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Deesha Philyaw

Biography

Deesha Philyaw

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, and 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.

Deesha Philyaw

Books by Deesha Philyaw

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman
by Deesha Philyaw - Fiction

Scharisse Freeman ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor 15 years her senior. She doesn’t have many allies, but that hasn’t stopped her from building an enviable business empire spanning books to clothing to branded products, and living the comfortable life her husband's power affords her. On the eve of her 40th birthday, Schar gets the final bit of validation she’s always dreamt of: a coveted invitation to participate in the First Lady USA pageant. This is her chance to be accepted by the other pastors’ wives. Finally, blissfully, the ice between Schar and the other First Ladies begins to thaw. But as the pageant nears, a sensational scandal breaks with Schar at its center, and her carefully curated life implodes.