Hello friends!
We are so excited to be back for Season Two of the Ursa Short Fiction podcast—starting with a special 20th anniversary celebration of ZZ Packer’s iconic short story collection, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere.
This season, we have more stories, more conversations—and our show is now 100% independent, supported by you, our listeners. Our deepest thanks to everyone who has supported us and encouraged us as we’ve worked to build this into a wonderful new home for storytelling.
So let’s get on with it! Season Two, Episode 1 is our conversation with the brilliant ZZ Packer. We hope you enjoy it. You can listen in your favorite podcast app.
-Dawnie, Deesha, and Mark
p.s. If you’d like to sponsor our show this season, we’d love to give you (or your business) a shout-out on the show! Drop a note to mark@ursastory.com to learn more.
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Season Two, Episode 1: ZZ Packer
In our Season Two premiere, co-hosts Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton talk with the beloved ZZ Packer, author of Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, a collection first published in 2003 that went on to inspire countless writers. Packer talks about how she found her voice, style, and authenticity as a young, Black, female writer who hadn’t even planned on becoming a writer. She addresses ideas of navigating both physical and figurative spaces and learning how to find a place in the literary world.
Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned
- Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (ZZ Packer)
- Zora Neale Hurston
- Toni Morrison
- Flannery O’Connor
- James Alan McPherson (Elbow Room and Hue and Cry)
- Lorrie Moore
- Stuart Dybek
- Percival Everett
- James Baldwin
- Anton Chekhov
- Edward P. Jones (Lost in the City and The Known World)
- Alice Munro
- Imani Perry
- Bryan Stevenson (Just Mercy)
- Edwidge Danticat
Read more from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:
- The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
- The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)
Episode editor: Kelly Araja
Associate producer: Marina Leigh
Producer: Mark Armstrong
Ursa Short Fiction is supported by our listeners. Share this podcast with a friend—or become a Member to help fund production: