I admired Tayari Jones well before I asked a friend to introduce me to her in Washington, DC in 2012. Back then, The Turner House was about 200 pages long, and not nearly as "finished" as I told people it was. Tayari toasted to my fledgling book just the same, buying my friend and me a round of rose. Two years later, she agreed to blurb my book, and I was overjoyed. I happily sent her the email reminders she requested to make sure she found time in her schedule to read my book every day. Tayari selected me to be the person she featured in Poets & Writers magazine's 2015 First Fiction issue (which you should buy). I tried to say smart things during our chat, and I learned a lot from her in the process.
I am excited to be in conversation with Tayari on July 15, at 7:00pm at the Barnes and Noble Upper West Side as part of the Harlem Book Fair. I hope to see you there. I'll also be signing books the following Saturday in Harlem. If I see you at both events, maybe it'll be my turn to buy the rose.