Tayari's Blog: December 2008
December 30, 2008
Take Loving Stock of Yourself & Your Year
Well it's that time of the year again. I usually spend the days between Christmas and New Years thinking of things I want to change in the year to come. While I think it's always good to start a new year with a plan, it's important to look back on the year behind and see what you've done right.
I was a bit disappointed that I didn't finish my novel in 2008, but I made good progress. I am in a much better place emotionally than I was this time last year. I feel steady. I feel blessed and lucky, too. I've figured out that I am my own muse.
I'll admit it: I didn't read enough last year. I didn't work out enough. I worked too much at my office and didn't work enough at my writing table. I plan to improve on these things, but it was a good year. Before getting started on the agenda for 09, I think it's important that we give ourselves some credit for magical moving forward of the last twelve months.
Now is a good time to mark your accomplishments. Do it tomorrow-- not when the ball drops in Times Square when everybody is drunk and looking for somebody to kiss. Toast yourself on New Years Eve, at 7pm. That's when the New Year starts at the Greenwich Meridian. You don't have to explain yourself, or tell anyone what you're doing. Keep it private. Keep it real.
December 26, 2008
364 Days Til Christmas Links
December 25, 2008
December 21, 2008
Happy Holidays
On my way home for the holidays. I'm taking a little blogging break. I'll be back on the 26th. Try and remember to grab those teenage pics if you are venturing to your parents' house. And even if you don't, have a great holiday. Here's a snapshot of me on Christmas, 1975. Of my resolutions for 09 is to get that little-girl-joy back into my life.
Posted at 07:47 PM | ![[comments]](http://www.tayarijones.com/images/comments.gif){kind=small}
Comments (3)
Category:
Travels & Rambles
Getting Outta Town Links
Time To Break The Mirror
There are a couple interesting articles about the fraught intersection of reading, writing,and publishing. Although they seem, at first blush, to be really different, I think they both address the same fundamental issue.
The first is a piece over at Huffington Post that ponders why men don't read as much as women. I have to give a derisive little snort when he complained that men don't get a fair shake in published. (Have men not won the National Book Award for four years running? Is Stephen King not the best paid writer ever?) But okay, let's get back to the topic. The article argues that men don't read because the book world is just too pink. Too much chick stuff.
I find it really disturbing that books about women and women's lives are accepted as being icky to men. Newsflash: Men can read books about women. Reading is not supposed to be about looking in the mirror; it's not supposed to be an exercise in narcissism. I can't tell you how many men have asked about my books, looking for some clearance that it is okay for them to read, too. I would never dream of asking a male writer if his book was just for men. The way he writes about the Jane Austin inspired books, he sounds like a man sent to the drugstore to buy tampons for his girlfriend.
The next article on my mind this morning is by friend-of-the-blog, Carleen Brice. Her piece is about her campaign to get white readers to buy books by black authors. Again, the question of whether or not reading is about readers being about to "see" themselves in literature is at the center. While I completely agree with her, the discussion makes me a little queasy. African-American writers and other minority writers are constantly pleading for readers, constantly having to vouch for their own humanity. I know it has to be done, but the conversation is so problematic.
In "The Colored Section", I have written that the answer to question of desegregating the nation's reading habits is not getting rid of the African American section in the bookstore. I think the true issue is how alienating some readers find that little sign that says "African American Interest". The fact that it sends some readers scurrying in the opposite direction is real cultural issue that we must address. Removing the sign is just treating the symptom and facilitates denial, our national malady.
I often think of the success of Harry Potter. Although the author is a woman, it's not insignificant that she used her "neutral" sounding initials. And it is definitely significant to note that people all over the world found themselves identifying with the Harry-- eventhough millions of the readers were likely neither white, male, nor magical.
I think now is the time to take a lesson from my friend Jean Thompson. She says that when people ask her a stupid question, she pretends not to hear them and makes them repeat it until they realise how ridiculous they are. So when people say, "Are your books for everybody?" I'll say, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you?"
I'm willing to make them say it over and over until they really hear themselves.
Posted at 09:13 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Do NOT Ask if She is Qualified, Okay?
There's a piece in the NYT today about Elizabeth Alexander who will deliver a poem at the inauguration of Barak Obama.The article is meant to be positive-- there's a terrific photo of her and the quotes are all generous and Ms. Alexander gives perfect praise to the late great Gwendolyn Brooks. But still, I am so irritated that so much of the article-- and general discussion-- is about whether or not she deserves it. Elizabeth Alexander's credentials are impeccable. But still, she actually has to answer to whether or not she is qualiified. For me, the kicker is when Paul Muldoon, the poetry editor of the New Yorker, more of less vouches for her saying that she was chosen for "literary merit." Well, duh. Of course she was. Thank goodness Mr. Muldoon did the right thing, unlike some other people who write in the New Yorker, but the questioning itself breaks my heart.
