Tayari Jones

Sep 27, 2024 | writersdigest.com | Michael Woodson |Tayari Jones

I believe that best writers are readers first. Over and over again authors I interview mention other books that either helped them understand how to write their own books, inspired the plot for their books, or were even used as an homage to the story. There are endless ways that reading can help us navigate our own storytelling, and often, reading helps unlock some faraway creative thought in my brain that I wouldn’t have found on my own.

Apr 20, 2024 | shepherd.com | James Hannaham |Jeffrey Ross |Stephen Richards |Tayari Jones

This book is one of the most compassionate, no-nonsense,and highly informative books about the system out there. It’s intended as ahelpful guide for people who are about to leave prison, but if you’re on theoutside and curious about the largely hidden, unconsidered, and technicalaspects of incarceration in the USA, this book, like its earlier companion, BehindBars, will blow your mind and maybe save your life, especially if you’reinvolved in the system.

Feb 19, 2024 | ajc.com | Tayari Jones

The year was 1987. Sisters Chapel, the spiritual heart of Spelman College, features majestic white columns outside and dark wood pews inside. In those days, there was no air-conditioning, so the atmosphere was dense with humidity and anticipation that August afternoon. We, first-year students, wore mandatory white dresses, sheer hosiery, and black closed-toe shoes, a custom dating more than a century.

Jan 17, 2024 | theparisreview.org | Tayari Jones

By Tayari Jones January 17, 2024 Read Diane Oliver’s short story “No Brown Sugar in Anybody’s Milk,” published in the Summer 2023 issue of the Review. A year ago, I had never heard of the astounding short story artist Diane Oliver. This admission is embarrassing, as I am a novelist and professor. Furthermore, Oliver and I have a number of shared characteristics.

Jan 11, 2024 | shepherd.com | Brit Bennett |Naomi Jackson |Tayari Jones |Heidi W. Durrow

Brit Bennett writes with a steady hand as she immerses us into the minds and lives of three people. Nadia and Aubrey are haunted to womanhood by maternal abandonment. They are friends as well as rivals for the affection of the same man. Luke would have made a mother out of Nadia had they chosen to parent, and he eventually makes a wife and mother of Aubrey. His mother is the first lady of the church that plays a prominent role in their lives.