Ursa Short Fiction

Ursa Story Company
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Ursa Short Fiction

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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

  1. MAR 5

    Story: ‘Bitch Baby,’ by Halle Hill

    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

    30 min

  2. FEB 13

    [Free Teaser] Member Bonus: What Deesha and Dawnie Are Reading Right Now

    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

    22 min

  3. FEB 13 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Member Bonus: What Deesha and Dawnie Are Reading Right Now

    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! 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

    54 min

  4. JAN 15

    Destiny O. Birdsong on Navigating Censorship in Storytelling

    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

    1h 8m

  5. 12/18/2024

    [Free Teaser] First Chapters: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton

    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

    15 min

  6. 12/18/2024 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    [Member Bonus] First Chapters: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton

    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 by going to 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

    21 min

  7. 12/11/2024

    Story: ‘Snow Bath Season,’ by Stacie Denetsosie

    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

    33 min

  8. 12/04/2024

    [Free Teaser] Member Exclusive: Ask the Agents! PJ Mark and Danielle Chiotti on Getting Published

    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

    23 min
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3.8
out of 5
218 Ratings

About

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

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