Posted at 08:31 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Current Events
December 19, 2008
The Teenage Y'all, Part One
I am tickled to death by all the people who have dug in thier archives to find their highschool photos to support Girls Write Now! In case you missed the game, I'll donate $5 for every person who send me a picture of themselves as a teen and $10 if you post that photo on your blog and spread the news about GWN. (Here's the original post.) I know a lot of people are heading home for the holidays, so raid those photo albums. And don't fret if you don't have a scanner. You can use your digital camera to photograph a photo and it comes out pretty good. So, with no further ado... Here are the first batch of photos. (Click on the mosiac see them better.) Also check out the blogs where some folks posted more photos, and all talked about the teenage them!
If you feel bad about your corny pictures from high school, remember over half the girls in NYC never make it to graduation. So, there's your guilt trip. Now share. And while you're at it. Make a donation to GWN. I'll match it, dollar for dollar!
And here are the bloggers! (It's oddly comforting to know that your most favorite bloggers used to be a little, ahem, awkward)
Posted at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Community Service
Spit Out The Haterade Links
December 17, 2008
You Never Knew The Teenage Me
"You Never Knew The Teenage Me" is a meme unwittingly started by Lauren.
Did you know that about half of the girls in NYC will never graduate from high school? Girls Write Now, my favorite charitable organization is doing something to fix that. GWN matches teen girls with writing mentors and provides a safe space for girls to find their voices, explore their options, and learn to what the future may hold for them. And guess what? ALL the girls who participate graduate from high school. And most go on to college (To see why I love GWN so much, watch this video. See and hear a young woman find her voice at her very first reading.)
This won't come as a surprise, but changing the world costs money. If you can send a donation to GWN, let me know and I'll match you, dollar for dollar. I know money is tight this year, so here is another way you can participate. If you send me a photo of the teenage you, I'll give $5 to GWN. If you post it on your blog and spread the word about this amazing organization, I'll give $10.
Don't you think every girl deserves a chance?
Posted at 04:54 PM | Comments (2)
Category:
Community Service
December 16, 2008
No End of The Year List Here
This won't come as a surprise to anyone: All my life I have been a reader. But this year, I have read almost nothing. I looked at Maud's wonderfully eclectic list of books and essays she enjoyed this year and I just hung my head. I bought a lot of books but I haven't read them. The only consistent reading I've done this year are the books I've read for my classes and the mysteries I read at the gym.
I am trying to figure out why I haven't been reading, since it is one of my favorite pastimes. I think a big part of it is my job. I love working at Rutgers, but it is demanding. We often have to come to campus for evening events. Also, my undergraduate classes require a LOT of reading. (Although on the bright side, reading for my Contemporary African American Lit class reacquainted me with some forgotten gems.)
Also, I've been bopping around a lot lately. I've given lots of readings and the international travel is really demanding. The experiences have been amazing, but they don't exactly lend themselves to cuddling up with a good book. (Of course, the addition of the slanket in my life should up the cuddle-quotient, but every time I slip on the slanket, I pass out on the couch!)
My reading goals for 2009 are modest: a book a month. And since I am going to be on the leave in the fall there will be a lot more time for me to live a writerly life, which in my view involves writing time, reading time, musing time, and sleeping time.
All this is to say that I don't feel qualified to offer up an end of the year reading list, but I welcome any suggestions you may have.
Posted at 07:08 AM | Comments (6)
Category:
The Writing Life
December 15, 2008
Ravenously Romantic Links
Posted at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
December 13, 2008
Ninja Links
Vital Stats of a Writer
This meme was started over at 32 Poems:
Age when I decided I wanted to be a writer: maybe 6? Probably earlier.
Age when I wrote my first short story: 15
Age when I first got my hands on a good word processor: 19. This is a long and sort of tragic story. I was such a nerd that the only thing I ever asked my parents for was a word processor. You wouldn't believe the hoops they put me through for it. You would have thought I was asking for a set of Louis Vuiton luggage.
Age when I first submitted a short story to a magazine: 18
Rejections prior to first short story sale: a couple.
Age when I sold my first short story: 19. I owe it all to the word processor.
Approximate number of short stories sold: Eight or so.
Age when I first sold a poem: I have never sold a poem. I have dated a few poets, that should count for something.
Poems sold: see above.
Year I first published a book: 2002
Books published or delivered and in the pipeline: 2
Number of titles in print: 2.
Age now: 38
I won't tag anyone for this meme; but if you want to do it, by all means, do.
