Deesha Philyaw

Deesha Philyaw is an American author whose debut short story collection won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction, establishing her as one of the most important new voices in American literature. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a collection of stories about Black women navigating desire, faith, family, and identity in the context of the Black church. Philyaw writes about sexuality, devotion, shame, and liberation with extraordinary tenderness and unflinching honesty, creating characters who live fully in the space between what they're taught and what they feel. The audiobook and book versions offer listeners and readers a stunning, essential collection. Philyaw's work appeals to readers who appreciate literary short fiction at its finest and anyone interested in stories about women claiming their full humanity in the face of institutional and cultural pressure.