27th June 2025
27th June 2025
particularly the anglophone countries. The UK paperback cover, with artwork by Jamilla Okubo, is a visual reminder of this. Of all the international editions of the novel, her image best depicts the heart and soul of the story.
Focus Paging Tayari Jones
The Women’s Prize–winning author of An American Marriage is back in the UK to celebrate the prize’s 30th anniversary and introduce her powerful new novel, Kin. The Bookseller caught up with Jones to talk about writing as an act of empathy, finding creative joy, and why women’s stories – especially those from the margins – matter now more than ever.
Each time I return to the UK, I am reminded how much I love the literary culture here. London, especially, is such a reading city! In every restaurant I see at least one person dining alone, nose in a book. Books are just in the air. Novels are part of the natural landscape.
32 [At the Women’s Prize party], Bedford Square
was packed with readers. On a weekday after- noon! Naga Munchetty and I held an on-stage conversation and it was really the best interview I have ever had. The crowd was alive, and Naga was electric. We really went there about litera- ture, the state of the world and just what it means to be an artist in this moment. There is such urgency, agency and enthusiasm surrounding women’s writing today.
Winning the prize in 2019 for An American Marriage was a landmark moment – how has that recognition shaped your writing life and career since then? Winning the Women’s Prize was a great honour, and really a turning point. The UK is really the hub of international literature. Prizes in the US tend to be very local. At home it is difficult for writers who don’t live in New York City to get attention. In the UK, on the other hand, readers and critics are more cosmopolitan. Because of this, the Women’s Prize has a certain – I guess I would say – gravitas. When my name was called, it brought tears to my eyes – and I am not a sentimental person. Another important aspect of the Women’s
Prize is that the UK literary world offers a connection to so much of the African diaspora,
Early in my career, I would call every Black woman that I heard had gotten a book deal and talk to her for at least an hour. The numbers were so lean that I could do that
As a Black woman in publishing, what changes have you observed – or still want to see – in how the industry supports and promotes under- represented voices? I published my first novel, Leaving Atlanta, about 20 years ago. I have seen so many changes in the industry – for Black women, but also in the industry as a whole. The landscape has become much more diverse. Early in my career, I would call every Black woman that I heard had gotten a book deal and talk to her for at least an hour. The numbers were so lean that I could do that. But now, there is no way that could be done! And I see so many debut writers being
reviewed in prestigious places. Can you believe that I had to publish four novels before getting my first review in the New York Times? So, I am seeing much more visibility of Black writers. But, of course, there is still so much work to be done.
Kin will be published by Oneworld in May 2026
You will be introducing your new novel, Kin, during your visit. Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the book and what readers can expect? Kin is the story of two women – Annie and Bernice – who have been friends since they shared a cradle as infants. Their lives go in different directions as they grow into adulthood. Bernice is given the opportunity to go to univer- sity, while Annie runs away in the night to be with a boyfriend. Although they occupy different places in the world, they remain dedicated to one another, even though class dynamics threaten their bond. It is set in the 1950s and ’60s. This was the time of segregation in the American South, and also a moment of radical change. Writing it gave me a deeper understanding of my mother’s generation. I think it can be difficult to walk in the shoes of the generation right over your head. Growing up, we work so hard to differentiate ourselves from them – that we can’t see how they formed us. Or why they tried to form us in the way they did. Writing this novel, for me, has been an exercise in radical empathy.
Black Publishing Focus Q&A TYSON ALAN HORNE
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