Mariah and Me

Posted on March 17, 2005 by TayariJones

So, the Essence magazine article is out. I’m in the issue where Mariah Carey is officially crowned at “the most mis-understood black woman in America.” (And just think, for all these years, I thought I was the undisputed winner of that particular title.)

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Posted in The Writing Life | 6 Comments

Screenplay?

Posted on March 14, 2005 by TayariJones

Today, much to my surprise, I received a screenplay in the mail. And even curiouser, it was screenplay adaptation of my first novel, LEAVING ATLANTA.

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Congratulations to Chris Abani

Posted on March 12, 2005 by TayariJones

GraceLand, the gorgeous first novel by Chris Abani has won the 2005 PEN/Hemmingway Award.
Before GraceLand was published,I first met Chris Abani over the telephone. I was interviewing him for The Believer magazine. This was before Walter Mosely chose GraceLand for the Today show, before the novel was short listed for every important prize there is. And even then, I knew that good things were just ahead for Chris and his beautiful book.

Posted in Bookshelf | 2 Comments

THE THING ABOUT ANONYMOUS REVIEWERS

Posted on March 8, 2005 by TayariJones

Conventional widsom is that complaining about your reviews is a lose-lose situation. First, you draw attention to the crappy review that sent you into a tailspin in the first place. Second, you run the risk of seeming whiny (bad) or bitter (worse.) But I can’t help it. I’ve got to speak out.

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Posted in The Writing Life | 7 Comments

A Changed Man by Francine Prose

Posted on March 7, 2005 by TayariJones

I’ll admit it, I am crazy about Francine Prose. Her new novel, A Changed Man, has just been published and it is so very good.

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RIGHT INFO/ WRONG TIME

Posted on March 5, 2005 by TayariJones

These are the facts: A) People publish books everday. B) It’s a really big deal to complete, let alone publish a novel. These are two things that no writer should ever forget, but the key is to remember the right info at the right time.

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My Own Private Enron

Posted on March 4, 2005 by TayariJones

I often give workshops about writing coming of age stories, since writing from the child’s perspective is one of the calling cards of my writing. One of the first things that I’ll have writers to remember is that children are not innocent. They have the same range of emotion and impulse as anyone else. If you keep that in mind while you’re writing, you’ll never go wrong. To prove my point, I’ll share a story from my own childhood. Let’s call it: My early life as an embezzler, or My Own Private Enron.

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Suji Kwock Kim

Posted on March 3, 2005 by TayariJones

Today, we here at The Univeristy of Illinois had the pleasure of hosting Korean-American poet, Suji Kwock Kim. She’s a breath-taking writer. If you get a chance to hear her read in your town (and you will– she’s everywhere, all the time) you should.

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Report From The Road: Raleigh, NC

Posted on March 1, 2005 by TayariJones

I think my recent reading at Peace College marks the official kick-off of the Book Tour for The Untelling. Things are off to a good start.

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Posted in Book Tour | 6 Comments

My Galleys Are Being Sold on Ebay

Posted on February 25, 2005 by TayariJones

I was cruisng half.com today and what do I see… advanced copies of The Untelling. I can’t help but wonder who these people are and why they are so hot to unload my precious second novel!

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Posted in The Writing Life | 4 Comments