Tayari Jones

Tayari Jones is the author of four novels. She won the 2019 Women's Prize for Fiction, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Fine Arts from the Congressional Black Caucus. Her novel An American Marriage was an Oprah's Book Club Selection, and was longlisted for the National Book Award. She won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Fiction. An American Marriage tells the story of Celestial and Roy, a Black middle-class couple living in Atlanta. Their lives are torn apart after Roy is wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit, and the middle of the book takes the form of letters they send each other while he’s in prison. In her discussion with Susan, Tayari discusses the letter Celestial sends to Roy to tell him she is leaving him. For more, visit bookexploder.com/episodes/tayari-jones.

Tayari Jones, an award-winning novelist and author known for her powerful narratives on African-American life, shares her journey from childhood activism in Atlanta to becoming a celebrated writer. She discusses the profound influence of Judy Blume on her work and the impact of personal trauma, including the Atlanta child killings, on her creativity. Additionally, Jones delves into the complexities of love intertwined with incarceration, challenges societal perceptions, and reflects on motherhood's evolving narrative while celebrating the vibrancy of Black identity in her hometown.

Readers, this show is all about helping you discover your next read—which means we talk each week not only about the books our guests love and Anne's recommendations, but about the authors behind the books. Anne's recommendations and our guests' tastes vary widely, but sometimes we see authors who show up again and again on the show. And in today's episode, we're bringing you conversations with three of these writers who mean something a little extra special to our WSIRN community.Join Anne in conversation with Peter Heller, Tayari Jones, and Becky Chambers, as we explore their writing and reading lives, the books they've loved, and what they recommend we should all read next.To see the full list of books discussed today, check out our website at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/308. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices