About this Event
This year-long series explores AfroFuturism as a bridge between African traditions, African American experiences, and speculative futures. Each month offers conversations, workshops, and creatiwve activities that blend history, art, science, and imagination - transforming the library into a hub of cultural discovery and future-building.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw is a sharp, tender collection of interconnected short stories that explores the inner lives of Black women navigating faith, desire, family, and freedom within and beyond the Black church. Set largely in the South, the book centers women who are often expected to be devout, respectable, and self-sacrificing, while quietly carrying longings, regrets, and rebellions of their own. Through themes of sexuality, generational trauma, queerness, love, and spiritual conflict, Philyaw reveals the complexity of church-going women whose private truths don’t always align with public expectations. The collection is both intimate and provocative, honoring the messiness, resilience, and humanity of Black women seeking joy and self-definition.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Barbara Weitz Community Engagement Center, 6400 South, University Drive Road North, Omaha, United States
USD 0.00
