Tayari Jones was waiting for her fourth novel to be published when she got the phone call that, in this day and age, most every writer dreams of — a call from Oprah Winfrey to let Jones know that her book, "An American Marriage," would be the next selection in Oprah's Book Club.
When the book came out in February, it went straight to the New York Times’ bestseller lists. "An American Marriage" is the story of what happens to a loving couple who are forced to deal with being apart through no fault of their own. The book is set in the South, specifically in Jones’ hometown of Atlanta, a place she has done a lot of thinking and writing about. After a long time away, she’s getting ready to come back home.
Let's keep the conversation going. Send a tweet to @tommytomlinson or @wfae, and use the hashtag #WFAESouthBound. You can also email me at ttomlinson@wfae.org.
Show Notes:
- Amazon listing for "An American Marriage"
- Her bio in the New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Her recent essay in The New York Times on Nelson Mandela's prison letters
- Tayari's Twitter @tayari
- Her Instagram, also @tayari
Where to Listen:
New episodes of SouthBound will come out every other week on Wednesday. Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts Google Play Stitcher NPR One
SouthBound is a production of WFAE. Our host is Tommy Tomlinson. Our producer is Nick de la Canal. Our web manager is Jennifer Lang. Our audience engagement producer is Joni Deutsch, and our theme music comes from Josh Turner.