Hello and welcome to Meet the Writers.
I'm Georgina Godwin.
Today's episode is recorded at Hay Festival.
My guest is one of the most acclaimed American novelists of her generation.
Born and raised in Atlanta, she first came to prominence with Leaving Atlanta,
inspired by the child murders that shook the city during her own childhood.
She followed it with The Untelling, Silver Sparrow and An American Marriage,
which won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2019 and brought her work to a global audience.
Her latest novel is Kin, a story that begins in Louisiana with two girls, Vernice and Annie,
growing up without mothers and finding in each other a friendship that will shape the rest of their lives.
Tayari Jones, welcome to Meet the Writers.
Thank you for having me.
Just before we dive into the book and your life and all the rest of it,
you just have to tell me about your life since publication because it sounds crazy.
Oh my goodness, I've done 33 cities in the US, I've been to Auckland,
I've been to Sydney, I've been in the UK seven days, we've been to six cities.
So it's been a whirlwind, but in the very best way.
And today you've been on stage at Hay Festival and then signed queues for hundreds of people.
It was just, it feels like a dream in a lot of ways.
Well, it's so wonderful to have you here.