Posted at 07:06 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
The Writing Life
December 12, 2008
2009 Kore Press Short Fiction Contest
I am happy to announce that I am the judge for the 2009 Kore Press Short Fiction Contest. The winner is awarded $1000 and the winning entry is published as a chapbook. One of my favorite emerging writers, Tiphanie Yanique, won the 2007 contest. I was already impressed with her essay, My Superhero Secret, but then her winning chapbook, The Saving Work, blew me away. The demand was so high that Kore had to print more copies.
Entries will be accepted until January 15th, but why wait? Enter now. Here's how.
December 11, 2008
News, Notes, and Links
December 09, 2008
Thank You P.M.S. Magazine!
The Editors of Poem.Memoir.Story and Honoree Jeffers have generously donated fifty copies of teh journal to the women of FEMRITE, the Ugandan women writers organization with whom I will give a workshop next month!
An all-women’s literary journal, PMS is published annually by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In addition to publishing established and emerging writers, they also publish a memoir each issue by a woman who isn't neccesarily a writer but is a witness to history.
Right now, PMS is gearing for for its next reading period: January 1- March 30. I urge everyone to subscribe to this terrific journal. Submissions, however, are only open to women. Guidelines are after the break.
Posted at 12:23 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
The Writing Life
Post-Morrisonian Links
December 07, 2008
Happy 80th Birthday, Prof. Chomsky!
Even though he says he doesn't care to celebrate his birthday, there is a nice tribute site.
And just for a dash of hometown pride, the photo of the Noam Chomsky grafiti was taken in Atlanta!
Posted at 07:07 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Current Events
Toni Morrison Reads Tomorrow Night!
If you are tired of me cooing over all things Morrison, you can just imagine the misery of my undergraduates. I almost burst into tears last week during a discussion of Tar Baby. So, in the spirit of American self-awareness, I will admit that I have a problem when it comes to Miz Morrison.
That said, tomorrow at 8:00pm I will be at The 92nd Street Y to hear Toni Morrison read from "A Mercy." I cannot wait. In the meantime, here is an interesting post from "Daily Routines", a website that features artists, writers, and regular folk saying how they make it through an ordinary day.
With no further ado, here's some wisdom from The Great Lady:
I tell my students one of the most important things they need to know is when they are at their best, creatively. They need to ask themselves, What does the ideal room look like? Is there music? Is there silence? Is there chaos outside or is there serenity outside? What do I need in order to release my imagination?
Toni Morrison
(Thanks to Nichelle for the link!)
Posted at 10:59 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Current Events
December 06, 2008
Saturday Afternoon Links
Posted at 11:14 AM | Comments (2)
Category:
How I Picked The Winner
I am delighted to announce that I chose talented writers, Shelly Oria 
and Tara Cottrell, winner and runner-up of the Indiana Review short-fiction contest. Contests are a really good way for younger writers to A) get thier names out there, B) get published, and C) score some extra cash. In 2000, an excerpt from Leaving Atlanta won the Hurston/Wright Award for college writers, marking the start of my career and ending a good-news drought that I had lasted about seven years.
Here's how I went about chosing the winner for the Indiana Review contest. Maybe this will be helpful you as you enter competitions like this.
The first thing to know is that as final judge, I only get to see about twenty entries. So, your first challenge is to get past the screeners. These folks are usually younger people who work for the magazine who pretty quickly separate the wheat from the chaff. What does this mean to you? It means that you story needs to be really engaging on the first page. What else does it mean? It means that you could have written a story that you just KNOW the judge will love, but she may never see it. This can be sort of tricky when the judge has a different aesthetic or agenda than the screeners. (Case in point: I entered my story "Best Cousin" to a contest judged by legendary editor Shannon Ravenel. I had a feeling that the story would be right up her alley, but alas, I never made it past the screeners. The next year, Ms. Ravenel discovered the story on her own and published it in New Stories From The South.)
Once the stories get to me as a judge, I go out of my way to make it fair. I only read about three stories in a day. After that, I'm tired and the plots start running together. I don't think it's right for some writers to have thier work considered when I am fresh and stoked with coffee and some others to have their work considered when I am exhausted and hating life in general. (Keep in mind, though, that all judges don't do this, so my best advice is to make your story POP on the first page.)
I start sort of ranking the stories in a loose way. The ones I like, I put in a stack. By "like" I mean the ones that I wanted to keep reading. Stories that aren't all that great craft-wise sometimes end up in this stack. Beautifully written bores go in "like" stack, but at the bottom. By the time I have finished making the "like" stack, I run the rest of the contest like a NBA tournament. I read two stories together, pick which is the best and put it aside. Then I read another pair, pick a winner. Then pit those against each other.
When I get to the final two, I weigh the story's vision-- what is this story, and why does it matter? Is it complicated? Did it encourage me to think about something I've never thought about? Did I care? Was there emotional truth? Did anything impossible happen in tihs story? (This is a pet peeve of mine.)
