or in Apple Podcasts if you subscribed there.
If you’re not yet a Member, please enjoy this free teaser from the episode, or become a member at ursastory.com/join.
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 & Published podcast (Nikesha Elise Williams)
- 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
More from Deesha & Dawnie
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)
Show Credits
Produced by Ursa Story Company
Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton
Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong
Associate Producers: Marina Leigh
Episode Editor: Kelly Araja
Thank you for your support!
As always, Ursa Short Fiction is produced with support from you, our listeners. Join us today with a one-time contribution or yearly membership. You’ll get ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes like today’s episode:
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About Ursa Story Company
We make podcasts that celebrate great storytelling. Follow Ursa Short Fiction and Reckon True Stories in your favorite podcast app. Get email updates at ursastory.com, or follow us on Instagram: @ursastory. If you’d like to work with us, get in touch: hello@ursastory.com.