Webas a girl in jacksonville, florida, deesha philyaw imagined the sex lives of the grown black women around her. The churches philyaw grew up attending—african. Webwith their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and. Webwith their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and. Webthe characters are queer and open about their sexuality, their longing for intimacy, and their justifiable thirst for revenge. Philyaw’s characters are without masks, façades, or. Webeach story feels like philyaw has pulled the curtain back and allowed us to glimpse something private and intimate. Yet the gaze is never voyeuristic so much as. Webthere are dysfunctional families, an exploration of the relationships between mothers and daughters, and those of siblings, reflecting and looking at the jarring. Webwith their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as.