The Ethics of Now with Deesha Philyaw
Join the Kenan Institute for Ethics and host Adriane Lentz-Smith for a conversation with Deesha Philyaw, author of "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," on Black women's loves, lives, and labors.
Award-winning writer Deesha Philyaw dares to explore the intimacies of Black women's lives that are otherwise left at the church door. Her writing cares for Black women's loves and desires, be they tender, challenging, funny, or misunderstood. She pushes us to embrace without judgement what makes her church ladies feel good, unstuck, and themselves.
"The Secret Lives of Church Ladies," Philyaw's debut short story collection, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 2020/2021 Story Prize, and the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, a 2020 LA Times Book Prize. The collection was also a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction.
This event takes place at the Hayti Heritage Center. Copies of "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies" will be available for purchase, courtesy of the Regulator Bookshop. A book signing and reception will follow the event. Parking is available on the premises, at Phoenix Square, Heritage Square Shopping Center, and on adjacent streets. Please be advised that seating is first come, first served.
On campus, before the evening event, Deesha Philyaw will speak in conversation with Dr. Nikki Lane, Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. This talk will take place 4:30 - 5:30pm in the Blue Parlor in East Duke. Students and faculty will have the opportunity to ask questions.
