The Potter’s House is thrilled to partner with 1455 Literary Arts for a special conversation with Deesha Philyaw, who will read from the National Book Award Finalist The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Deesha Philyaw’s debut short story collection, THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES focuses on Black women, sex, and the Black church. Deesha is also the co-author of Co-Parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households After Divorce, written in collaboration with her ex-husband. Her work has been listed as Notable in the Best American Essays series, and her writing on race, parenting, gender, and culture has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney’s, The Rumpus, Brevity, dead housekeeping, Apogee Journal, Catapult, Harvard Review, ESPN’s The Undefeated, The Baltimore Review, TueNight, Ebony and Bitch magazines, and various anthologies. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow and a past Pushcart Prize nominee for essay writing in Full Grown People.

1455’s Founding Director Sean Murphy and the author will discuss the process of writing this book and the contemporary literary scene, followed by a Q&A. The event will be streamed live to The Potter’s House Facebook Page, and audience questions are encouraged. If you would like to submit your question ahead of time, email sean@1455litarts.org.

Purchase The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

Learn more about Deesha at deeshaphilyaw.com