Tayari Jones

Tayari Jones

Tayari Jones is an African American author and winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Born in 1970, she was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia and educated at Spelman College, the University of Iowa and Arizona State University.

She started writing seriously at Spelman College, where she studied with Pearl Cleage, who published her first story, "Eugenics", in Catalyst magazine. Jones went on to University of Iowa where she worked toward a Ph.D. in English, but she left after completing her masters degree. She also studied at The University of Georgia where she worked with Kevin Young and Judith Ortiz Cofer. She left UGA to enroll in the MFA program at Arizona State University where she worked with Ron Carlson and Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Her first novel, Leaving Atlanta, is a three-voiced coming of age story set against the backdrop of The Atlanta Child Murders of 1979-81. This novel, which was written while she was a graduate student at Arizona State University, is based on the experience as a child in Atlanta during that period. It won the 2003 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Aletha Spann of 30Nineteen Productions has purchased the film option for Leaving Atlanta.

Jones herself, an Atlanta native, was a child during these murders. Two of her fifth grade classmates, Yusef Bell and Terry Pugh, were students at Oglethorpe Elementary School.

Her second novel, The Untelling, is also set in Atlanta. This novel is the story of a woman seeking to overcome the trauma of her past. The book has been described as a "woman's novel" because it deals with issues such as infertility. It was awarded the Lillian C. Smith Award for New Voices.

Tayari Jones has taught creative writing at The University of Illinois and also at George Washington University, where she served as the Jenny McKean Moore Writer in Washington. She is now a member of the MFA faculty at the Newark Campus of Rutgers University.

Bibliography

* "Leaving Atlanta" (2002)
* "The Untelling" (2005)

Awards

* Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers (2000)
* Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction (2003)
* Lillian C. Smith Award (2006)

External links

* [http://www.tayarijones.com/ Official page]
* [http://www.azpbs.org/books/podcast.htm/ Book & Co. Arizona Public Television] (2007 podcast interview with Ron Carlson)
* [http://www.believermag.com/issues/200802/?read=article_jones/ Symbolism and Cynicism: On Being A Writer During Black History Month] (Opinion Essay in The Believer)


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • African American literature — is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. The genre traces its origins to the works of such late 18th century writers as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano, reaching early high points with slave… …   Wikipedia

  • Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern — Issue 15: The Icelandic Issue (2004) Editor Dave Eggers Frequency Quarterly First issue 1998 ( …   Wikipedia

  • List of African American writers — This is a list of African American authors and writers, all of whom are considered part of African American literature. Note: Consult Who is African American? to gain a better sense as to who can be listed as an African American… …   Wikipedia

  • Hurston-Wright Legacy Award — The Hurston Wright Legacy Award is a literary award given by the National Community of Black Writers.The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award is the first national award given to black American writers. The award namesakes are two of the most influential… …   Wikipedia

  • Wayne Williams — Infobox Serial Killer name=Wayne Williams caption= birthname=Wayne Bertram Williams alias=Atlanta Child Murders|Atlanta Child Murderer] birth=May 27, 1958 location=Atlanta, Georgia death= cause= victims=2 31 country=U.S. states=Georgia… …   Wikipedia

  • Lillian Smith Book Award — Jointly presented by the Southern Regional Council and the University of Georgia Libraries, the Lillian Smith Book Awards honor those authors who, through their outstanding writing about the American South, carry on Smith s legacy of elucidating… …   Wikipedia

  • National Black Writers Conference — The National Black Writers Conference (NBWC) is a yearly event dedicated to exploring emerging themes, trends and issues in Black literature. It is hosted by The Center for Black Literature[1] at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New …   Wikipedia

  • Atlanta child murders — The Atlanta child murders, known locally simply as the missing and murdered children case , were a series of murders committed in Atlanta, Georgia from the summer of 1979 until the spring of 1981. Over the two year period, twenty nine African… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste des arts martiaux et sports de combat — Cette liste présente seulement les arts martiaux et sports de combat strictement sans armes. Les pratiques se faisant à la fois avec et sans armes ou avec l utilisation exclusive des armes sont présentées dans leurs pages respectives. Nom courant …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Halo 3: ODST — Developer(s) Bungie Publisher(s) Microsoft Game Studios …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”