William Pei Shih on ‘Happy Family,’ Flawed Characters, and the Messiness of Life

Ursa Short Fiction

Co-hosts Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton speak with writer William Pei Shih, author of the Ursa Original “Happy Family,” a story about a lost childhood, a struggling restaurant, and a bygone era of Chinatown. (Warning: This episode contains “Happy Family” spoilers.)

Read the transcript.

“Your character has to fail in telling their story,” Shih says. “I think that's one of the beautiful things about fiction. It truly is the messiness of life.”

Shih’s stories have been published or are forthcoming in The Best American Short Stories 2020, VQR, McSweeney’s, and The Southern Review, among many other publications. He spoke with Philyaw and Walton about his approach to writing and developing characters, how “Happy Family” first came to life, and how hearing the audio version changed his storytelling approach.

This episode is sponsored by Catapult: Award-winning classes by writers, for writers. Ursa listeners get 20% off upcoming online classes with the coupon code URSA20. Go to catapult.co/classes.

Additional production support for this episode by Veronica Smith.

Episode Links and Reading List:

• “Happy Family” (Ursa)
• “Enlightenment” (VQR)
• “Necessary Evils” (Southern Review)
• What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky, by Lesley Nneka Arimah
• Cleanness, by Garth Greenwell
• Look How Happy I’m Making You, by Polly Rosenwaike
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More from William Pei Shih:

• "The Golden Arowana" (The Masters Review), about a precious and rare fish, a young man and his grandmother from China, and the road trip of a lifetime—to Pittsburgh, and what happens when one finds more than they bargained for.
• "My Son," (F(r)iction, Spring 2021), a story focusing on father/son cross-generational and cross-cultural struggles and miscommunications.
• More stories: https://williampeishih.com/home/publications/

More from Deesha Philyaw and Dawnie Walton:

• The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw
• The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton

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