Ursa Short Fiction

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Arts
**Ursa Short Fiction**

We love short stories. Join authors Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) and Dawnie Walton (The Final Revival of Opal & Nev) for author interviews, book club discussions, and immersive short stories. We celebrate storytelling from some of today’s most thrilling writers, with an emphasis on spotlighting underrepresented voices. (Photo credits: Vanessa German / Rayon Richards)
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Latest Episodes:

Season 3 Sneak Preview! Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

We're back! Dawnie Walton and Deesha Philyaw give us a special sneak preview of what's in store for Season Three.

Show notes:

Support this season with a membership or one-time contribution, and get access to bonus episodes: ursastory.com/join
Follow our other show, Reckon True Stories with Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon.
Read more about Dawnie Walton's next novel!
Contact us via email: hello@ursastory.com

Produced by: Dawnie Walton, Deesha Philyaw, and Mark Armstrong

Associate Producer: Marina Leigh

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Ursa Presents: Reckon True Stories, with Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon Jul 09, 2024

Show notes

Dawnie Walton and Deesha Philyaw introduce us to Reckon True Stories, a brand new podcast hosted by Deesha and acclaimed author Kiese Laymon, dedicated to all things nonfiction.

Listen, then follow the show in your favorite podcast so you don't miss an episode: https://link.chtbl.com/truestories

Guests for Season One include writers Roxane Gay, Imani Perry, Alexander Chee, Minda Honey, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Samantha Irby. Produced in partnership with Reckon.

We'll also have more episodes of Ursa Short Fiction coming this fall! Sign up for email updates: https://ursastory.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Shows We Love: Black & Published Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

While we put the final touches on Season Three, we wanted to share an episode from another podcast that we think you’ll love: Black & Published, hosted by Nikesha Elise Williams.

On today’s episode, Nikesha’s guest is Dolen Perkins-Valdez, author of the historical fiction novel TAKE MY HAND. It's a story based on the real-life Relf sisters of Montgomery, Alabama, who were forcibly sterilized by the workers of a federal family planning clinic in 1973.

Subscribe to listen to more episodes from the latest season of Black & Published:

https://blackpublished.buzzsprout.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

That's a Wrap on Season Two! A Special Message from Deesha and Dawnie Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Thanks to our guests, contributors, and listeners for a wonderful second season!

Help us fund Season Three of Ursa Short Fiction by becoming an Ursa Member:

https://ursastory.com/join/

You can also make a one-time contribution to help fund future episodes.

We’ll be back very soon — get email updates by signing up for our newsletter: https://ursastory.com/newsletter/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

What Denne Michele Norris Learned as a Writer and Editor Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Deesha and Dawnie chat with Denne Michele Norris, editor-in-chief of Electric Literature and author of the forthcoming debut novel, When The Harvest Comes (Random House). She is also the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication.

Norris discusses her approaches to both writing and editing, sharing insights for writers on working with editors. She also talks about the ways different genres — from fiction to essay to memoir — all require their own approaches. Norris asks questions of herself and of the work, aiming to edit “ethically and responsibly and [tell] a beautiful story.”

Support our show by becoming an Ursa Member: ursastory.com/join

Reading List: Stories and Writers Mentioned

Denne Michele Norris
McSweeney's 62: The Queer Fiction Issue
Food 4 Thot Podcast
"An Almanac of Bones" (Dantiel W. Moniz)
The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
Everyday People: The Color of Life Anthology (edited by Jennifer Baker)
"Daddy's Boy" (Denne Michele Norris)
Jade Jones
Going To Meet The Man (James Baldwin)
Friday Black (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah)
Milk Blood Heat (Dantiel W. Moniz)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
What It Means When A Man Falls From The Sky (Lesley Nneka Arimah)
Difficult Women (Roxane Gay)

About the Author

Denne Michele Norris is the editor-in-chief of Electric Literature, winner of the 2022 Whiting Digital Literary Magazine Prize, where she is the first Black, openly trans woman to helm a major literary publication. A 2021 Out100 Honoree, her writing has been supported by MacDowell, Tin House, VCCA, and the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction, and appears in McSweeney's, American Short Fiction, and ZORA. She co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast Food 4 Thot, and mentors emerging writers of color with The Periplus Collective. Her debut novel, When The Harvest Comes, is forthcoming from Random House.

