Episodios

  • Story: ‘Bitch Baby,’ by Halle Hill

    Story: ‘Bitch Baby,’ by Halle Hill
    Mar 5 2025
    Ursa Short Fiction is proud to present an original audio production of “Bitch Baby,” written by Halle Hill, from her debut collection, Good Women, and performed by Nytia Nikole. “Bitch Baby” is about two siblings, Celine and Reggie, in the aftermath of Reggie being beaten by police. This story is dazzling, messy, heart-wrenching, and beautiful. Hill tackles themes of racial tensions, queerness, religion, and family. Stick around at the end for Halle Hill, in her own words, discussing her writing journey. Support our work by becoming a member in Apple Podcasts, or at ursastory.com/join. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned “Bitch Baby” (Halle Hill, Oxford American, 2020) Good Women (Halle Hill, Hub City Press, 2023) “On paying attention to what works best for you: conversation with Kimberly King Parsons” (The Creative Independent, 2024) More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Story performed by Nytia Nikole Interview by Marina Leigh Ursa Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja About the Author Halle Hill is the author of Good Women (Hub City Press), which was named a 2023 Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, O Magazine, Electric Literature, Book Riot and Southwest Review. A finalist for the 2023 Weatherford Award for Appalachian writing, she is the winner of the 2020 Crystal Wilkinson Creative Writing Prize and the 2020 Oxford American Debut Fiction Prize. Her short stories have been translated into French and published in journals including Joyland, New Limestone Review, Atlanta Magazine, Ursa Short Fiction and The Oxford American, among others. A born and raised East Tennessean, she currently lives, works and teaches in North Carolina. About the Narrator Nytia Nikole comes from the culturally rich city of Boston. She’s an award-winning actress and director, an accomplished filmmaker, writer, and producer. She is best known for her lead role in Taboo 3, and supporting roles in Fractured, Fixation 2, Dexter Jackson's Guide to Dating, several other films as well as multiple tv roles to include Fatal Attraction, Murder Chose Me, and ATL Homicide, and Personal Injury Court to name a few. Nytia has experience in film, theatre, and voiceover performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    30 m
  • [Free Teaser] Member Bonus: What Deesha and Dawnie Are Reading Right Now

    [Free Teaser] Member Bonus: What Deesha and Dawnie Are Reading Right Now
    Feb 13 2025
    In this Member Bonus episode, Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton talk about what they’re reading, writing, watching, and what they’re celebrating. What books and anthologies should we be on the lookout for in 2025? What newsletters should we be following? Plus: Bonus writing prompts! Enjoy this free teaser, and become an Ursa Member in Apple Podcasts or at ursastory.com/join to get the full episode. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned James (Percival Everett) Colored Television (Danzy Senna) Caucasia (Danzy Senna) The Seven Daughters of Dupree (Nikesha Elise Williams; release date January 2026) Black Cake (Charmaine Wilkerson) Good Dirt (Charmaine Wilkerson) Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi) Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston) Mateo Askaripour Little Movements (Lauren Morrow; release date September 2025) Bibb Country: Unearthing My Family Secrets of Land, Legacy, and Lettuce (Lonnae O’Neal; release date June 2025) Lonnae O’Neal in Andscape I’m Every Woman: Remixed Stories of Marriage, Motherhood, and Work (Lonnae O’Neal) “Ain’t I A Mommy” (Deesha Philyaw) Love, Rita (Bridgett M. Davis; release date March 2025) That’s How They Get You (Anthology Edited by Damon Young; release date June 2025) Damon Young Hanif Abdurraqib Mahogany L. Browne Wyatt Cenac Kiese Laymon Roy Wood Jr. Nicola Yoon You’ve Got A Place Here, Too (Anthology Edited by Ebony LaDelle; release date August 2025) Ebony LaDelle Elizabeth Acevedo Kai Harris Kennedy Ryan The Norton Introduction to Literature: Fifteenth Edition (Edited by Kelly J. Mays) “How To Make Love To A Physicist” (Deesha Philyaw; Barrelhouse) “Girl” (Jamaica Kincaid, The New Yorker, 1978) Bruce Holsinger Luis Alberto Urrea Alice LaPlante Judy Blume Brit Bennett Newsletters: SubMakk (Rebecca Makkai) Welcome to Writing, Wandering, Wondering (Deesha Philyaw) Yours, Inigo (Inigo Laguda) The Way Home (Yona Harvey) Naked Acts of Love (Bridgett M. Davis) The Querent (Alexander Chee) 52 Curate (Imani Perry) Witness (Robert Jones Jr.) The Audacity (Roxane Gay) Sinister Malefactor of Panglossian Expectations (Jane Friedman) Thot Pudding (Sarah Thankam Mathews) Channeling (J Wortham) Watch List: Shrinking Somebody, Somewhere Schitt’s Creek Severance Bookie More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    22 m
  • Destiny O. Birdsong on Navigating Censorship in Storytelling

