Desperate Bodies

From a ferocious new talent, a debut story collection excavating the desire, humor, and horror in the everyday lives of Black women and girls–for readers of Deesha Philyaw and Kelly Link

With a voice that vibrates on the page, Lydia Mathis’ debut collection is set in the American South and her sharply drawn, authentic characters shine a light on what we’re willing to do to ourselves and to others in service of our desires. The madness in the ordinary rules here: an overworked college safety officer is confronted by a bloody figure who walks into her office; a sex worker runs into a client en route to a parent-teacher conference; a teacher is plagued by a ghost determined to tidy her apartment.

Desperate Bodiesdepicts the fragility, strength, and unruliness of Black women and girls’ bodies and the power in being honest about their desires. In unflinching prose, Mathis takes a frank and determined look at what it means to be subjected to imbalances of power through the perspectives of young girls and adult women. With surprising turns and a touch of the supernatural, these stories refuse to look away from the most honest, raw moments of womanhood.

Visceral and unyielding,Desperate Bodiesis a thrillingly dark ride that introduces Lydia Mathis as a major new writer.

Lydia Mathishas an MFA in fiction from New York University. She earned her BA in English Literature with a minor in Classical Civilizations from Agnes Scott College. She has worked as a teacher for Teach for America in Memphis and as a teaching fellow at Coler-Goldwater Hospital in New York City. She is the recipient ofA Public Space‘s 2023 Editorial Fellowship and is currently an assistant editor atA Public Space. She has stories published inNorth American Review,Southeast Review,Torch Magazine,Stanchion,Five on the Fifth, andoranges journal. She is based in Atlanta, GA.

• Publisher: Roxane Gay Books
• Publish Date: September 15, 2026
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• Type: Paperback
• EAN/UPC: 9780802166708
• Dimensions:8.3 in H | 5.5 in W
• BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction