Hi friends,
This week on Ursa Short Fiction, we have another Member Exclusive episode: Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton introduce a new recurring feature, First Chapters, where they break down a memorable first chapter from a novel. And we start with a book very close to our hearts — Dawnie’s debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. Dawnie talks about her journey to becoming a writer, as well as the process of this story coming to fruition. She also reads a passage from the opening chapter and shares a playlist of music that inspired the novel (see our Listening List below).
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.
Dawnie Walton: “I had spent so many years along the straight and narrow and diligently climbing up that ladder, that I had never really given myself a chance to do the things that I really, truly, in my heart, dreamed about. And so it was a really empowering moment. I mean, I will say that I’m not an impetuous person, so I had some money saved in the bank account, and I was like, okay, I’m gonna do this, but I have this safety net to fall back on, and I have all these safeguards, but let me at least try so that I don’t have this regret that I didn’t. And just one thing led to another. I ended up going to grad school, moved to Iowa from New York City, lived there for two years, and made it a mission to finish writing this book during that time. And I did, and here we are.”
Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)
- Moonrise Over New Jessup (Jamila Minnicks)
- James Baldwin
- Daisy Jones & The Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
Listening List
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev: Audiobook (Dawnie Walton)
- Spotify Playlist: Music inspired by The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, curated by Dawnie Walton
- Grace Jones
- David Bowie
Watch List
More from Deesha
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
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
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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.