More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies(Deesha Philyaw)
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)

***

Associate producer: Marina Leigh

Episode editor: Kelly Araja

Executive producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong

Author photo: Hilary Leichter

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

[Free teaser] Member Exclusive: Deesha’s 7-Figure Book Deal, Listener Questions Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

This week we’re excited to share a very special episode of Ursa Short Fiction — a Member Exclusive where Dawnie Walton chats with Deesha Philyaw about this week’s big news: Deesha has just signed a seven-figure book deal with Mariner Books for a new novel, THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF FIRST LADY FREEMAN, and short story collection, GIRL, LOOK. The novel is due out in 2025.

Enjoy this free teaser from our Member Exclusive episode. To access the full episode, become an Ursa Member: ursastory.com/join.

Links

Author Deesha Philyaw has a 7-figure deal for her next two books (Associated Press)
“Back Then” (Mike Jones)
Peach Pit: Sixteen Stories of Unsavory Women (anthology edited by Molly Llewellyn and Kristel Buckley)
Mariner Books
Rakia Clark
Punch Me Up to the Gods (Brian Broome)

More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies(Deesha Philyaw)
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)

Produced & edited by Mark Armstrong

Associate producer: Marina Leigh

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Story: ‘What Got Into Us,’ by Jacob Guajardo Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Deesha and Dawnie introduce “What Got Into Us,” a short story by Jacob Guajardo, performed by Vicki Valdeon.

The story is a candid look into queer adolescence, first loves, recklessness, and unbridled vulnerability. It was originally published in Passages North, and featured in The Best American Short Stories 2018.

Listen to the story, then stay tuned at the end for Guajardo in his own words, sharing how the story came together, and how he approaches the writing process.

Support our show and help fund future episodes: https://ursastory.com/join/

Reading List: Stories and Writers Mentioned

The Best American Short Stories 2018 (edited by Roxane Gay)
“I Only Did What Anyone Would Have Done” (Jacob Guajardo)
“Moonmilk” (Jacob Guajardo)
“Widowers” (Jacob Guajardo)
“Good News Is Coming” (Jacob Guajardo)
“The Seminar” (Jacob Guajardo)
“Two Queens Walk Out Of A Bar” (Jacob Guajardo)
Amy Hempel
Ocean Vuong
Garth Greenwell

About the Author

Jacob Guajardo lives and writes in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His fiction appears in The Best American Short Stories 2018 and Small Odysseys: Selected Shorts Presents 35 New Stories, among other publications. He is the recipient of the 2020 Robert Maxwell Fellowship from MacDowell. He works from home as a Narrative Designer.

More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies(Deesha Philyaw)
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton)

***

Performed by Vicki Valdeon

Associate producers: Marina Leigh, Ashawnta Jackson

Executive producers: Dawnie Walton & Mark Armstrong

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Rubén Degollado on Writing a Family Story, 25 Years in the Making Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton go in-depth with Rubén Degollado, author of the novel The Family Izquierdo, which started out as a short story collection about a single family.

Degollado's story “The Seven Songs” was featured on last week’s episode, and he discusses his journey to writing and publishing the book, as well as how he navigated his writing journey alongside his career as an educator. He first started writing the Izquierdo family stories in the late '90s, eventually developing the family curse and tensions, and playing with point of view to inhabit the lives of the many family members.

Support Ursa Short Fiction! Become a Member: https://ursastory.com/join/

Degollado aims to represent his own family, experiences, and community through The Family Izquierdo, and he quotes Toni Morrison, who said “if there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.”

“A lot of the stories I read were about immigrants, and I think those are great stories. I love immigrant stories, but that’s not what I wanted to write. I wanted to write about what happens after. What happens post immigration.”

If you haven't already, be sure to listen to last week's episode featuring Degollado's story, “The Seven Songs.”