    Destiny O. Birdsong on Navigating Censorship in Storytelling
    Jan 15 2025
    Deesha and Dawnie talk with Destiny O. Birdsong, author of the poetry collection Negotiations and the novel Nobody’s Magic. Last year, Birdsong published a short story, “The Jump,” only to have it pulled from publication less than a day later over disagreements with the editors. The story eventually found a new home at Roxane Gay’s newsletter, The Audacity. Birdsong talks about navigating censorship and what happens when writers and editors don’t see eye to eye, and they highlight the necessity of respect and support from editors and keeping the integrity of your work when finding a home for it. Birdsong also talks about the intersections of religion and queerness, the representation of queer sex and sex work in literature, and how she follows instinct when approaching her work. Support our show by becoming an Ursa Member: ursastory.com/join Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned Negotiations: Poems (Destiny O. Birdsong) Nobody’s Magic (Destiny O. Birdsong) “The Jump” (Destiny O. Birdsong, The Audacity 2024) Rick Hillis Roxane Gay Toi Derricotte “The Woman Shaping a Generation of Black Thought” (J Wortham,The New York Times, 2023) Watch List: Cross 48 Hours Insecure More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) 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 About the Author Destiny O. Birdsong is the author of the poetry collection Negotiations (Tin House Books, 2020) and the triptych novel Nobody’s Magic (Grand Central, 2022), which was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, was a finalist for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and won the 2022 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. She has served as a Writer-in-Residence for the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the University of Tennessee and is a contributing editor of Poets & Writers magazine. She is currently at work on a second novel and a collection of short stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    1 h y 8 m
  • [Free Teaser] First Chapters: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton

    [Free Teaser] First Chapters: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton
    Dec 18 2024
    An Ursa Member Bonus! In a new recurring feature we call First Chapters, Dawnie and Deesha dig into the memorable opening chapter of Dawnie’s debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. Dawnie talks about her journey to becoming a writer, as well as the process of this story coming to fruition. To listen to the full episode, become an Ursa Member in Apple Podcasts or at ursastory.com/join. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Moonrise Over New Jessup (Jamila Minnicks) James Baldwin Daisy Jones & The Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) Listening List: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev: Audiobook (Dawnie Walton) Grace Jones David Bowie Watch List: Almost Famous (2000) Summer of Soul (2021) Wattstax (1973) More from Deesha: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    15 m
  • Story: ‘Snow Bath Season,’ by Stacie Denetsosie

    Story: ‘Snow Bath Season,’ by Stacie Denetsosie
    Dec 11 2024
    Deesha and Dawnie introduce an Ursa original production of “Snow Bath Season,” a short story written by Stacie Denetsosie, and performed by Nasheen Sleuth. This story is about Diana, a young Navajo woman whose late mother is communicating with her via an Amazon Alexa device. Denetsosie juxtaposes modern technology with Navajo tradition in compelling ways, while also writing into grief, love, and mother-daughter relationships through humor and bizarre circumstances. “Snow Bath Season” is from Denetsosie’s debut collection, The Missing Morningstar, published by Torrey House Press. Stay tuned after the story to hear from Stacie Denetsosie herself. Support our work at Ursa with a one-time contribution: ursastory.com/join Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned The Missing Morningstar: And Other Stories (Stacie Shannon Denetsosie, Torrey House Press, 2023) Crooked Hallelujah (Kelli Jo Ford) “I Give You Back” (Joy Harjo) Woman of Light (Kali Fajardo-Anstine) Julia Alvarez More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton “Snow Bath Season” written by Stacie Denetsosie Performed by Nasheen Sleuth Interview by Marina Leigh Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producers: Marina Leigh & Ashawnta Jackson Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Special thanks to Cleyvis Natera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    33 m
  • [Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: Ask the Agents! PJ Mark and Danielle Chiotti on Getting Published

