Tayari Jones

Set in a middle-class Atlanta neighborhood in the 1980s, Silver Sparrow revolves around the two families of James Witherspoon – the public one and the secret one. When daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode ... (more)when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her flawed characters, including the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle, she reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another’s lives.

The VCU Friends of the Library present “A Literary Evening with Tayari Jones.” Considered by many to be a rising literary star, Jones will read from her new novel, “Silver Sparrow,” on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Richmond Salons of the Virginia Commonwealth University Student Commons, 907 ... (more)Floyd Ave. Tayari Jones has received both popular and critical acclaim for her writing. Her bestselling first novel, “Leaving Atlanta,” won the 2003 Hurston–Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Her second novel, “The Untelling,” won the 2005 Lillian C. Smith Award for New Voices and was a finalist for the 2006 Hurston–Wright Legacy Award for Fiction. “Silver Sparrow,” her third novel, appeared in May 2011 from Algonquin Books and has been called “absorbing” and “compelling” by The Washington Post. Described by O, The Oprah magazine as “a love story full of perverse wisdom and proud joy,” the novel follows the lives of two women who discover that they are sisters, the daughters of a bigamist father. Jones, on tour publicizing the novel, comes to Richmond as a featured participant of the 2011 James River Writers Conference, from Oct. 6 through 8. Her reading at VCU is a collaboration among VCU Libraries, the James River Writers group and the VCU Department of English. The event is free and open to the public, though attendees are asked to register at https://www.support.vcu.edu/event/taya... or by contacting Gregory Kimbrell at (804) 828-0593 or kimbrellgg@vcu.edu. Parking is available for a fee in the West Main Street and West Cary Street parking decks. For special accommodations, please contact Gregory Kimbrell. A limited number of reserved seats and an opportunity to meet Jones will be offered to new members of the Friends of the VCU Libraries. To join the Friends, visit www.library.vcu.edu/giving/fol/join.html or call (804) 827-1165.

***** UPDATED! ***** With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist,” author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta ... (more)in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s two families—the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters—the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle—she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another’s lives. At the heart of it all are the two lives at stake, and like the best writers—think Toni Morrison with The Bluest Eye—Jones portrays the fragility of these young girls with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women, just not as their mothers. Please note: Ms. Jones' new book must be purchased from Eagle Eye for this event. Save your receipt, and come join us!

On the very anniversary of our move to our cozy new home, we’re delighted to be hosting Tayari Jones, who will be reading and signing her new book, Silver Sparrow. Hometown girl Tayari Jones has given us an intriguing tale of James Witherspoon’s two families—one public and one hidden. Told from ... (more)the perspectives of the two daughters, the story unrolls as a fascinating look at the collapse of the house—or in this case, houses—of lies carefully constructed over many years. Oh, what a web we weave! I’ve read and enjoyed this her third novel (as I did Jones's other two) and think you’ll find it a treat to spend a lazy summer Sunday afternoon getting acquainted with this talented Atlanta native and Spelman graduate. —Laura

We are delighted to welcome back Atlanta’s own wonderful author Tayari Jones and her acclaimed and eagerly anticipated new novel, ”Silver Sparrow.” It is the mesmerizing story, set in an Atlanta middle class neighborhood in the 1980s, of a bigamist, his deceptions and the fate of a pair of teenage ... (more)girls drawn into heartbreaking complicity. We know you won’t soon forget this powerful story! Jones was born and raised in Atlanta and now teaches at Rutgers University in new Jersey. Her previous books include ”Leaving Atlanta,” set in the city during a series of terrible child murders, and ”The Untelling,” which won the Lillian Smith Award. We will have copies of her books here for sale and signing at this event.

We are delighted to welcome back Atlanta’s own wonderful author Tayari Jones and her acclaimed and eagerly anticipated new novel, ”Silver Sparrow.” It is the mesmerizing story, set in an Atlanta middle class neighborhood in the 1980s, of a bigamist, his deceptions and the fate of a pair of teenage ... (more)girls drawn into heartbreaking complicity. We know you won’t soon forget this powerful story! Jones was born and raised in Atlanta and now teaches at Rutgers University in new Jersey. Her previous books include ”Leaving Atlanta,” set in the city during a series of terrible child murders, and ”The Untelling,” which won the Lillian Smith Award. We will have copies of her books here for sale and signing at this event.