Reading List

"The Seven Songs" by Rubén Degollado (Ursa Short Fiction, Season Two, Episode 15)
The Family Izquierdo (W. W. Norton)
The Family Izquierdo audiobook (Blackstone Publishing / Downpour.com)
The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
Throw (Rubén Degollado)
"A Temporary Matter" (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere (ZZ Packer)
Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
Sabrina & Corina: Stories (Kali Fajardo-Anstine)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies (Deesha Philyaw)
The World Doesn't Require You (Rion Amilcar Scott)
Brownsville (Oscar Casares)
Maurice Carlos Ruffin

About the Author

Rubén Degollado’s work has recently appeared in Literary Hub, CRAFT, The Common, and elsewhere. His novel Throw won the Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult book for 2020. His debut literary novel The Family Izquierdo is a long list title for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award. Rubén lives and writes along the southern border, in the Río Grande Valley of Texas.

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Story: ‘The Seven Songs,’ by Rubén Degollado Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

This week we're thrilled to feature “The Seven Songs,” by Rubén Degollado, from his novel, The Family Izquierdo.

The story is performed by Carolina Hoyos and is excerpted from The Family Izquierdo audiobook, produced by Blackstone Publishing. Our thanks to them for sharing this story with Ursa listeners.

In “The Seven Songs,” Dina, the daughter of Izquierdo family patriarch Octavio, tells her daughters about her encounter with a neighbor, Contreras, who put a curse on the Izquierdo family.

Dina notes the strength, not just of God, but of all the women in the family, in myths, and in music that guide and encourage her to face the enemy. The Family Izquierdo follows what binds the generations together in the family — the love as well as the curse — and in “The Seven Songs” Dina seeks out Contreras to free her family and herself from the family curse.

“No, I did not go to church, mis hijas. I had to go into the enemy’s camp. The place of evil and idolatry. Of greed and charlatans. That den of vipers where I knew I would find the brujo contreras. We went to the flea market.”

Listen to the story, then come back next week for Deesha and Dawnie's conversation with Rubén Degollado.

Support our work by becoming an Ursa Member: https://ursastory.com/join/

Reading List

The Family Izquierdo (Rubén Degollado)
The Family Izquierdo audiobook (Downpour.com)
Throw (Rubén Degollado)
More Rubén Degollado short stories

About the Author

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

Audio excerpted courtesy Blackstone Publishing from THE FAMILY IZQUIERDO by Rubén Degollado, excerpt read by Carolina Hoyos.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://ursastory.com/join

Nafissa Thompson-Spires on the Making of ‘Heads of the Colored People’ Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton go deep with Nafissa Thompson-Spires, author of the beloved 2018 collection Heads of the Colored People, to discuss Heads’ origin, the texts and other media that influenced Thompson-Spires, inspirations for her stories and characters in the collection, and their shared love for the Notes app.

Thompson-Spires is candid about her upbringing in California and her own family, and how those experiences have shaped her work in terms of characters, autobiographical-leaning-but-fictionalized events, and even her ideas of place and the ways that racism persists in different ways in different parts of the country.

Support this show by becoming an Ursa Member: https://ursastory.com/join/

Reading List: Authors, Stories, and Books Mentioned

Heads of the Colored People (Nafissa Thompson-Spires)
Mat Johnson
The Guardian Interview with Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Mark Anthony Neal
Victor LaValle
Paul Beatty
Shirley Jackson
Flannery O'Connor
George Schuyler
Ishmael Reed
James McCune Smith
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Solmaz Sharif
Sandeep Parmar
Charles Dickens
Hacks
Reservation Dogs
Lot(Bryan Washington)
Milk Blood Heat (Dantiel W. Moniz)
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies(Deesha Philyaw)
Seeking Fortune Elsewhere (Sindya Bhanoo)
Mary Tyler Moore Theme Song
'Alright' (Kendrick Lamar)
Denne Michele Norris

About the Author

Nafissa Thompson-Spires wrote Heads of the Colored People, which won the PEN Open Book Award, the Hurston/Wright Award for Fiction, and the Los Angeles Times’s Art Siedenbaum Award for First Fiction. Her collection was longlisted for the National Book Award, the PEN/ Robert W. Bingham Award, and several other prizes. She also won a 2019 Whiting Award.

She earned a PhD in English from Vanderbilt University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. Her work has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, The Cut, The Root, Ploughshares, 400 Souls, and The 1619 Project, among other publications. New writing is forthcoming in Fourteen Days, edited by Margaret Atwood.

She’s currently the Richards Family Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Cornell University.

More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton: