The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

The collection consists of nine stories that explore the intersection of sexuality and Christianity. Black women protagonists appear in each story. Topics covered include infidelity, casual sex, and lesbian relationships.[2]

The title refers to the catch-all term for church-going women that Philyaw learned growing up.[3] These women were prim, conservatively dressed, "who makes sure not a hair is out of place, never speaks out of line, and does all the right Godly things."[4]

Philyaw stated in an interview for Richmond Free Press, "I see the book as centering Black women in their own stories of the tug of war they experience between their desires and what they may have learned at church."[5]

Philyaw was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida.[5] She was raised attending church and attended services under the denominations of AME, Baptist, Pentecostal, COGIC, and Missionary Baptist Church. Philyaw drew on those experience to write about how the church space influences female sexuality. She no longer attends church services but has fond memories of that time.[5]

• 2020. United States, West Virginia University Press, ISBN 978-1-949199-73-4, Pub date 01 September 2020, Paperback.[lower-alpha 1]

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies received critical acclaim. Marion Wink reviewed the book for Star Tribune and stated: "This collection marks the emergence of a bona fide literary treasure."[2] Wendeline O. Wright further praised Philyaw in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "“The Secret Lives of Church Ladies” is an unforgettable look inside the hearts of Black women as they evaluate their relationships — with God, their families, and themselves."[6]

Kirkus wrote in a starred review, "No saints exist in these pages, just full-throated, flesh-and-blood women who embrace and redefine love, and their own selves, in powerfully imperfect renditions. Tender, fierce, proudly Black and beautiful, these stories will sneak inside you and take root."[7] In a similarly positive review, Publisher's Weekly wrote, "Philyaw’s stories inform and build on one another, turning her characters’ private struggles into a beautiful chorus."[8] The nuanced characters were further praised by Jordan Snowden, who described Philyaw's writing in Pittsburgh City Paper: "She shows these women, these Black women, in spaces they aren’t usually seen — having sex in a parking lot, in same-sex relationships, going to therapy, as a person filled with longing and desire."[4]

• 2020 – National Book Award for Fiction, Finalist[9]
• 2020 – The Story Prize, Finalist[10]
• 2021 - PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Longlist[11]

In January 2021 it was announced that Tessa Thompson's newly formed production company, Viva Maude, had picked up the collection to be adapted for television.[12] Philyaw is slated to write the adaptation and co-executive produce with Thompson.[13]

• African and African-American women in Christianity

• Deesha Philyaw – Official website
• The Secret Lives of Church Ladies on West Virginia University Press