    [Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: Ask the Agents! PJ Mark and Danielle Chiotti on Getting Published
    Dec 4 2024
    Deesha and Dawnie sit down with their own agents, Danielle Chiotti and PJ Mark, to chat about the publishing industry. What does it mean to be a white agent representing authors of color? What are the gold standards for blurbing? Where are the best places to find an agent and what are some common red flags with scammy “agents”? They discuss the significance of the agent-author connection, the questions that an author should ask of a potential agent, as well as what makes an agent say “hell yes” to a pitched book. To hear the full episode, become an Ursa Member in Apple Podcasts or at ursastory.com/join. Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned Brian Broome Nicole D. Collier Tyriek White Joseph Earl Thomas Eileen Myles In West Mills (De’Shawn Charles Winslow) Decent People (De’Shawn Charles Winslow) Co-Parenting 101 (Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas) The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You (Maurice Carlos Ruffin) More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    23 m
  • Rion Amilcar Scott: ‘It Has to Be Fun, It Has to Be Funky’

    Rion Amilcar Scott: ‘It Has to Be Fun, It Has to Be Funky’
    Nov 27 2024
    Deesha and Dawnie chat with Rion Amilcar Scott, sharing stories, craft advice, 90’s hip-hop references, and how experience as parents, as teachers, and as lovers of music can inform the writing process. They discuss their reactions to elements of their work playing out in real life, and call for not forgetting the joys and humor of the Black experience that coincides with the tragedies. Rion talks about his generative and drafting process—his beginnings and endings, the structure and limitations of flash and short fiction, the revision process, and his playfulness and improvisation as an approach to the work. Support our show by becoming an Ursa Member: ursastory.com/join Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned The World Doesn’t Require You (Rion Amilcar Scott) Insurrections (Rion Amilcar Scott) August Wilson “The N****r Knockers” (Rion Amilcar Scott, Tyrant Books, 2017) “Percy And The Fire Plums” (Rion Amilcar Scott, McSweeney’s 64: The Audio Issue) Heavy (Kiese Laymon) The Sellout (Paul Beatty) Percival Everett Mark Twain Heads of the Colored People (Nafissa Thompson-Spires) Walking on Cowrie Shells (Nana Nkweti) “David Sherman, The Last Son of God” (Rion Amilcar Scott, Midnight Breakfast, Issue 8) Eugenia Tsutsumi Rising of a Legend (Review by Jessica Sequeira, berfrois, 2016) “Special Topics in Loneliness Studies” (Story from The World Doesn’t Require You by Rion Amilcar Scott) “A Loudness of Screechers” (Rion Amilcar Scott, Barrelhouse) Edward P. Jones Ernest Hemingway “Klan” (Story from Insurrections by Rion Amilcar Scott) Poets and Writers To Sir, With Love (E.R. Braithwaite) Between The World And Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates) Night of the Living Rez (Morgan Talty) Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest (Hanif Abdurraqib) Mitchell S. Jackson The Invisible Man (H.G. Wells) The Women of Brewster Place (Gloria Naylor) Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson) Miguel Street (V.S. Naipaul) Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (ZZ Packer) Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self (Danielle Evans) Sula (Toni Morrison) Listening List: “Foe Life” (Mack 10) Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (Outkast) “One More Chance” (The Notorious B.I.G.) “Triumph” (Wu-Tang Clan ft. Cappadonna; special shoutout to Inspectah Deck’s opening verse) “The End” (The Doors) “Riders on the Storm” (The Doors) “Winter Warz” (Wu-Tang Clan; special shoutout to Cappadonna’s verse) A Tribe Called Quest “Straight Outta Compton” (N.W.A.) Rakim GZA Chuck D Andre 3000 “Name Callin’ Pt. 1” (Queen Latifah) “Talk to Me” (Foxy Brown) E-40 Kendrick Lamar Books Are Pop Culture (Reggie Bailey and Akili Nzuri) More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Executive Producers: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Author Bio: Rion Amilcar Scott is the author of the story collections The World Doesn’t Require You and Insurrections, which was awarded the 2017 PEN/Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction and the 2017 Hillsdale Award from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland, College Park. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Kenyon Review, and Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2020, among other publications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    57 m
  • [Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: 'Sonny's Blues,' by James Baldwin

    [Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: 'Sonny's Blues,' by James Baldwin
    Nov 20 2024
    In this special Member Exclusive episode, 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. Deesha Philyaw: “James Baldwin is the writer that made me want to be a writer.” To get access to the full episode, become an Ursa Member: ursastory.com/join Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned “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: Charlie Parker More from Deesha and Dawnie: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw) The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton) Produced by Ursa Story Company Hosted by Deesha Philyaw & Dawnie Walton Executive Producers: Deesha Philyaw, Dawnie Walton, and Mark Armstrong Associate Producer: Marina Leigh Episode Editor: Kelly Araja Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join
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    17 m
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