Hi friends,
When we first started Ursa Story Company, we weren’t exactly sure how it might take shape. But there was a guiding philosophy to the work we wanted to do.
We came up with the name URSA* because it was Latin for “bear,” which was short for “bear witness.”
That’s what storytelling can do. It connects us in ways that preserve our humanity. Art and storytelling remind us that we are not alone.
It’s more important than ever that we find community through storytelling. We intend to keep doing that with you. Thank you for being a part of it.
— Dawnie, Deesha, and Mark
*As a wonderful bonus, we then discovered the character Ursa in Gayl Jones’s novel, Corregidora.
‘Telling Stories’: A New Ursa Original Audio Production
Season Three of Ursa Short Fiction continues this week with Deesha and Dawnie introducing “Telling Stories,” written by T.E. Wilderson, and performed by Jordan Cobb. The story was published in The Account magazine in 2021.
Eighth grader P’Mona is sarcastic, witty — and a pathological liar. Taking place over the course of a day, the story follows P’Mona attempting to simultaneously navigate the world and cope with a difficult home life.
Be sure to stick around at the end of the story to hear from T.E. Wilderson in her own words, discussing the themes of the story, her advice to writers, and her inspirations for “Telling Stories” and the character of P’Mona.
T.E. Wilderson’s advice to writers
“I also teach fiction, short fiction especially, and I always share this with my students, and it’s a quote by Robert Hass: Take the time to write. You can do your life’s work in half an hour a day, and that’s something I want to instill in all of my writers … even if you do it in five-minute increments, you can find six times out of your day to write for five minutes. Even if it’s just notes about your story or your novel. I just think that’s kind of my life model, that you can do your life’s work in half an hour a day. That’s what I’d like people to internalize and take to heart and try and do.”
How You Can Support Our Work
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 this season:
Reading List
- “Telling Stories” (The Account magazine)
- T.E. Wilderson Publications
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
Story performed by Jordan Cobb
Author interview by Marina Leigh
Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong
Associate Producers: Marina Leigh & Ashawnta Jackson
Episode Editor: Kelly Araja
About the Author
T. E. Wilderson is a New Orleans-born, African American writer, editor, and teaching artist currently living in the Midwest. Her short stories have appeared in F(r)iction, Notre Dame Review, Roanoke Review, Crack the Spine Anthology XVII, The Louisville Review, The Tishman Review, Still: The Journal, Cobalt Weekly, The Account: A Journal of Prose, Poetry, and Thought, and Coolest American Stories 2023, among others. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is a 2019 McKnight Foundation Writing Fellow.
About the Narrator
Jordan Cobb is a New York City-based writer and actress, with a focus on live stage and voiceover. Her work spans genre and format, from fiction podcasts such as Bloody Disgusting’s Dead Space: Deep Cover and No Such Thing Production’s Primordial Deep, to bestselling audiobooks like Kalynn Bayron’s This Poison Heart and Tigest Girma’s Immortal Dark. For more information, visit jordanvcobb.com.
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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.