Next, I consider craft-- Did I fall in love with phrases? Was the structure interesting? How about pacing? Does the title make sense? I look at the first and last lines in particular. I read a few lines of dialogue aloud. You get the idea.
Then, I pick my winner.
Posted at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
The Writing Life
December 04, 2008
Congrats C. Dale Young !
This gentleman poet just won a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment For The Arts!
Posted at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
RIP Pinkie Gordon Lane
There's no link available yet, but I have heard it from a very reliable source-- namely, my Uncle Wilbert-- that poet Pinkie Gordon Lane has passed away at age 85. Those of us who are Spelman women knew of our sister from the class of 1949 before Nina Long recited her "Lyric: I am Looking At Music" in everybody's favorite movie, Love Jones. She was the first African=American Poet Laureate of the state of Louisiana.
Posted at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
Category:
Current Events
Hard Times in Publishing
As you may already know, yesterday was a very bad day in publishing. My blackberry was going bananas with txt messages coming in from friends saying "my editor got fired." What will this mean for writers? No one is sure, but everyone is pretty sure that it's not good. Old heads are remembering the recession of the 1980s when contracts which were overdue were canceled. It's the publishing equivalent of this: sometimes when I need money, I return all the clothes in my closet that still have the tags on. Again, not a good development.
In the meantime, here are some links to help you sort things out.
Before I sign off to go to my job, for which I am really grateful, I think that it's important that we as writers not get too caught up in this. I mean, of course we need to know what's going on, but we also need to keep our eyes on our own work. Finish your book. And if you've just finished one, write another one. It's what we do.
Posted at 09:18 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
Current Events
December 03, 2008
Friday Night in Manhattan
Just a little reminder that I am reading this Friday night in Mahattan as part of the 2020 Visions Series sponsored by the good folks at Teachers & Writers Collaborative. Here are the details:
CHRISTOPHER BURSK, TAYARI JONES, AND KRISTINA MORICONI
December 5 — 6:30 PM
Center for Imaginative Writing
520 Eighth Avenue (between 36th and 37th Strees)
20th Floor
Please come. And then we can head over to KGB for the Summer Literary Series Party.
Missing Her Already Links
Posted at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
December 02, 2008
World AIDS Day: Get Tested. I Did.
Yesterday was World AIDS day. I meant to post about it yesterday, 
but I couldn't figure exactly what I wanted to say. I thought about compiling some links like John did, or even a list of books about people with AIDS. Reggie did a great post highlighting Kwame Dawes's important work.
The thing about AIDS is that it's everyone's problem, but it affects every community different. If you change one little variable, the equation changes. But at the same time, the bottom line is constant. Everyone is at risk. Everyone must be careful. Everyone must get tested.
So find a testing site near you, and get tested. I did. Why? Because I needed to know, just like you need to know.
Posted at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
Category:
Current Events
So Hard to Say Goodbye to Creme Brulee
I just saw an article in The Observer saying that due to the crappy economy, publishers are cutting back on fancy lunches. Oh that makes me sad. It's not that I often dine out with industry folk, but one of my fondest early memories from the start of my career involves those indulgent meals.
When I got word that Leaving Atlanta-- after 23 rejections-- was going to be published, I was told that I should come to New York to meet my editor. I had to do it on my own dime and I had to do it in a hurry because my editor was about 7 and half months pregnant. This was in 1999-- I was about twenty nine years old, and living on about $1,000 a month. I got my act together and bought a plane ticket and a simple dress that was expensive ($89!) but I thought it made me look smart.
This was my first "lunch." I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was fancy. Cloth napkins and the waiters pulled the chair out for me, which made me feel really awkward. The other folks around the table were my editor, her assistant, the PR person and her assistant. I was starving and the editor encouraged me to "get whatever you want." I did. I ate the place--apple salad with goat cheese, duck breast with a sweet sauce, creme brulee!-- to the ground. When I paused for air, I realized that I was the only one really eating. Even my pregnant editor nibbled at salad. (Years later, Lauren explained it to me: Women like that don't eat. When they go to lunch, they just lick their BlackBerries.)
Even though I felt a bit piggy as I finished off my dessert, I felt really special and I felt like I had a bright future in front of me. It was a fancy lunch that felt like a coming out party.
I hope this cut back on lunches is mainly for publishing execs who will have to cut down on treating one another outrageous mid-day decadence. Every first-time author should have it written in her contract: One meal in New York. Four courses. Wine. There are so many complications and disappointment waiting for her just up the road. Let's hope the publishers can find it in their hearts (and purses) to retain this one ritual of elegance and celebration.
Posted at 07:29 AM | Comments (1)
Category:
The Writing Life
December 01, 2008
Post Birthday Links
Posted at 06:43 AM | Comments (0)
Category: