Pushkin Press bags Phillyaw's 'intimate, irresistible' collection of stories

Pushkin Press has pre-empted The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, the "fresh, funny and sexy" debut by American author Deesha Phillyaw.

Adam Freudenheim, publisher and m.d. of Pushkin Press, pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights from Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown, acting on behalf of Upstart Crown Literary. The book will be published by One, an imprint of the press, in hardback in May 2022.

Described as "intimiate and irrisistable" by the publisher, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a collection of short stories exploring the hidden desires of generations of church-going Black women. "The stories explore the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good," the synopsis explains. An HBO Max TV series is in the works, optioned by Tessa Thompson.

In the US, the book was shortlisted for the National Book Award and won the PEN/Faulkner Prize, the Story Prize and the LA Times Book Prize for First Fiction. It also became publisher West Virginia University Press’ bestselling book of all time. Author Candice Carty-Williams said the book "left [her] wanting more" and described it as "masterfully written".

Philyaw said:  "I’m over the moon excited to be a part of Pushkin Press, who understood right away the importance of my stories and sought to publish them just as they deserve to be published: fearlessly, and with keen understanding of their resonance."

Commenting on the acquisition, Freudenheim said: "I was bowled over by Church Ladies from page one. These stories are fresh, funny, sexy and often moving to boot. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be publishing this book in the UK next spring, and the enthusiasm from the entire Pushkin team couldn’t be greater."