Hi friends,
This week on the Ursa Short Fiction podcast, we’re proud to share a special exclusive episode for Ursa Members: Deesha and Dawnie kick off a recurring feature we call Iconic Stories — starting with James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues,’ first published in 1957 in the Partisan Review.
They discuss the prevalent themes of family and brotherhood, loss, drug addiction, and music, as well as the broader social and political contexts of Baldwin’s fiction and nonfiction.
As Deesha notes: “James Baldwin is the writer that made me want to be a writer.”
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If you’re already an Ursa Member, you can access the full podcast episode in your Member Account.
If you’re not yet a Member, please enjoy this free teaser from the episode, or become a member at ursastory.com/join.
Thanks again for listening!
— Deesha, Dawnie, and Mark
Reading List
- “Sonny’s Blues” (James Baldwin)
- Going To Meet The Man (James Baldwin)
- Daddy Was A Number Runner (Louise Meriwether)
- Go Tell It On The Mountain (James Baldwin)
- If Beale Street Could Talk (James Baldwin)
- Between The World And Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
- The Fire Next Time (James Baldwin)
- “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (Joyce Carol Oates)
- Toni Morrison
- His Name Is George Floyd (Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa
Listening List
More from Deesha and 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 Producer: 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:
Photo credit: Allan Warren, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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.