Deesha Philyaw (Author of The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman) | Ep. 237

Author Deesha Philyaw joins Sarah to discuss her debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Deesha first started writing this book more than 20 years ago, before her short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, became a National Book Award finalist. She shares the journey of bringing this novel to life, the women who inspired its characters, and how the story (and its author) evolved along the way. Plus, Deesha shares her top book recommendations!
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Highlights
Books by Deesha Philyaw: The Secret Lives of Church Ladies and The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman
What it means to be a "First Lady" in Black churches — and how that role figures into the novel.
How Deesha's own experiences as a church lady more than 20 years ago first inspired the story.
Why she put the novel aside to publish The Secret Lives of Church Ladies — and what that experience taught her.
How the novel changed between its earliest version and the finished book.
Sarah and Deesha talk about the importance of a great opening line — and when those first sentences come together in Deesha's writing process.
Plus, a bit about her upcoming work!
Deesha's Book Recommendations
Two OLD Books She Loves
Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether (1970) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [35:14]
The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2015) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [36:16]
Two NEW Books She Loves
The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams (Jan 27) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [37:51]
Desperate Bodies by Lydia Mathis (Sep 15) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:17]
Other Books Mentioned
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016) [38:52]
The Love Songs of W. E. B. Du Bois by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers (2021) [38:53]
Two Books She DIDN'T Love
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1951) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[40:13]
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1952) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:31]
Other Books Mentioned
Black Boy by Richard Wright (1945) [41:23]
Native Son by Richard Wright (1940) [41:24]
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966) [42:13]
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926) [42:52]
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale by Herman Melville (1851) [43:07]
One NEW RELEASE She's Excited About
These Girls Out Here by Dawnie Walton (June 15, 2027) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [44:50]
Other Books Mentioned
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton (2021) [45:35]
About Deesha Philyaw
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Deesha Philyaw is the author of the debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.
Next Episode
Coming October 28: Gayle Weiswasser, co-owner of Wonderland Books, returns to catch up with Sarah and talk about what she's learned after two years of owning an indie bookstore.